INITIAL OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING – A BASIC REQUIREMENT BEFORE CARRYING OUT WORK
From the Labour Code, more precisely from § 2 of article 237(3): , “the employer is obliged to ensure that the employee is trained in occupational safety and health before being allowed to work and to conduct periodic training in this field”. Additionally, the regulation of the Minister of Economy and Labour of 27 July 2004 on training in the field of occupational safety and health defines:
- principles of training in the field of occupational health and safety,
- the scope of training,
- requirements concerning the content and realisation of training programmes,
- the manner of documenting initial training,
- cases in which employers or employees may be exempt from specific types of training.
If you are newly employed by a company, or if you are a student doing an internship or a student doing practical vocational training, you are obliged to attend an initial occupational health and safety training in the scope of general and position-specific instruction before you start work.
Important: The initial training in occupational safety and health takes place before you are allowed to work.
INITIAL OCCUPATIONAL HSE TRAINING – WHAT IS ITS OBJECTIVE?
INITIAL OCCUPATIONAL HSE TRAINING – WHAT IS ITS OBJECTIVE?
The purpose of the training is to familiarise the employee in particular with
- the basic rules of occupational safety and health contained in the Labour Code, collective labour agreements or work regulations,
- regulations and principles of occupational health and safety in force at the given workplace,
- principles of first aid in case of an accident.
INITIAL HSE TRAINING WARSZAWA – DIVISION OF TRAINING
Initial HSE training is divided into two parts: general instruction and job-specific instruction, which are usually conducted by the respective persons.
General instruction during HSE training is conducted by an employee of the occupational health and safety service, a person who performs the tasks of this service for the employer, or an employer who performs such tasks himself, or an employee appointed by the employer who has knowledge and skills that ensure proper execution of the training program and who has a current certificate of completing the required training in occupational health and safety.
The position instruction during the occupational health and safety training shall be provided by the person in charge of employees designated by the employer or the employer, if such persons have the relevant qualifications and professional experience and are trained in the methods of conducting the position instruction. The position briefing should ensure that the participants of the initial training are familiar with the work environment factors occurring at their workstations and the occupational hazards of their work, the ways to protect themselves from the hazards which these factors may cause and the methods to perform work safely at these workstations.
REPEATED INITIAL TRAINING IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Re-training in job training is required if there are changes in the technical and organisational conditions of each job in the enterprise, or if the job is changed or if work is performed in several jobs.
If you are the employer or the person in charge of another position, you are obliged to undergo periodic training in occupational safety and health within six months of starting work at the position.
If you hold another position, e.g. that of an engineer, technician or worker, you must undergo periodic training in occupational safety and health within 12 months of starting work in the position.
EMPLOYEE INDUCTION TRAINING – ALSO ONLINE
In most cases, initial occupational health and safety training will be conducted at the employer’s premises.
However, in connection with an outbreak of an epidemic, the initial HSE training may also be conducted online. This follows from Article 12e of the Act of 2 March 2020 on specific solutions related to the prevention, counteraction and combating of COVID19, other infectious diseases and crisis situations caused by them:
“During a state of epidemic danger or a state of epidemic, it is permitted to conduct initial training in the field of occupational safety and health and service in its entirety by means of electronic communication, with the exception of position instruction
- an employee employed in a worker’s position;
- an employee employed in a position where exposure to hazardous agents occurs;
- an employee transferred to the position referred to in points 1 and 2;
- a student undergoing practical vocational training and a student undergoing student traineeship.”
INITIAL TRAINING CARD – HOW TO FILL IT IN?
You are the person in charge of the employees or the employer and you are faced with the initial training card. A frequent dilemma that arises – how to fill it in correctly?
A member of the Health and Safety at Work staff or the Human Resources department can give you advice.
Remember that training cards remain in the employee’s personal file, so it is important to fill them in correctly.
INITIAL AND PERIODIC TRAINING IN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH – BASIC DIFFERENCES
The division of training into initial and periodic training results from the Regulation of the Minister of Economy and Labour of 27 July 2004 on training in the field of occupational safety and health.
Initial training is intended for all persons who start work in a given enterprise.
Periodic training in occupational safety and health aims to update and consolidate knowledge and skills in occupational safety and health and to familiarise trainees with new technical and organisational solutions in this field.
INITIAL AND PERIODIC TRAINING IN WARSAW AND BEYOND
Initial HSE training courses online are conducted through a platform for live meetings and events. The only requirement is that the trainee has access to a computer and the internet.
Are you looking for an HSE Specialist to conduct initial HSE training for your employees?
Contact us!
We conduct initial training in occupational health and safety and periodic training in Warsaw and the surrounding area.