The Occupational Health and Safety

The Occupational Health and Safety Act and ordinances adopted on the basis of that Act prescribe the employer's obligations in the implementation of occupational safety and health.


The employer is obliged to organize and implement occupational health and safety, taking into account risk prevention as well as informing, training, organization and resources. Occupational health and safety is part of the organization of work and the performance of the work procedure. The employer must provide workers with the highest possible level of protection of health and safety at work, and bear the costs of occupational health and safety implementation.


Particularly vulnerable groups for whom the employer is obliged to provide special protection at work are underage employees, pregnant employees, employees who have recently given birth and employees who are breastfeeding, employees suffering from occupational diseases and employees identified with a partial work capacity and a partial loss of work capacity or if there is an immediate risk of reduction of work capacity.


The most important obligations of the employer arising from the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act are in particular:

 

• risk assessment

The employer has the obligation to carry out risk assessment, i.e. its amendments. They may carry out the risk assessment themselves (if they meet the conditions prescribed by the Ordinance on performing tasks of occupational health and safety) or they may submit it to a person authorized for occupational health and safety matters. The list of authorized persons by the ministry responsible for work to manage occupational health and safety matters can be found at the link http://uznr.mrms.hr/znr/ovlastenja/
OiRA tools can be used for carrying out risk assessments when these tools have been put to use for certain jobs via the website of the ministry responsible for work. 
 
On the basis of risk assessment employer is obliged to apply preventive measures, organize and implement work and production procedures, i.e. methods as well as undertake other actions to prevent and reduce the exposure of employees to the identified risks, determine work with special working conditions, determine workplaces where appropriate personal equipment is used, determine if there are machines and devices with increased hazards which must be tested regularly every 3 years, to determine if it is obligatory to test the work environment at the workplaces, etc.
 

• employees’ training for work in a safe manner

Employees’ training for work in a safe manner is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance on training for occupational health and safety and professional examination.
Training of workers for work in a safe manner is carried out by occupational health and safety specialist employed by the employer, i.e. occupational health and safety specialist, II. degree employed by a person authorized to train workers. The training of workers is carried out in accordance with the training program, which must be based on a risk assessment and must include all the hazards, harms and exertions at work identified in the risk assessment and the methods of elimination.
 

• employers' obligations in relation to work with special working conditions

Employees who perform tasks with special working conditions must meet special requirements in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance on jobs with special working conditions in regard to their age, gender, professional abilities, health, physical state and mental condition.
 

• carrying out of the necessary tests (the work environment and the means of work)

The employer is obliged to test the work environment at the workplaces - physical, chemical and biological factors of the work environment in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance on testing a work environment.
The employer is obliged to test the means of work used, to determine whether occupational health and safety rules have been applied and whether the health and safety of employees have been put at risk due to changes that have occurred during their use. Means of work are facilities designed for work with their installations, devices and equipment, means of transport and work equipment.
 

• implementation of health protection measures

The employer must provide an employee with appropriate health protection depending on the health and safety risks to which the employee is exposed in the workplace, in accordance with special regulations governing health protection measures related to work. With a view to ensuring health surveillance appropriate to the health and safety risks in the workplace to which an employee is exposed, at the request of the employee the employer must enable the employee to undergo medical examination once in five years.
 

• provision of first aid

The employer must organize and ensure first-aid assistance for employees and other persons until they have been provided with emergency medical care or until they have been admitted to a health care institution. On every work site or in workrooms where between 2 and 50 employees work at the same time, at least one employee, and one more employee per every additional group of up to 50 employees, must be trained to provide first aid. The employer shall provide workers trained to provide first aid with a written decision on their appointment for provision of first aid and inform all other workers about the workers who are trained and appointed to provide first aid. The specified training can be performed by an authorized occupational medicine specialist or by the Croatian Red Cross.
 

• fire prevention, evacuation and rescue operations

The employer must take the necessary measures to ensure fire prevention measures and rescue operations, draw up an evacuation and rescue plan, designate employees who will implement the measures, and ensure that the public fire prevention and rescue service can be called and can intervene.
 

• prevention of stress caused by work or in relation to work

The employer is obliged to implement stress prevention at work or in relation to work caused in particular by factors such as content of work, work organization, work environment, poor communication and interpersonal relationships.
 

• safety signs, written notifications and instructions

The employer is obliged to permanently setup safety signs in a visible place at workplaces and means of work, and if they are not sufficient, they are obliged to set up written notifications and instructions about the conditions and manner of the use of means of work, hazardous chemicals, biological harms and sources of physical and other harms at work.
 

• the protection of non-smokers, the prohibition of drinking alcohol and taking other addictive substances

Employees must not be under the influence of alcohol or other addictive substances during work time and they must not bring them to the workplace. The employer must implement appropriate measures prohibiting the abuse of alcohol and addictive substances in the workplace. The employer must implement measures protecting non-smokers from the smoke of tobacco.
 

• management of records and documents and provision of information and notifications

The employers are obliged to keep records of training for work in a safe manner, of jobs with special working conditions, of machinery and equipment posing heightened risks, of hazardous work substances that are produced, processed or used, of injuries at work, occupational diseases and occupational accidents.
 

• obligations towards supervisory bodies

Injuries at work which resulted in death injury in the premises or in the area where the employer carries out their activities, i.e. injuries which resulted in provision of the emergency medical aid to the worker or person at work, and due to which the injured person was kept for treatment in an inpatient of outpatient healthcare facility, must be reported to the competent office of the State Inspectorate immediately after the occurrence.
 
Competent authority and rules:
Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy
Ulica grada Vukovara 78
1000 Zagreb
+385 1 6106 641
info@mrosp.hr
 
Occupational Health and Safety Act (OG 71/14, 118/14, 94/18, 96/18)
Ordinance on the preparation of a risk assessment (OG 112/14, 129/19)
Ordinance on performing tasks of occupational health and safety (OG 126/19)
Ordinance on training for occupational health and safety and professional examination (OG 112/14)
Ordinance on inspection and testing of a work equipment (OG 16/16)
Ordinance on testing a work environment (OG 16/16)
Ordinance on Occupational Health and Safety in the workplace (OG 105/20)
Ordinance on use of personal protective equipment (OG NN 5/21 )
Ordinance on occupational health and safety of pregnant employees, employees who have recently given birth and who are breastfeeding (OG 91/15)
Ordinance on safety signs (OG 91/15, 102/15, 61/16)
Ordinance on the provision of first aid to employees at work (OG 56/83)
Ordinance on jobs with special working conditions (OG 5/84)
 
Other occupational health and safety regulations:
 
https://mrosp.gov.hr/pristup-informacijama-16/zakoni-i-ostali-propisi-7485/uprava-za-rad-i-zastitu-na-radu-4173-7487/7487
 
http://uznr.mrms.hr/propisi/nacionalni-propisi/
 
Updated: 22 March 2021
 

 

Please help us improve