Occupational health and safety (in Czech, BOZP) is not only the employer's business. The employer, managers and every employee all share it. This lesson explains which rules govern it and why your employer trains you.
Which rules apply
- The Labour Code (zákoník práce, Act No. 262/2006 Sb.), Part Five, § 101 to § 108. This is the main law on occupational health and safety in an employment relationship.
- The Fire Protection Act (zákon o požární ochraně, No. 133/1985 Sb.) and the fire prevention decree (vyhláška o požární prevenci, No. 246/2001 Sb.).
- Government regulations on individual topics, for example on personal protective equipment (No. 390/2021 Sb.), on accidents at work (No. 322/2025 Sb.) and on safety signs (No. 375/2017 Sb.).
- The Act on Further Conditions of Occupational Health and Safety (zákon o zajištění dalších podmínek BOZP, No. 309/2006 Sb.). It supplements the Labour Code, for example on risk prevention.
Who is responsible for what
Under § 101 of the Labour Code, the employer must ensure the safety and health of employees at work. The employer bears the costs of occupational health and safety and must not pass them on to employees. Managers carry out these tasks within the scope of their authority.
Under § 106, the employee looks after their own safety and the safety of people affected by what they do. They follow the rules and instructions.
Inspection is carried out by the State Labour Inspection Office (Státní úřad inspekce práce) and the regional labour inspectorates (oblastní inspektoráty práce). If duties are breached, they can fine the employer.
Training: when and why
Under § 103(2) of the Labour Code, your employer arranges training in the occupational health and safety rules that apply to your work and to the risks at your workplace. The employer must do this:
- when you start work,
- when your job or type of work changes,
- when new technology or a new working procedure is introduced,
- in situations that may have a significant effect on safety.
Under § 103(3), the training is repeated regularly if the nature and seriousness of the risk require it. The law sets no fixed interval. The employer decides the content and frequency according to the risks. In practice, training is often repeated every 1 to 2 years. For fire protection training, activities with increased or high fire risk have a minimum of their own: at least once every 2 years (see the last lesson).
Two parts of the training
Occupational health and safety training has two parts. Each has a different purpose.
- The general part. It explains rights and duties, how to prevent accidents, and what to do after an injury and in a fire. It is the same for most workplaces. This course covers exactly this part.
- The specific part for your workplace. It concerns your machines, substances, procedures, escape routes and risks. Only the employer knows it.
What the course does not replace
This course does not replace training at your employer. The employer must still:
- identify hazards and assess the risks at your workplace,
- make you familiar with the risks of your particular job,
- show you practical procedures, machines, extinguishers and escape routes,
- check your knowledge and keep a training record, usually a signed record.
Under § 103(3), the employer decides the content and frequency of training, how knowledge is checked and how records are kept. The law does not prescribe one mandatory form of record. But the employer must be able to prove that the training took place. The labour inspectorate usually asks for this evidence during an inspection.
Whether the employer uses this course as part of its training is for the employer to decide.
Summary
- The basis is the Labour Code, § 101 to § 108.
- Training is given at the start of work, when the work changes, and then repeatedly according to the risks (§ 103).
- The course is the general part. The employer explains your workplace and the risks of your job.
- The certificate from the course is not a certificate of professional competence. It is evidence that you completed the course and the test.