Every job carries some risk. Health and safety means that the risk is known, assessed and reduced. This lesson shows how.
What occupational risk is
A hazard is something that can cause harm, for example a sharp knife, a wet floor or noise. Occupational risk is the likelihood that the hazard will cause harm at work, together with the consequences that may follow.
Article 226 of the Labour Code places two duties on the employer:
- assess and document the risk connected with the work done, and apply measures that reduce it,
- inform employees about occupational risk and the rules of protection against hazards.
You usually receive information about risk during workstation instruction and from the instructions at your workstation. You have the right to ask about anything you do not understand.
Types of hazards
- Mechanical: moving machine parts, tools, falling objects, falls from height, slipping.
- Chemical: cleaning products, solvents, dust, fumes. Look for labels and safety data sheets.
- Physical: noise, vibration, high or low temperature, electric current, radiation.
- Biological: bacteria, viruses, moulds. They occur, for example, in healthcare or catering.
- Ergonomic and psychosocial: lifting, a fixed posture, computer work, rush, stress, violence.
How risk is reduced
The principle is: first remove or reduce the source of the hazard, then protect collectively, and only last protect individually.
- Elimination and work organisation: safer technology, safer procedures.
- Collective protective measures: machine guards, ventilation, barriers. They protect everyone at once.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE): gloves, goggles, ear protectors, a helmet, protective footwear. They protect only the person wearing them.
Personal protective equipment and work clothing
- The employer must provide it free of charge and inform you how to use it (Article 237⁶).
- The employer must also give you work clothing and footwear if your own clothes would wear out or get dirty quickly, or if technological, sanitary or health and safety reasons require it (Article 237⁷ § 1).
- With the employer's consent you may use your own work clothing, but then you receive a cash allowance. This does not apply to workstations where machines and equipment are operated directly, or to work where clothing gets badly dirty or contaminated with chemical or radioactive substances or infectious material (Article 237⁷ § 3).
- The employer must not allow you to work without the PPE and clothing provided for your workstation (Article 237⁹).
- You must wear them as intended and report any damage (Article 211(4)).
Safety signs
Colours and shapes of signs have fixed meanings. Red means a prohibition or fire-fighting equipment, yellow a warning, blue a mandatory action, and green an evacuation route or help. Learn the signs at your workplace.
Order and cleanliness
Mess kills. Many accidents are trips, slips and falls.
- Keep walkways, evacuation exits and access to extinguishers clear.
- Wipe up spilled liquids at once or mark the wet floor.
- Put away tools and cables. Do not stack goods too high.
- Report damaged floors, stairs and lighting.
Moving around the workplace and operating equipment
- Walk on marked routes. Do not enter areas you are not allowed into.
- Watch out for forklift trucks and other internal transport. Operating such vehicles requires separate authorisations.
- Operate only equipment you have been trained on. Do not remove guards.
- For manual lifting, weight limits apply. Do not lift beyond your strength, and lift heavy things with two people or with mechanical help.
Key points
- The employer must assess the risk and inform you about it (Article 226).
- First eliminate the source, then collective protection, and PPE last.
- PPE and work clothing are free of charge, and you must wear them as intended.
- Order at your workstation protects against trips and falls.