In remote work under the revised rules, it will be first and foremost the employee who will have to take care of occupational safety and health | PRO HR July 2022

2022.07.14

Providing safe and healthy working conditions is the primary obligation of the employer.  It consists of, among other things, the organization of the workplace in accordance with occupational safety and health legislation and rules, 

  • Taking care of safe and healthy condition of the premises and technical equipment, 
  • Ensuring the resources necessary for providing first aid in emergencies, fire fighting and evacuation, and ensuring communication with external services specialized, in particular, in emergency first aid, medical rescue and fire protection,
  • Providing adequate hygiene and sanitary facilities and supplying necessary personal hygiene products,
  • Providing adequate meals and beverages to employees working in particularly arduous conditions.

In the case of remote work under the new rules now being amended, safe and healthy working conditions will have to be taken care of, first and foremost, by the employee.

This is due to the form of work performed outside of the employer's broader occupational safety and health supervision.

The employer will only have to exercise due diligence and provide the employee with guidance and instructions on occupational safety and health.

The difficulty, however, may be enforcing the execution of the recommendations.

This is because the employer is not in a position to monitor or prohibit on an ongoing basis the performance of work in a manner contrary to OSH principles.

An example would be performing work with ergonomics in mind.

The employer may provide guidelines explaining these rules, but only the goodwill of the employee will ensure that he or she does not work on the sofa with a laptop on his or her lap instead of at a desk.

Therefore, it will be important not only to provide employees with relevant instructions and guidance, but to train employees (e.g. in ergonomics) and demonstrate that OSH in the workplace is extremely important for the health and life of the employee, as well as his or her family members.

Hence, employees should attach great importance to these issues.

Find more in the PRO HR July 2022.