Act on Safety and Protection of Health at Work and Labour Code

(Act No. 158/2001 Coll. amending and supplementing the Act of the National Council of the Slovak Republic No. 330/1996 Coll. on Safety and Protection of Health at Work as amended, and amending and supplementing the Labour Code)

The main purpose of the amendment to the Act on Safety and Protection of Health at Work (the "Amendment") was to fully implement the Council Directive 89/391/EEC on the Introduction of Measures to Encourage Improvements in the Safety and Health of Workers at Work.

The Amendment supplemented the part of the act related to obligations of employees by general principles of prevention, possibility of employees to express their opinion to all planned and performed measures in the area of safety and protection of health at work, obligation of employers to provide employees and employees' representatives with necessary information, supervision activity of employers, co-operation of employees and employers, and recondition stays.

The Amendment extended the operation of the act also to legal entities and individuals which perform practical education of apprentices in practical schools, professional practical schools, high schools and university students.

The Amendment further introduces legal definitions of terms such as prevention, danger, threat, risk and inherent danger. The supervision over compliance with conditions for ensuring the safety and protection of health at work stipulated by the act is performed by the labour inspection authorities (the Ministry of Labour, Social and Family Affairs of the Slovak Republic, the National Inspection Labour Office and labour inspection offices) and supervision authorities according to a special act.

In connection with the Amendment, the Labour Code has been amended as well. The amendment to the Labour Code expressly stipulates a duty of employers to provide systematically for safety and protection of health of employees at work within the scope of their operation and perform necessary measures, including, but not limited to, ensuring prevention, necessary equipment and suitable management system of work safety. Employers are obliged to improve the level of work protection in all activities and adapt the level of work protection to changing conditions.

The amendment to the Labour Code has newly reviewed rights and obligations of employees in the field of health protection and safety at work, and according to the new regulation, employees have the right for ensuring the safety and protection of health at work, for provision of information of dangerous factors resulting from the labour process and labour environment and information on measures for protection against negative effects. At work, employees are obliged to take care of their safety and health and of safety and health of persons to which their activity is related.

This act is effective from 1 May 2001.

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