The term “Occupational Health and Safety” (OHS) covers a wide range of issues and rules. Many employers and employees see these areas as a necessary evil and a formality. However, this can change in the event of a serious accident, an inspection by a labour inspectorate or an employment dispute. So how can you prepare yourself so that you as an employer are not caught off guard by these events?
The workplace should be safe not only for employees, but basically for any individual who is there. This is to be ensured and paid for by the employer and is then the responsibility of the managers in their respective roles. The scope of this legal duty will of course be vastly different when working in an office, a laboratory, working at height or on a construction site, for example. Nevertheless, there are some general principles that should be followed in all these workplaces.
The basic rule of thumb is that if an employer is sufficiently knowledgeable about OHS and employs 25 or fewer employees, he or she can take care of this area himself or herself (in the case of an office operation, anyone can certainly do this). However, if it is a hazardous operation or a workplace with 25 or more employees, there should ideally be a dedicated H&S person.
Occupational health and safety (OHS) is fundamental to any workplace. In this context, emphasis is placed on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), which includes work clothing, work boots, work gloves, hard hats, safety helmets and other protective equipment.
For example, the abbreviation OSH also includes safety at heights, where specific work equipment such as safety harnesses are used, and rules for fire protection.
Every workplace is required by law to identify the risks to employees. Even in the aforementioned office, a fall, a snapped finger or the toppling of a locker can happen. As part of the risk identification process, the employer should find and minimise just such unsecured lockers or other risks. Those that cannot be completely eliminated should be communicated to the employee in advance.
Risk identification also includes consideration of what activities require the use of protective work equipment, which includes, for example, work gloves or work boots. All information should be given to employees during regular OHS training. All workers should receive fire and safety training to ensure not only that they are able to use PPE correctly, but also that they can identify hazards, for example.
Tip: What does an accident at work mean? What are you entitled to, what is pain and suffering and how is it determined? Is the procedure different if you caused the injury in part by your own breach of duty? And why is your employer allowed to give you notice in connection with a work-related injury? We answer all this in our article.
For the majority of operations, there are already written documents on this topic, so it is enough to get a similar document, for example from OSH professionals, and compare it with the real operation at the workplace. It usually contains a description of the risk – i.e. what can happen (e.g. needle sticks, cuts, etc.), the likelihood of the risk and the severity of the consequences and the measures that can be taken. This document should become an integral part of your employer’s agenda.
You can leave it to the professionals. We will check your documentation or prepare it completely turnkey.
Any work performed in the workplace should be classified into one of four categories. The conditions for categorising work are set out in a government decree, which identifies a total of thirteen risk factors that are assessed on this occasion – these are dust, chemicals, noise, vibration, non-ionising radiation, physical strain, working position, heat strain, cold strain, psychological strain, visual strain, strain, working with biological agents and working in elevated air pressure. The Decree clearly describes the criteria for categorisation.
Each job should be assessed in terms of the different factors and their categories. If, for example, you subsequently assess the risk for a factor at level three, that job is classified as category three, even though all the other factors are assessed at level one.
The assessment should be carried out for each job separately.
The importance of job categorisation includes occupational health examinations, their frequency and frequency of recurrence. If the categorisation results in at least one position in category 2 or higher, this information should be sent to the Regional Health Station responsible for the workplace.
Tip: Wondering what your employer’s obligations to you are? What criteria must your working conditions meet, what do you have to be paid for, and what about holidays? And conversely, what rights does your employer have against you? The answer to these questions can be found in our article on: Employer’s rights and obligations towards the employee.
In hazardous operations, it is important that the employer provides adequate personal protective equipment and work equipment for all employees. This includes work helmets, work boots, work clothes and other protective equipment. It is important that the protective equipment is appropriate to the specific needs of the work environment (e.g. safe working at height requires the use of safety harnesses).
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is often confused with work equipment or work clothing, but they are not the same thing. For example, a rake, a computer or a paint roller are work equipment.
In contrast, protective equipment is a work helmet, work gloves or a safety harness for working at height. Employers should equip their employees in hazardous work directly with protective equipment and not rely on them to provide it themselves. Nor should they provide them for reimbursement in the event of normal wear and tear (another situation is, for example, loss or destruction caused by misuse).
Work boots or work clothes can be protective equipment, for example, if you use them to protect your employees from the cold. However, if they are uniform shirts for employees in a pizzeria, they are not protective equipment.
Tip: You can find workwear and protective equipment in many professions. However, there are often questions about who is actually obliged to pay for them – the employee or the employer? We’ll answer what the law says in our article.
In this area, too, the activities carried out fall into one of the following categories:
However, the criteria should be assessed by a competent person.
Each workplace should be equipped with fire extinguishers, but this is usually provided by the landlord of the building. Nevertheless, it is not a bad idea to check this and, if necessary, agree remedies with the landlord.
In the event of a fire, and other similar situations, the workplace should be equipped with escape route signs (which are usually green) and red fire extinguisher signs.
Tip: Can you have an accident at home? Find the answer to this question in our article.
Regular training (sometimes even practical training) should be provided in both fire protection and occupational safety. Regular OHS training introduces employees to the personal protective equipment used, the principles of OHS and fire protection. Often the training, or simply signing a paper stating that it has taken place, is the only OSH activity that takes place.
However, what you probably get away with in an office job can mean a really big mess if your employees are working at a lathe or in a lab, for example. Employees should be trained regularly on the proper use of protective equipment and following OSHA policies, including specific fire safety training or lab safety training.
Training should take place at the latest on the day the employee starts work in the form of initial training and then, at appropriate intervals – particularly in view of the type of work and changes in the organisation of work – refresher training.
Tip: OHS training was covered in one of our blog articles.
In the field of OSH, it is worth not underestimating both the duties as such (conducting regular training, assigning protective equipment) and keeping records of these activities. For example, if there is a truly fatal workplace accident, it will be difficult to prove that you agreed with a colleague to use safety glasses and a helmet, and that you trained them, if you have no evidence of any of this and the survivors claim the cost of the funeral and maintenance of any minor children left behind.
As for the records that the employer should keep, these are mainly the accident book and fire book, which are legally required, and the health and safety inspection log (which should include a ‘health and safety inspection’ at least once a year, i.e. a thorough check of everything to do with health and safety). However, the law does not provide for binding forms and therefore electronic forms are allowed. From 2026, the recording and reporting of work accidents will be done through the digital system of the Labour Inspectorate, so employers must prepare for the transition from paper books to electronic submission.
Employers should have a contract with a company doctor and every employee should have a medical examination at least before starting work. This can also be done by their district doctor if they are in the least demanding category of work. Periodic medical examinations should follow at certain intervals, again determined by the category of work activity and the age of the employee.
Tip: We have covered workplace medical examinations, their division and rules in a separate article.
Oversight of work safety is carried out by the State Office of Labour Inspection through its inspectorates. It does not pay to ignore the regulations in this area, as the fines can be very high – up to CZK 2 million. Of course, the inspectors take into account the general dangerousness of the operation, so if a breach of duty is discovered in an accounting firm, the inspector can expect a period of time to rectify the defects rather than a fine of CZK 1 million. However, when investigating a fatality in a high-rise work, they would probably not be so forgiving.
Ensuring workplace safety is not only a legal obligation for employers, but also a prevention of workplace accidents that can have serious consequences. Therefore, it is important that employees use personal protective equipment and regularly attend health and safety and fire protection training.
From 2025, the amendment to the Labour Code introduced a new institute – the Workplace Health Promotion Programme. This is a voluntary option that employers can offer to their employees over and above the mandatory occupational health and safety (OHS).
The purpose of this institute is to expand the traditional concept of OSH to include preventive and supportive activities that contribute to the overall health and well-being of employees. In particular, the law states that:
preventive health checks and screening examinations,
vaccination (for example against influenza or tick-borne encephalitis),
promotion of sport and physical activity,
healthy lifestyle, nutrition and disease prevention programmes.
The introduction of the programme is not compulsory and is entirely at the discretion of the employer. However, if the employer decides to offer such a programme, it must do so on a non-discriminatory basis, i.e. on equal terms for all employees who wish to participate.
The advantage is that the participation of employees in the programme can have positive effects not only on their health and satisfaction, but also on reducing sickness absence and improving performance. From an employer’s perspective, this is an investment in human capital that can pay off in the long term.
occupational health and safety (OHS) is a key element for any workplace, not only to protect employees but also to prevent serious accidents, labour disputes or problems with the labour inspectorate. Employers have a duty to provide a safe working environment, identify and minimize hazards, and prevent accidents through regular training and the provision of adequate protective equipment. It is also important to keep careful records of all OSH activities so that in the event of an incident, it is possible to demonstrate compliance with all obligations. Compliance with these principles not only ensures the health of employees but also protects the employer from legal and financial consequences.
Tip: Labour inspections sound really scary for many employers. But it has an important place and in some situations it can not only save money, but even save lives. In our next article, we break down what a labour inspectorate actually does, what powers it has, and how the inspection itself works.
OHS stands for occupational health and safety. It is a set of rules, measures and procedures designed to protect employees from occupational accidents and diseases. The basic principles of OSH include, in particular, the identification and assessment of risks, the provision of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), regular OSH training and also fire protection. Compliance with these principles is not only a legal obligation for employers but also a prevention against serious accidents.
Workwear and work clothes are mainly used for a uniform appearance or protection from common soiling (e.g. T-shirt, trousers, apron). Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is special equipment that protects the employee from a particular hazard – this includes, for example, work boots, work gloves, a protective helmet (work helmet), respirator or safety harness. In contrast, work equipment is the tools and equipment needed to do the job (e.g. a computer, a hammer or laboratory equipment). The law is clear that the provision of PPE is the employer’s responsibility if the work poses a risk to health.
Every employee must receive initial OHS training before starting work. This is followed by regular occupational safety training and fire protection training, repeated at appropriate intervals according to the nature of the operation. The content of the training includes the principles of safe workplace behaviour, the use of PPE, emergency procedures (e.g. evacuation) and the correct use of protective equipment. In specific environments, such as working at heights or laboratory safety, specialised training is provided.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers must ensure that every worker has the necessary protective equipment. This includes, for example, slip-resistant work boots, work gloves to protect against cuts, a safety helmet for construction work or a harness for safety at heights. The employer provides this equipment free of charge and is obliged to renew it regularly in the event of normal wear and tear. The employee shall use and protect them.
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