Basic Occupational Safety Obligations for Employers

Get information about the basic occupational safety obligations of employers, professional examinations for Occupational Safety Experts, and providing first aid to employees in the workplace

All employers must have organised occupational safety activities, which means they must either have an employed occupational safety expert (level I or II) or they can contract occupational safety activities with authorised persons or they can conduct their occupational safety activities themselves in compliance with the requirements laid down in the Ordinance on the performance of occupational safety activities. Employers are also obliged to train workers in a safe manner in the prescribed manner. (training is provided by employers themselves for their workers, provided that they have a level I or level II occupational safety expert status in their ranks or by authorised persons).
 
Each employer is obliged to prepare a risk assessment, i.e. its amendments in the prescribed conditions. The risk assessment may be prepared by the employer himself if he has an employed occupational safety expert. The employer's obligation is to examine and test the working equipment and the working environment (testing of physical factors - microclimate, noise and lighting) (testing of chemical factors - hazardous work substances - dust, gases, smoke, biological agents, etc.) (testing of biological factors) whose test period comes every three years, of course if such obligation results from risk assessment. The employer may also have the risk assessment prepared by the authorised person while the testing of the work equipment and the working environment is carried out exclusively by authorised persons whose list appears on the following link to the records of authorised persons.

Professional examinations for occupational safety professionals

Professional examinations for occupational safety professionals (general or special, or general and special part) shall be passed by all persons who will perform occupational safety duties with employers or in authorised legal or natural persons for performing occupational safety duties.
 
Professional examinations are submitted on the prescribed form SIS-1, titled “Office for Safety at work”, Ministry of Labour, pension system, family and Social Policy, Ulica grada Vukovara 78, 10000 Zagreb.
 
The application must send:

• completed form
• copy of the diploma or certificate of completion of education
• copy of the extract from the register of the employer registering the candidate or in which the candidate works (if employed)

 
Other information related to the examination can be found at the expert exam link or at the Secretaries of the test Commission on telephone numbers:

01/6109-236
01/6106-675
 
The cost of the general or specific part of the examination is 74.32 euros and the general and specific part of the examination is 111.49 euros.
 
The list of regulations that need to be known when taking the general or general and special part of the professional exam for occupational safety professionals can be found in the Ordinance on training and further training in occupational safety and taking the professional exam.

Providing first aid to workers at work

If the employer employs at least two workers per location and shift, one worker must be trained to provide first aid for the first 50 workers and another worker for each of the next 50 workers.
 
The employer shall serve a written decision on the appointment to first aid and inform all other workers of the workers trained and appointed to first aid.
 
This training may be conducted with an authorised specialist in occupational medicine or with the Croatian Red Cross.
 
All obligations of employers in the field of occupational safety are listed and explained in the guide Obligations of employers in the field of occupational safety.