Review article
https://doi.org/10.31306/s.59.3.5
Degradation of work safety experts according to the new Occupational safety act
Željka Lalić
orcid.org/0000-0003-2532-0329
; HEP Proizvodnja d.o.o., Varaždin, Hrvatska
Ivo Lise
; HEP Proizvodnja d.o.o., Dubrovnik, Hrvatska
Abstract
The position of work safety experts has deteriorated after the passing of the new Occupational Safety Act. According to the Act, the employer is under obligation to perform work safety activities depending on risk assessment, work safety level and number of employees and can hire an authorised person to perform work safety activities only when he is objectively and justifiably unable to perform these activities himself. In such cases, the employer will hire an authorised institution to undertake work safety activities after timely consultation with the workers' representative responsible for work safety, but without any kind of mandatory consultation with a work safety expert. The new Occupational Safety Act and Occupational Safety Policy prescribe that a safety expert can be hired by the employer either as a work safety expert of the 1st or of the 2nd degree, depending on the number of employees and type of business activity. This means that any person with a basic master craftsman certification can qualify as a safety expert. However, even in this case the employer is obligated to discuss the hiring of a safety expert and his respective job description with the workers' representative responsible for safety at work. Thus the new legislation undermines the former influence of work safety experts as important consultative entities within companies.
Keywords
work safety expert; workers’ representative; position; responsibility; business system
Hrčak ID:
187220
URI
Publication date:
5.10.2017.
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