The Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran, and Social Affairs has issued two new regulations concerning workplace safety and health, which will come into effect on April 28, 2025. These are the Rulebook on preventive measures for safe and healthy work at heights and the Rulebook on the method of record-keeping and retention periods in the field of occupational safety and health.
The Rulebook on preventive measures for safe and healthy work at heights precisely defines the obligations of employers regarding the implementation of preventive measures to reduce the risk of injuries that may occur during work at heights. Work at heights includes all activities carried out by employees in industrial and other protected and unprotected vertical environments at heights of two meters or more above a solid surface. In this regard, the regulation outlines specific scenarios considered work at heights, such as work on scaffolding, work platforms, or ladders, maintenance of installations in industrial facilities, work on electrical and power poles, and any work determined by the employer through a risk assessment in accordance with safety and health regulations, among others.
According to the regulation, employers are required to take appropriate technical measures, use suitable equipment, and implement preventive measures to create a safe work environment. Employers are also obligated to provide employees with personal protective equipment to prevent falls from heights, establish rescue procedures, and implement systems to prevent falling. The regulation mandates employers to assess the risk of injury for all work posts where work at heights could be performed. The purpose of this assessment is to identify potential hazards that could lead to injuries or health issues for employees and to implement measures to eliminate or mitigate these risks. When conducting assessments, employers must consider various factors that could pose potential dangers, such as presence of unsecured edges and openings that could cause falls, hazards related to weather conditions, proximity to power lines, and other electrical installations. At the same time, employers must provide employees who work at heights with initial and periodic medical examinations and inform them of all types of risks that may arise.
The second new regulation is the Rulebook on the method of record-keeping and retention periods in the field of occupational safety and health. According to this regulation, employers are required to maintain various types of records, including information such as those concerning: high-risk work posts, employees working in these posts, and medical examinations for these employees, workplace injuries, illnesses caused by the work conditions, employees exposed to carcinogens or mutagens, chemical substances, and asbestos, as well as health conditions and exposure levels. Most of these records can be kept electronically, except for records of employees trained in safe and healthy work practices and the proper use of personal protective equipment.
A safety and health advisor or associate is responsible for completing and signing the forms, with mandatory employer certification. In the case of electronic records, the employer is required to use a qualified electronic signature when signing the forms, in accordance with specific regulations. The Regulation on the Method of Record-Keeping and Retention Periods in the Field of Occupational Safety and Health specifies the mandatory data each record must contain, as well as the forms that are an integral part of the regulation.
It is expected that the implementation of these new regulations will significantly improve safety standards, reduce workplace injuries, and increase employer accountability. We anticipate that employers will be motivated to improve their practices and procedures to comply with legal requirements, contributing to a safer and healthier work environment.
Furthermore, rigorous record-keeping and long-term data retention on occupational safety and health can help identify patterns of injuries and illnesses, laying the foundation for the introduction of proactive measures and prevention strategies. These changes are expected to raise awareness of workplace safety and health and encourage companies to develop a culture that promotes occupational safety.
Ultimately, whether compliance with rules and the implementation of measures will lead to positive outcomes largely depends on the individual efforts and commitment of employers and employees alike.
Author: Danka Filipović, Associate at IVVK Lawyers
Novi pravilnici o radu
Ministarstvo za rad, zapošljavanje, boračka i socijalna pitanja donelo je dva nova pravilnika koja se odnose na bezbednost i zdravlje na radu, a koji počinju da se primenjuju 28. aprila 2025. godine. Reč je o Pravilniku o preventivnim merama za bezbedan i zdrav rad na visini i Pravilniku o načinu vođenja i rokovima čuvanja evidencija u oblasti bezbednosti i zdravlja na radu.
Pravilnik o preventivnim merama za bezbedan i zdrav rad na visini precizno definiše obaveze poslodavaca u vezi sa implementacijom preventivnih mera za smanjenje rizika od povreda koje mogu nastati prilikom rada na visini. Rad na visini obuhvata sve aktivnosti koje zaposleni obavljaju u industrijskim, kao i drugim zaštićenim i nezaštićenim vertikalnim sredinama, na visinama od dva metra ili više, u odnosu na čvrstu podlogu. U tom smislu, ovim pravilnikom su predviđeni pojedinačni slučajevi koji se smatraju radom na visini: rad na skeli, radnoj platformi ili lestvama, na održavanju instalacija u industrijskim objektima, na električnim i elektroenergetskim stubovima, rad koji poslodavac utvrdi aktom o proceni rizika na radnom mestu i u radnoj sredini u skladu sa propisima u oblasti bezbednosti i zdravlja na radu i dr.
Na osnovu pravilnika, poslodavac je dužan da preduzme odgovarajuće tehničke mere, koristi odgovarajuća sredtsva i primeni preventivne mere radi kreiranja bezbednog radnog okruženja. Poslodavac je takodje u obavezi da zaposlenima obezbedi korišćenje lične zaštitne opreme za sprečavanje pada sa visine, uvede procedure za spašavanje i sisteme zaštite od pada. Pravilnik obavezuje poslodavca da za sva radna mesta na kojima postoji mogućnost rada na visini izvrši procenu rizika od nastanka povreda. Procena ima za cilj da poslodavac identifikuje potencijalne opasnosti koje mogu dovesti do povreda ili oštećenja zdravlja zaposlenih, kao i da primeni mere za njihovo otklanjanje ili smanjenje. Pri sprovođenju procene, poslodavci moraju da uzmu u obzir niz faktora koji mogu predstavljati potencijalnu opasnost, što uključuje neobezbeđene ivice i otvore koji mogu izazvati pad, opasnosti povezane sa vremenskim uslovima, blizinu dalekovoda i drugih elektroenergetskih instalacija i dr. Istovremeno, poslodavac zaposlenima, koji obavljaju poslove na visini, mora da obezbedi prethodni i periodični lekarski pregledi i da ih upozna sa svim vrstama rizika koji se mogu pojaviti.
Druga novina je uvedena Pravilnikom o načinu vođenja i rokovima čuvanja evidencija u oblasti bezbednosti i zdravlja na radu. Na osnovu ovog pravilnika, poslodavac je u obavezi da vodi evidencije o radnim mestima sa povećanim rizikom, zaposlenima koji obavljaju poslove na radnim mestima sa povećanim rizikom i lekarskim pregledima zaposlenih koji obavljaju te poslove, povredama na radu i profesionalnim bolestima, zaposlenima koji su izloženi karcinogenima ili mutagenima, hemijskim materijama i azbestu, kao i o zdravstvenom stanju i izloženosti itd. Poslodavac većinu ovih evidencija može da vodi u elektronskom obliku, izuzev evidencije o zaposlenima obučenim za bezbedan i zdrav rad i pravilnom korišćenju lične zaštitne opreme.
Za popunjavanje obrazaca i potpisivanje zadužen je savetnik, odnosno saradnik za bezbednost i zdravlje na radu, uz obaveznu overu poslodavca. U slučaju elektronske evidencije, poslodavac je u obavezi da koristi kvalifikovani elektronski potpis prilikom potpisivanja obrazaca, u skladu sa posebnim propisom. Pravilnik o načinu vođenja i rokovima čuvanja evidencija u oblasti bezbednosti i zdravlja na radu pojedinačno propisuje obavezne podatke koje mora da sadrži svaka od evidencija, kao i obrasce koji su sastavni deo pravilnika.
Očekuje se da će primena novih regulativa značajno unaprediti standarde bezbednosti i smanjiti broj povreda na radu, te povećati odgovornosti poslodavca. Očekuje se i da će poslodavci biti motivisani da unaprede svoje prakse i procedure kako bi se uskladili sa zakonskim zahtevima, što će doprineti smanjenju rizika od povreda i obezbediti zdravije radno okruženje.
Takođe, rigorozno vođenje evidencija i dugoročno čuvanje podataka o bezbednosti i zdravlju na radu može pomoći u identifikaciji obrazaca povreda i oboljenja i time postaviti osnov za uvođenje aktivnih mera i strategije za prevenciju. Kroz ove promene, očekuje se da će u društvu porasti svest o bezbednosti i zdravlju na radu I da će kompanije razviti kulturu koja promoviše sigurnost na radu.
U svakom slučaju, odgovor na pitanje da li će poštovanje pravila i sprovođenje mera dovesti do pozitivnih posledica, u velikoj meri zavisi I od pojedinačnog zalaganja i posvećenosti poslodavaca i zaposlenih.
Autor: Danka Filipović, saradnik u IVVK Advokati
30/01/2025
