User:Sleo99/sandbox/OSH

OSH legislative framework

The framework laying out the right to ensure safe and healthy working conditions is described by the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2 April 1997 [1]. The rights and duties of the employees and employers, as well as the working conditions for employees are regulated by the Labour Code [2]. The Labour Code and its administrative acts regulate the rights and duties for both parties of the employment relationship, meaning the employer and the employee, the consequences for violating the health and safety regulations, supervision over the working conditions, procedures in case of accidents at work and occupational diseases as well as their respective benefits and payments.

The majority of the employers’ duties are described in Section X of the Labour Code entitled “Work safety and hygiene”, Section VIII “Employees rights connected with parenthood” and Section IX “Employment of young adults”.

The Labour Code includes legal delegations to issue administrative acts concerning detailed duties in respect of health and safety at work. [2]

Regulations contained in the Labour Code and its administrative acts concerning health and safety are directly binding, which means that they cannot be changed even if both parties (employer and employee) agree to do so.

Article 207 of the Labour Code states that the employer is obliged to observe the rules and regulations of health and safety in the work environment. At the same time, according to Article 211, it is the fundamental duty of the employee to also observe the rules and regulations of health and safety.

Section X of the Labour Code was prepared in such a way as to be understood by everybody: employers, employees and their representatives.

According to the Labour Code, the employer bears responsibility for the state of work safety and hygiene, and is obliged to protect the health and life of their employees by the appropriate use and application of science and technological advances.

Major executive acts regarding occupational safety and health include:

1) Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 26 September 1997 on general provisions for safety and health at work (Journal of Laws of 2003, No 169, item 1650 with amendments) [3];

2) Regulation of the Minister of Health and Social Welfare of 30 May 1996 on carrying out medical check-ups of employees, scope of preventative health care for employees as well as medical statements issued for purposes specified in the Labour Code (Journal of Laws of 1996, No 69, item 332 with amendments) [4];

3) Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 1 July 2009 on establishing the circumstances and causes of work accidents (Journal of Laws of 2009, No 105, item 870) [5];

4) Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 30 June 2009 on occupational diseases (Journal of Laws of 2009, No 105, item 869) [6];

5) Regulation of the Minister of Health of 1 August 2002 on the procedure of drawing up documents concerning occupational diseases and their effects (Journal of Laws of 2002, No 132, item 1121) [7];

6) Regulation of the Minister of Economy and Labour of 27 July 2004 on occupational safety and health training (Journal of Laws of 2004, No 180, item 1860 with amendments) [8];

7) Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 2 September 1997 on occupational safety and health service (Journal of Laws of 1997, No 109, item 704 with amendments) [9];

8) Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 29 November 2002 on maximum permissible concentration and intensity of agents harmful to health in the working environment (Journal of Laws of 2002, No 217, item 1833 with amendments) [10];

9) Regulation of the Minister of Health of 20 April 2005, on tests and measurements of agents harmful to health in the working environment (Journal of Laws of 2005, No 73, item 645 with amendments) [11].

National strategy and programmes

In Poland, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (Ministerstwo Pracy i Polityki Społecznej) [12] is the body that initiates and develops governmental policies regarding occupational safety and health. The Ministry is also responsible for policy coordination. Since the 90’s, the policy concerning OSH has been geared towards the adaptation of Polish law and practice to the European Union legislation and standards, as a result of Poland’s accession to the European Union.

In 1994 the Council of Ministers adopted the National Strategic Programme, Safety and protection of man in the working environment [13]. The main objective of the Programme was “to create, within the State’s socio-economic policy, an effective system of safety and health protection of man in the working environment in view of Poland’s association with the European Communities”. The detailed objectives included:

· considerable improvement of working conditions,

· reduction of the number of accidents at work, occupational diseases as well as other effects of work-related hazards,

· development of methods for recognition and prevention of occupational risks related to life and health, comparable with EU countries.

The Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute (Centralny Instytut Ochrony Pracy – Państwowy Instytut Badawczy) [14] was the coordinator and the main participant of the Programme, which was carried out in two phases: phase I in the years 1994-1997 and phase II – 1998-2001. The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Ministry of Health (Ministerstwo Zdrowia) [15] supervised the realisation of the Programme. The Programme was composed of various research projects and implementation tasks.

The next Multiannual Programme on OSH - Adaptation of working conditions in Poland to European Union standards, was adopted by the Council of Ministers in 2001. The strategic objective of the Programme was the development and promotion of legal, organisational and technical solutions enabling Polish employers to achieve a level of occupational safety and health that would meet the requirements of EU directives. The programme was carried out in two phases: phase I in the years 2002-2004 and phase II – 2005-2007.

In 2007 the Council of Ministers adopted the third National Programme on OSH - Improvement of safety and working conditions. The Programme is on-going and is also separated into two phases: 2008-2010 (phase I) and 2011-2013 (phase II).

Social dialogue

Poland has a developed system of social dialogues #[link to OSHwiki main category OSH management and Organisation, subcategory Social Dialogue, article title Social dialogue in OSH, article code RO-11-04-8]# at all levels (national, sectoral and company) and in the different socio-economic fields such as economic policy, social policy and occupational safety and health.

The importance of the social dialogue is stressed in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2 April 1997 [1]. The Social dialogue is one of the principles of the Constitution based on respect for freedom and justice, cooperation between public powers, social dialogue as well as on the principle of subsidiarity of strengthening the powers of citizens and their communities. Article 20 of the Constitution indicates that among others, dialogue and cooperation between social partners shall be the basis of the economic system of the Republic of Poland.

Constitutional rights set out above are clarified in:

· Act of 23 May 1991 on trade unions [16];

· Act of 23 May 1991 on the employers' organizations [17];

· Act of 23 May 1991 on the resolution of labour disputes [18];

· The eleventh section of the Labour Code concerning collective bargaining agreements [2];

· Act of 6 July 2001 on the Tripartite Commission for Socio-Economic Issues and voivodship social dialogue commissions; [19]

· Act of 5 July 1990 Law on Assemblies [20];

· Other statutes setting up institutionalized social dialogue (Supreme Employment Council, the National Consultative Council for Persons with Disabilities, the Board of the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, the Board of Social Security, Labour Protection Council, and the Council of Statistics).

At a national level

The chief body of the social dialogue in Poland is the Tripartite Commission for Social and Economic Affairs (Komisja Trójstronna ds. Społeczno-Gospodarczych) [21] which was established in 1994 by a resolution of the government. The Act of 6 July 2001 on the Tripartite Commission for Social and Economic Affairs and voivodship social dialogue commissions [20] specifies the composition, organization, rights and duties of the Tripartite Commission. Under the Act, the Tripartite Commission for Social and Economic Affairs is a forum for the social dialogue to reconcile the interests of employees, employers and society as a whole. The aim of the Commission’s activity is to achieve and maintain social peace. The Tripartite Commission is composed of government, employee and employer representative parties.

The representatives of the Council of Ministers appointed by the Prime Minister represent the governmental party in the Commission. At present, the framework of the Commission is composed of the appointed representatives of: Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (at present the Minister for Labour and Social Policy is simultaneously the Chairman of the Commission), Ministry of Economic Affairs (Ministerstwo Gospodarki), Ministry of Treasury (Ministerstwo Skarbu Państwa), Ministry of Finance (Ministerstwo Finansów), Ministry of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy (Ministerstwo Transportu, Budownictwa i Gospodarki Morskiej), Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Education Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej), Ministry of Regional Development (Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego).

The employees are represented in the Commission by trade union organisations. These include: Independent Self-Governed Trade Union “Solidarność” (Niezależny Samorządny Zwiazek Zawodowy “Solidarność”), All-Polish Trade Union Alliance (Ogólnopolskie Porozumienie Związków Zawodowych) and Trade Union Forum (Forum Związków Zawodowych).

The employers are represented in the Commission by employer organisations. These include: Employers of Poland (Pracodawcy RP, before Polish Employers’ Confederation), Polish Confederation of Private Employers (Polska Konfederacja Pracodawców Prywatnych), Polish Craft Association (Związek Rzemiosła Polskiego) and Business Centre Club.

The counselling voice in the Commission’s works belongs to the representatives of: Central Statistical Office (Główny Urząd Statystyczny) and National Bank of Poland (Narodowy Bank Polski). Moreover, representatives of: Common Commission of Government and Territorial Self-Government (Komisja Wspólna Rządu i Samorządu Terytorialnego), National Co-operative Council (Krajowa Rada Spółdzielcza), Association for Non-governmental Initiatives Forum (Stowarzyszenie na Rzecz Forum Inicjatyw Pozarządowych), Consumers Federation (Federacja Konsumentów) as well as All-Polish Unemployed Organisation Alliance (Ogólnopolskie Porozumienie Organizacji Bezrobotnych) had also been invited to take part in works of the Commission. People called to be members of the Commission take part in person in the works of the Commission.

At present, nine (9) problem teams work within the Commission's framework. Their aim is to elaborate common stands and opinions in such matters as: social insurance, labour law and collective agreements, budget, salaries and social benefits, economic policy and labour market, social dialogue development, public services co-operation with ILO structural funds of the EU, as well as European Social Charter –revised.

At a sectoral level

Sectoral teams, which operate out of the Tripartite Commission for Social and Economic Affairs, are appointed to conduct tripartite sectoral dialogues in order to reconcile the interests of the parties during the implementation of action programs of the government as well as facilitate the problem solving process.

The tripartite sectoral teams operate at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, with the exception of the four that operate at their appropriate substantive ministries. The teams consist of representatives of trade unions and employer organizations operating in an industry and representatives of the government. However, different experts, representatives of other institutions, and members of the Parliament can be invited to attend meetings and work in teams.

At an enterprise level

Commission for Safety and Health at Work

According to Article 237 of the Labour Code [2] an employer who employs more than 250 employees shall appoint a commission for safety and health at work as a body to give advice and opinions. The OSH commission shall be composed of an equal number of the employer’s representatives, including OSH service members and a physician responsible for the preventive health care of the employees, and of the employee representatives, including a social labour inspector. The employer or the person designated by the employer shall be the chairperson of the commission, with the social labour inspector or an employee representative to be the deputy chairperson.

The aim of the commission is to review working conditions, make a periodic assessment of safety and health at work, give opinions on measures implemented by the employer in order to prevent accidents at work and occupational diseases, suggest measures to improve working conditions, and cooperate with the employer in the field of OSH.

Sessions of the commission shall be held during working hours, at least once every quarter. An employee shall retain his/her right to remuneration for the time not spent at work in connection with his/her participation in the sessions of the commission. When performing its tasks as set out above, the commission shall use expert reports or opinions of specialists from outside the workplace, as agreed with the employer and at the employer's expense.

Social supervision over working conditions

Social supervision over occupational health and safety conditions in Poland is exercised by trade unions – in accordance with the Act on Trade Unions dated 23 May 1991 (with later amendments) [16]. The scope of operation of the company trade union organization covers exercising control over observance of labour law regulations in the company, especially regulations and rules concerning occupational health and safety and managing social labour inspection and cooperation with the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy) [22].

The Social labour inspectorate (spoleczna inspekcja pracy) operates on the basis of stipulations included in the Act on Social Labour Inspectorate dated 24 June 1983 [23]. It is a social service established and performed by employees themselves. The social labour inspectorate supervises the compliance to laws on: occupational health and safety, working time and leaves, protection of work of women, young adults and the disabled, benefits by virtue of accidents at work and occupational diseases.

Social labour inspectorate is constituted by the following bodies:

· company social labour inspectors for the entire enterprise,

· branch / divisional / social labour inspectors for the particular branches / divisions / plants,

· group social labour inspectors for the specific departments.

The social labour inspector should demonstrate the necessary knowledge of social labour inspection issues and should have adequate job seniority in the company. The social labour inspector is entitled to visit workplaces, demand data and information from the administration and employees, as well as to notify the employer of any violations to the labour protection regulations.

Social labour inspectors cooperate with the National Labour Inspectorate and other bodies supervising and inspecting working conditions. They also have the right to take part in the inspections conducted by the National Labour Inspectorate representatives.

In accordance with the Act on Social Labour Inspectorate dated 24 June 1983, a social inspection can operate only in companies where trade unions are present.

OSH infrastructure

OSH infrastructure scheme

SCHEMAT-OBRAZEK

Source: Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute [14]

National competent bodies

OSH authorities and Inspection services

In the organisational system of labour protection in Poland, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy is the main body responsible for the development and implementation of OSH national strategy and policies (Fig.1). The bodies which serve to supervise and control the compliance with legal requirements are the National Labour Inspectorate, the State Sanitary Inspection (Państwowa Inspekcja Sanitarna), the Office of Technical Inspection (Urząd Dozoru Technicznego), the State Fire Service (Państwowa Straż Pożarna), the State Inspection for Environment Protection (Państwowa Inspekcja Ochrony Środowiska), the mining authorities and other state watchdog bodies.

Labour Protection Council of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Rada Ochrony Pracy, ROP) [24

It is an authority designed by the Lower Chamber of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) that supervises working conditions and activities of the National Labour Inspectorate. Its most important tasks include: assessing the National labour Inspectorate’s activities, issuing opinions on drafts of legal acts relating to labour protection, and assessing labour protection issues at a national level.

National Labour Inspectorate (PIP)

National Labour Inspectorate is subordinated to the Lower Chamber of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) and supervised by the Labour Protection Council which evaluates their work programs, tasks and activities, and analyses labour protection issues at the national level.

The inspectorate is formed by the Chief Labour Inspectorate (Fig. 2) and District Labour Inspectorates and is managed by the Chief Labour Inspector. A District Labour Inspectorate covers one or more provinces. Sub-district offices may be established within the structure of District Labour Inspectorates.

Figure 2: Organisational structure of the Chief Labour Inspectorate in Poland

OBRAZEK

Source: National Labour Inspectorate [22

The main tasks of the National Labour Inspectorate’s include:

supervision and inspection of labour law compliance by enterprises;

compliance inspection of occupational safety and health regulations during the design of construction, reconstruction and modernization of enterprises, as well as machinery and other technical devices and technologies;

inspection of legal employment and other paid work (including work conducted by foreigners);

inspection of goods placed on the market as regards their compliance with occupational safety and health requirements set out in separate regulations;

taking actions aimed at preventing and eliminating hazards in the working environment;

cooperation with bodies for environmental protection in inspecting the compliance of regulations on counteracting hazards to the environment by employers;

issuing opinions on draft legal acts regarding labour law.

State Sanitary Inspection (PIS) [25]

Sanitary Inspection is subordinate to the Ministry of Health and is managed by the Chief Sanitary Inspector. The main activity of the Sanitary Inspection is public health protection. It focuses particularly on communicable disease control, food and nutrition safety, environmental hygiene, health promotion and other issues related to public health.

The State Sanitary Inspection activities are to solve problems concerning public health through:

conducting current and preventive sanitary supervision,

elaboration of epidemiological analyses and assessment,

supervision of working conditions in various workplaces. It provides, among others, a measurement of the level of harmful working factors such as dust, noise, vibration and chemical agents,

supervision of environmental hygiene and food,

activities promoting the health of society, popularization of proper hygiene habits and disease prevention methods.

Office of Technical Inspection (UDT) [26]

Office of Technical Inspection (UDT) is a Polish inspection body established in order to ensure safety of technical devices and installations. UDT's main task is to assess the conformity of technical equipment with relevant regulations and specifications during design, manufacture and service. Its duties also include safety & failure analyses as well as distribution of information concerning the problems of technical safety. The Office of Technical Inspection is a non-profit organization, independent both in its finances and technical activities.

State Mining Authority (Wyższy Urząd Górniczy, WUG) [27]

In accordance with the Act of Geological and Mining Law [28] the President of the State Mining Authority is supervised by the Minister of Environment (Minister Środowiska). Pursuant to the Act of Geological and Mining Law, the functions of the State Mining Authority are to perform control and supervision over: work safety and health, fire protection, mine rescue, management of mineral deposits in the process of extraction, environmental protection, including damage prevention, mining plant construction and closure, including land reclamation and development of post mining areas.

The mission of the State Mining Authority is to:

· improve the work safety in mines,

· protect miners’ health,

· ensure the rational and sustainable management of mineral deposits,

· reduce the negative impact of the extractive industry on the environment.

OSH services

Occupational safety and health service

The primary responsibility for working conditions in a company is borne by the employer. According to the Labour Code [2] an employer who employs more than 100 employees shall establish an occupational safety and health service, which has advisory and inspection functions with respect to safety and health at work. An employer who completed training necessary to perform tasks of the OSH service can perform them by himself if he employs up to 10 employees, or up to 20 employees and runs an enterprise classified in such a group of activity in which the assigned risk category is not above three, as specified in the provisions on social insurance related to work accidents and occupational diseases. The risk category for an enterprise is established on the basis a total occupational accident rate per 1000 workers, a fatal and serious accident rate per 1000 workers and a number of workers exposed to harmful working conditions per 1000 workers [30] #[link to OSHwiki main category OSH in general, subcategory Insurance, article title International comparison of occupations accident insurance systems RO-11-04-6]#.

An employer engaging up to 100 employees may entrust the performance of OSH service's tasks to specialists from outside the workplace or to an employee hired to perform another job. A competent labour inspector may order the employer engaging up to 100 employees to establish an OSH service, if it is justified by the identification of occupational hazards [2]. #[link to OSHwiki main category OSH in general, subcategory What’s OSH, article title OSH services, article code RO-11-04-1]#

Occupational health and safety service activities include:

· conducting inspections of working conditions and the observance of OSH regulations and principles

· informing the employer about identified occupational risks on an ongoing basis,

· maintaining appropriate documentation

· participation in determining the circumstances and causes of accidents at work and in assessing occupational risk,

· organizing OSH trainings, and

· initiating and developing various forms of popularizing OSH issues.

The detailed scope of work, organization and powers of OHS professionals are regulated by the regulation of the Council of Ministers on 2 September 1997 on occupational safety and health [9].

Occupational medicine services

The aim of its operation is the protection of the health of workers against the impact of adverse work environment conditions and exercising preventive health care and health monitoring of workers. The organizational units of the occupational medicine service are the basic units (health care physicians, running individual medical practices) and provincial occupational medical centres.

Compensation and insurance bodies

Social Insurance Institution (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, ZUS) [29]

The Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) collects social and health insurance contributions of the citizens and distributes benefits (e.g. pensions, authorities, sickness and maternity allowance). The Social Insurance Institution is the disposer of the Social Insurance Fund (Fundusz Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, FUS. SIF) established on 1 January 1999 by virtue of the Act on the social insurance system, to perform tasks in the field of social insurance [30]. The following funds are distinguished within SIF:

- old-age pension fund, which is used to finance old-age pensions and expenditure on covering deficit in means necessary to ensure payment of funded pensions,

- pension fund used to finance, among others: disability pensions, training pensions, survivors’ pensions, supplements to survivors’ pensions for complete orphans, nursing supplements, funeral grants, pension prevention,

- sickness fund, used to finance sickness, maternity, care, compensatory allowances, rehabilitation benefits,

- accident fund, used to finance work accident pensions and supplements, lump-sum compensations, sickness allowances in regards to the inability to work as a direct result of an accident at work or occupational disease.

Compulsory work accident insurance covers persons subject to pension insurance, for example: employees, freelancers (contractors), members of agricultural production cooperatives, persons running a business outside the agriculture and persons collaborating with them.

A percentage rate of a contribution to work accident insurance is differentiated for individual contribution payers and depends on the risk category and number of persons registered to work accident insurance #[link to OSHwiki main category OSH in general, subcategory Insurance, article title International comparison of occupations accident insurance systems RO-11-04-6]#.

The Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (Kasa Rolniczego Ubezpieczenia Społecznego, KRUS) [31]

The Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (KRUS) is an institution established to realize tasks connected with farmers' social insurance. The purpose of establishing KRUS was to create an independent, specialized organization in Poland which, as a real manager of farmers' social insurance, could take over and assure the efficient realization of tasks connected with servicing the fund, which had been introduced earlier, as well as to assume new tasks which by then had not been realized by any insurance institution in the country.

Other OSH bodies

Professional associations

Professional associations provide a network for their members; they defend the interests of the members-prevention advisers in discussions on regulatory measures and seek the professionalization of the occupation. For the institutions, please see point 5 “Key professional associations”.

Associations of OSH services employees

The aim of their activity is, among others, to: express opinion in matters relating to new legal and organizational solutions connected with occupational safety and health, popularize the occupational safety and health issues and improve the skills and knowledge of their members.

Associations of manufacturers of personal protective equipment

The mission of the associations includes, among others: assisting Polish manufacturers and distributors during the placement of personal protective equipment on the market that are compliant with the requirements of EU directives, initiating and establishing relations with Polish and international organizations, and promoting safe personal protective equipment.

Education and training and raising awareness

Legally required training for OSH specialists

Safety and health professionals must meet the relevant requirements concerning education and job experience and can be employed at the following positions: inspectors, senior inspectors, specialists, senior and chief specialists in health and safety [9].

The following are the legal requirements concerning education and job experience for OSH specialists:

1. OSH inspector: vocational college training in occupational health and safety [32]

2. Senior OSH inspector: vocational college training in occupational health and safety technicians and a minimum of 3 years of experience in OSH services, or a university education at the faculty of occupational health and safety, or postgraduate diploma in OSH services [32, 33]

3. OSH specialist: university education at the faculty of occupational health and safety or postgraduate diploma in OSH and a minimum of 1 year of experience in OSH services [33]

4. Senior OSH specialist: university education at the faculty of occupational health and safety or postgraduate diploma in OSH and a minimum of 3 years of experience in OSH services [33]

5. Chief OSH specialist: university education at the faculty of occupational health and safety or postgraduate diploma in OSH and a minimum of 5 years of experience in OSH services [33].

According to the Regulation [9] an OSH expert working in a one-person-OSH department should at least meet the requirements for a senior OSH inpsector. An OSH expert supervising two- or more- person-OSH department should at least meet the requirements for an OSH specialist.

Education in the field of occupational safety and health is a part of the educational system in Poland and it can be provided by professional colleges and universities, both private and public ones.

Other vocational training

The first periodic trainings for employee safety and health professionals mentioned above, must take place within 12 months of starting work in this position. Further periodic training should take place within 5 years. The aim of the trainings is to ensure that OSH professional gain up-to-date knowledge, and to support them in solving OSH-related problems. The scope of the training include: legal requirements in OSH, identification and analyses of occupational risks and methods of developing safe and healthy working conditions [8].

Networks for raising awareness

The Focal Point of the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work is hosted by the Central Institute for Labour protection – National Research Institute. The Focal Point coordinates and manages the national occupational health and safety network.

The National CIS Centre is fulfilled by the Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute. The Polish National CIS Centre collects, stores, and distributes informational materials prepared by the International Labour Office (ILO), the International CIS Centre and the National Centres. This includes magazines and bulletins, databases, programmes of activities, information on the latest publications, as well as schedules of courses and conferences.

Network of OSH Experts certified by the Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute offers 45 members providing enterprises (in particular SMEs) with services in the field of OSH. The expert’s tasks are to ensure quick and competent access to information and service aimed at improvement of working conditions.

Network of regional OSH centres comprises 16 regional training, consulting and promotional centres located throughout Poland whose tasks is to support the OSH service in evaluating occupational risk and meeting the legal requirements in OSH.

Safe Work Leaders Forum at the Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute gathers over 100 Polish enterprises with achievements in the shaping of safe and ergonomic working conditions. The aim of the forum is to develop co-operation between its members as well as the exchange and promotion of good practices in the scope of occupational safety in industries represented by the members and their partners.

Specialized technical, medical and scientific institutions

Research institutes

Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB) [14]

The Institute is the main research institution comprehensively dealing with the problems of improving working conditions in accordance with human psychophysical abilities. The subject of the Institute’s activity is conducting research and development works leading to new technical and organisational solutions in the field of labour protection, related to occupational safety, health and ergonomics as well as carrying out other tasks especially important for reaching the goals of the state’s social-economic policy in this field. The Institute is a legally, organisationally, economically and financially independent state body.

Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. Prof. J. Nofera, IMP) [34]

A scientific and research centre that deals with issues related to public health, environmental health and to all the fields of study connected with broadly understood occupational medicine. The scope of its activity has evolved over time, in accordance with the national and global standards, as it is our goal to provide solutions of the highest quality aimed at creating better life and work conditions. It has been conducting scientific research for more than fifty years. The Institute is the country’s leading centre which provides training for medicine specialists.

Institute of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health (Instytut Medycyny Pracy i Zdrowia Środowiskowego, IMPiZŚ) [35]

A research centre which, on the basis of its statute, conducts research and implementation studies, training, diagnostic and treatment activities in the field of occupational medicine and environmental health. IMPiZŚ is involved in public health and other statutory based tasks, particularly in health campaigns and disease prevention. At the Institute there is a Seat of the Main Board of the Polish Society of Environmental Medicine (Polskie Towarzystwo Medycyny Srodowiskowej), Silesian Branch of Polish Society of Occupational Medicine (Polskie Towarzystwo Medycyny Pracy) and Association of Occupational Hygienists (Stowarzyszenie Higienistów Pracy).

Central Mining Institute (Główny Instytut Górnictwa, GIG) [36]

A scientific and development organization, subordinated to the Minister of Economy, working not only for the benefit of the mining industry, but also for enterprises representing different branches -including small and medium enterprises, state and local administration institutions and offices, and foreign partners.

Institute of Rural Health (Instytut Medycyny Wsi, IMW) [37]

A scientific and service-treatment institution subordinated to the Minister of Health, which works on behalf of the widely understood protection of health of the rural population and improvement of sanitary conditions of the rural environment.

The scope of problems covered by the Institute is as follows:

· Evaluation of the state of health of the rural population;

· Evaluation of the environmental habitation and work in rural areas;

· Shaping health care in rural areas.

Standardization agencies

The Polish Committee for Standardization (Polski Komitet Standaryzacyjny, PKN) [38], a State Organizational Unit financed by the State budget, and is recognized as the National Standards Body responsible for the development and publication of standards in Poland. The Polish Committee for Standardization operates pursuant to the Act on Standardization [39], which specifies basic goals, principles, organization and financing of standards work. PKN is authorized by law to represent the interests of Poland in the international standardization arena and actively cooperates with international and European standards organizations and with bodies from other countries. The cooperation is primarily fulfilled within the following standards organizations including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), European Committee for Standardization (CEN), - European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC).

References

1.Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2 April 1997, Journal of Laws of 1997 No 78, item 483. Available at:

http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/angielski/kon1.htm

2.Labour Code, Journal of Laws of 1974 No 24, item 141 with further amendments. Available at:

http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/DetailsServlet?id=WDU19740240141