Employers are obliged to obey the set of rules and regulations resulting from the labor law and other acts related to the codex which concern industrial safety. It means that each person who conducts a business activity and hires employees has to adhere to requirements included in the labor code and other regulations – reminds dr Grażyna Spytek-Bandurska, Expert of the Labor Market in Polish Confederation Lewiatan.
First and foremost, an employer is obliged to provide hygienic working conditions, control obedience of regulations, react on needs from the area of OSH and prevent accidents and occupational diseases. Additional regulations are depended on the industry and possible damaging conditions related to the performance of official duties. There are a lot of regulations. Employers negatively judge some solutions. They consider them as too detailed and demanding and thus generating big burdens. Therefore, the solutions raise interpretation concerns and sometimes are difficult to perform. It particularly concerns small enterprises in which employers do not have proper technical and organizational resources – points out the expert in Polish Confederation Lewiatan.
Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych prepared a bailout for activities of employers who bear too high costs related to the occupation health which will contribute to its enhancement. Companies may benefit from a bailout amounting to 500 thousand zlotys. Moreover, we are going to finance even 90 per cent of investments owned by small companies which hire not more than 9 employees. We have 27 million zlotys intended for this aim this year. In 2016, it will be 35 million zlotys and in 2017 – 46 million zlotys. There will be no such a situation that we will not accept new applications. Bailouts are paid out in the form of tranches and everyone may apply for it on a current basis – convinces Wojciech Andrusiewicz, press spokesman in Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych.
The amount of a bailout depends on a size of a company. The maximal amount for microenterprises (1-9 employees) amounts to 40 thousand zlotys for consultancy projects, 100 thousand zlotys for investment undertakings and 140 thousand zlotys for consultancy and investment activities. Small companies (10-49 people) may count on 80 per cent of a bailout in the amount of respectively 60, 150 and 210 thousand zlotys. Medium companies at 60 per cent of a bailout will receive maximally 340 thousand zlotys. Our offer is aimed at all industries. However, we mainly care about those which are the most exposed to accidents – that is construction, production and processing of various materials. These are industries in which injuries related to the performance of official duties may occur – points out Andrusiewicz.
According to the data of the Central Statistical Office of Poland, over 88.5 thousand accidents occurred during work in 2014. It is not much more in comparison to the previous year (by 0.04 per cent). The number of heavy accidents has slightly decreased (by 3.3. per cent) as well as fatalities (by 5.4 per cent). The bailout is supposed to decrease the likelihood of accidents at work and it will allow the entrepreneurs to save some money. Employers who experienced accidents in the past pay higher accident contributions. More accidents means more people with sick leaves, accident and health benefits and those who receive pensions due to inability to work. Such people do not obtain an additional capital for retirement. Therefore, we would like to prevent all the employed from accidents so that they could receive money for livelihood and companies do not have to bear additional costs. Furthermore, we would like the employees could earn money in their old age and leave their jobs in any time and not due to an accident in work – explains the expert in ZUS.