The Government, together with workers and businessmen, developed a mechanism so that nearly 30,000 firms with between five and 50 employees comply with the requirement to incorporate prevention and health services. An attempt was made to find a tool in accordance with the reality of the smaller ones, said the head of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS), Pablo Mieres.
The announcement was made on Friday, October 7, at the portfolio’s headquarters. The Undersecretary Mario Arizti and the General Inspector of Labor and Social Security, Tomás Teijeiro, also attended.
The measure, which will be implemented as of November 1, will provide a definitive solution so that companies with between five and 50 workers comply with the obligation to implement prevention and health services, established in Decree No. 127, of May 13, 2014, said Mieres. Until now, no adequate mechanism had been found to put it into practice, so successive deadline extensions had been established.
The Secretary of State explained that a response was sought to this situation with the aim of avoiding a new extension to apply the regulations, but “looking for mechanisms that are compatible with the reality of companies that are smaller in size,” he said.
Occupational health and prevention services are multidisciplinary teams made up of professionals in the field, whose function is to provide advice to employers and workers about the requirements to establish and maintain a safe and healthy work environment.
Mieres reported that companies that have the aforementioned number of workers must develop an occupational risk prevention plan with a technician or professional in prevention and occupational health. The document shall include hazard identification, risk assessment, corrective actions, and a compliance schedule.
This assessment must be carried out every six months or every time the working conditions change, such as the incorporation of technology, modifications in the production processes or any other circumstance that requires an adjustment. Depending on the results, the technician may recommend that the company have a permanent service, Mieres reported.
The decree also establishes that only those workers who have the current health control will be able to carry out tasks. The measure will affect around 30,000 companies and 300,000 employees.
The hierarch also pointed out that the solution was agreed between the actors that make up the National Council for Safety and Health at Work (Conassat), a tripartite body made up of the PIT-CNT, business chambers and state agencies linked to the issue, such as the MTSS, the Ministry of Public Health, the Social Security Bank and the State Insurance Bank.
