Legal basis, rights and obligations & Health prophylaxis

The basic legal act regulating occupational health and safety issues in Poland is the Labor Code. It states the fundamental principle: providing safe and hygienic working conditions is one of the employer’s basic obligations. In the HoReCa industry (hotel and catering), these regulations are supplemented by strict sanitary and epidemiological requirements.

Employer’s obligations in gastronomy and hospitality

• Organizing work in a way that ensures safe and hygienic conditions (e.g., efficient ventilation systems in the kitchen).
• Providing employees free of charge with work clothing and footwear (e.g., anti-slip shoes for chefs and waiters) and Personal Protective Equipment (e.g., thermal gloves for the oven).
• Conducting systematic OSH training and sending employees for medical examinations.
• Informing about the occupational risk associated with the work performed (e.g., risk of burns, working with sharp machinery).

Employee’s rights and obligations

The employee is obliged to know OSH regulations, participate in training, undergo medical examinations, and use the assigned work clothing and footwear only as intended.

Important right: If working conditions do not comply with OSH regulations and pose a direct threat to the health or life of the employee (e.g., a sparking and unprotected meat slicer, flooded floor near an electrical switchboard), the employee has the right to refrain from performing work, immediately notifying the supervisor.

Health prophylaxis and sanitary-epidemiological requirements

Before being admitted to work, every employee must undergo preventive medical examinations (initial, then periodic and control). In the catering and hospitality industry, it is also absolutely crucial to have a valid sanitary-epidemiological certificate (formerly: health booklet). The lack of this document strictly excludes the employee from being able to work in contact with food, kitchen equipment, or dishes.

Accidents at work in HoReCa

An accident at work is defined as a sudden event caused by an external factor resulting in injury or death, which occurred in connection with work. Typical accidents in gastronomy include: burns with hot oil, deep cuts when working with a knife, and slipping on a wet floor (Slips & Falls).

Every employee who has had an accident (if their health allows it) should immediately report it to their supervisor, and the scene of the incident must be secured until assessed by the post-accident team.

Special protection

Polish law provides special protection to two groups of employees: women (especially pregnant women) and young workers (e.g., trainees from catering schools). This includes, among others, strict limits on permissible lifting weights and a ban on employing young workers and pregnant women for night work (which is frequently applicable in hospitality and gastronomy).