One rule: the main work
Article 2 of the Communiqué on Workplace Hazard Classes in Occupational Health and Safety states that the hazard class of a workplace is set by the class of the main work carried out there. Where the main work is in doubt, the founding purpose of the workplace is examined. If more than one activity fits the definition of main work, the one with the higher hazard class applies.
Side activities, support units and different jobs done in a single part of the site do not create a separate class. One workplace has one class.
The class is written next to the activity code
The annex to the communiqué assigns one of three classes to every activity code. The list Optifora uses is taken from that annex itself and holds 2,142 six-digit activity codes:
| Hazard class | Activity codes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Low hazard | 898 | 41.9% |
| Hazardous | 888 | 41.5% |
| Highly hazardous | 356 | 16.6% |
The annex also carries 1,049 higher-level rows at section, division, group and class level, plus 20 repealed codes. Those are not offered for lookup, because a workplace is registered with a six-digit code.
Notification, appeal and 90 days
An employer must report a change in the main activity to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security within one month (Art. 2/2). Appeals against a hazard class are assessed by the Ministry on the registration records and the main work those records rest on; the site itself is not inspected unless considered necessary (Art. 3). If the decision changes the class, the employer must complete the work the new class requires within 90 days and notify the Directorate General of Occupational Health and Safety.
What the class drives
- Occupational safety specialist time: 10, 20 or 40 minutes per employee per month.
- Workplace physician time: 5, 10 or 15 minutes per employee per month.
- Risk assessment renewal interval: six, four or two years.
- Basic OHS training: 8, 12 or 16 lesson hours.
- Firefighting, rescue and protection teams: one support member per 50, 40 or 30 employees.
- First aiders: one per 20, 15 or 10 employees.
Read your class from the hazard class lookup, derive the resulting service times with the OHS duration calculator, and see how classes spread across industries on the sector pages.