Working conditions for employees

Do you employ staff? You must provide good working conditions for all your employees. Your staff must be able to work in a safe and healthy workplace. This is described in the Working Conditions Act (Arbeidsomstandighedenwet or Arbowet).

Good working conditions apply to all employees in the Netherlands, including foreign workers, temporary staff, and subcontractor employees. The Netherlands Labour Authority (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie, NLA) will regularly check the working conditions in your company.

Health and safety policy

You must ensure good working conditions for all your employees. That is why you must draft a health and safety policy (working conditions policy). A health and safety policy contains everything you do to ensure the workplace is safe and healthy for everyone who works there. An expert such as a company doctor or health and safety service must assist you in drawing up your health and safety policy.

For your health and safety policy, you must at least:

• identify health and safety risks with an RI&E
• record how you deal with employee illness (sick leave policy)
• put emergency response measures (BHV) in place (and appoint emergency response officers)
• appoint a health and safety officer
• offer a periodical occupational health examination (PAGO)
• provide your employees with information about working safely and healthily

Various employers’ organisations and employees' organisations, such as trade unions, have made arrangements on how companies should comply with the rules of the Working Conditions Act. These arrangements are recorded in a working conditions catalogue (Arbocatalogus). It describes measures and solutions for occupational health and safety risks in a particular sector or business. Arboportaal lists the working conditions catalogues that are approved by the Netherlands Labour Authority (in Dutch). You can also develop a working conditions catalogue yourself (in Dutch).

Identifying health and safety risks

You have to list the potential risks in your workplace in a risk assessment and evaluation (RI&E). In the RI&E you also describe which measures you will take to avoid or reduce these risks (plan of action).

You must protect your employees against occupational risks. Examples of risks are:

• physical and psychological strain, such as lifting or carrying of objects or people, being seated for extended periods, discrimination, and an excessive workload
• working with harmful substances
• environmental factors in the workplace, such as climate, light, noise, radiation, and vibrations (in Dutch)

If relevant, you must provide your employees with personal protective equipment, such as a helmet or safety glasses.

Working with hazardous substances

You must also protect your employees if they work with hazardous substances or with products containing hazardous substances, such as paint, glue, ink, or detergents. And if they produce hazardous substances, and if there are dangerous emissions in the workplace, such as diesel engine emissions, smoke, or quartz dust. You can also do the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) check to make sure your supplier of hazardous substances has met all safety regulations (in Dutch).

Employee illness and sick leave policy

You have to draw up a plan for employees who get ill (in Dutch). This sick leave policy describes, for example, the procedures you and the employee must follow. The works council or staff representation must approve the policy. A certified health and safety expert (in Dutch) has to supervise the sick leave policy.

Put emergency response measures in place

You have to make arrangements for company emergency response (bedrijfshulpverlening, BHV) in your business. You need to appoint 1 or more emergency response officers (BHV’ers) who intervene in the event of a work-related accident or emergency, and provide first aid. How you arrange BHV depends on the number of employees and the risks in your company.

Appoint health and safety officers

You have to appoint 1 or more health and safety officers in your company. A health and safety officer helps draw up and carry out the RI&E. They also advise the works council or staff representation on a good occupational health and safety policy, and assist in its implementation.

Offer an occupational health examination

You must regularly offer your employees a periodical occupational health examination (periodiek arbeidsgezondheidskundig onderzoek, PAGO, in Dutch). A certified health and safety expert (company doctor) will check whether your employees have any health problems as a result of their work. Employees are not obliged to undergo the examination.

Keep your employees well-informed

You must provide your employees with information about your health and safety policy and how they can work safely and healthily. This may include information about the use of personal protective equipment, or how your business deals with issues such as bullying and discrimination.

Working from home and flexible working hours

You are also responsible for the working conditions if your employees do not have a fixed workplace or fixed working hours or if they work from home. This means you have to make sure the employee can work in safe and a healthy way.

This includes that:

• You have to inform your employees about safe and healthy working conditions and help them to work safely and healthily
• Your employees should have an ergonomic workstation (in Dutch).
• Your employees have to comply with the rules around working at a computer screen (in Dutch).
• You have to take psychosocial strain into account.

You have to follow these rules wherever this can be reasonably expected from you. Your employee is also responsible for following these rules. It is important to agree clearly with your employee on their working hours and tasks.

Health and safety policy check

Do you want to know if your health and safety policy is in order? Then use the Netherlands Labour Authority's Self-inspection 'Healthy and safe working' tool (in Dutch). This way you can check whether you know the occupational risks and take the right measures. You will also receive a list of occupational health and safety actions and improvements.