International Day of Safety and Health at Work

Every year, on April 28^th, International Day of Safety and Health at Work is celebrated, in memory of victims of workplace injuries and illnesses. This date reminds us that worker safety is not a privilege, but a basic right.

In the past, Serbia has made significant steps on the normative level. The Law on Safety and Health at Work has undergone changes that specified the obligations of employers, improved mechanisms of inspection supervision, and increased sanctions for those who do not follow the regulations. A particularly significant change was made in the direction of formalizing the conditions for safety and health at work for employees who work outside the employer’s premises.

However, there is still a gap between the letter of the law and everyday practice that needs to be bridged. Working “off the books” is still present, especially in construction, agriculture and hospitality – sectors where injuries at work often have the most serious consequences. Increased inspections in these areas represent a step in the right direction, but the capacity of labor inspection remains limited in relation to the scope of the problems they are supposed to solve.

A specific challenge is the protection of digital workers – delivery drivers, drivers and freelancers who operate via different platforms. This category of persons still doesn’t have an adequatte legal framework which would guarantee them, among other things, safety and health at work, despite the fact that they are exposed to significant risks on a daily basis.

There are also mental health at work and psychosocial risks – areas that are normatively recognized to a certain extent, but whose application in practice remains inconsistent and insufficient, especially considering the consequences they can produce (for example, the World Health Organization included burnout syndrome in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as a professional phenomenon, and considering the far-reaching consequences it can have on health), the standards are undetermined, and employers often fulfill them formally, without an essential effect, and the capacity for real assessment and and management of these risks at the workplace level are largely lacking.

The conclusion we can draw from this is clear: legal reforms are a necessary condition, but they are not enough. Consistent application of regulations, strengthening of inspection capacities, raising the awareness of employers and employees about the rights and obligations of employees in this area is necessary.