Changes to statutory occupational health & safety RI&E review
Stricter requirements for testing Risk Assessment & Evaluation
For some time there have been more stringent requirements for testing Risk Inventory & Evaluation (RI&E) that may affect companies.
Review
The Labor Inspectorate checks whether companies have an (up-to-date) RI&E with an accompanying Plan of Action. You risk a high fine if you fail to comply with this legal obligation.
To ensure the quality of the RI&E, it is a legal requirement to have the RI&E including
the plan of approach reviewed by a certified occupational health and safety expert or certified occupational health and safety service.
Peter Tile
Author
What is an RI&E?
A Risk Inventory and Evaluation (RI&E) is a mandatory document for companies to identify and assess risks related to working conditions. The goal is to create a safe and healthy work environment while meeting legal obligations.
Why is an RI&E important for your company?
Conducting an RI&E not only helps companies comply with legal obligations, but also improve working conditions, reduce environmental impact and realize savings. Using digital RI&E tools is a smart investment for companies. It offers not only compliance with legal obligations, but also a structured way to manage risks and improve business processes. It contributes to sustainable business and can save costs in the long run.
Sometimes no review required
The RI&E does not have to be tested if a company has a maximum of 25 employees and a recognized branch RI&E, such as the RI&E Grafimedia Occupational Health & Safety Assessment, is used. This concerns the number of employees, not the number of FTEs. Testing is mandatory for all other companies.
New requirements for RI&E review
Already since July 1, 2022, a renewed certification scheme applies for occupational health and safety experts who test whether all required components appear in the RI&E and whether these components also meet all requirements in terms of content. They may only do so for the risks for which they are certified:
- Labor and Organization expert (assesses psychosocial workload, among other things),
- Senior Safety Specialist (assesses machine safety and noise, among other things).
- Occupational hygienist (assesses physical stress and exposure to hazardous substances, among other things).
In practice, this means that, even for companies in the Grafimedia sector, more than one occupational health and safety expert must be used. Testing costs will therefore increase. One concern is that to date there are very few newly certified occupational health and safety experts. This can result in long waiting lists for the review of RI&Es. So don't wait too long to apply for the review.