Introduction
National strategies are vital policy instruments to enhance the effectiveness of an OSH system by defining the key priorities and actions for improving workers’ health and safety.
The Commission called on the Member States to update and draw up their national OSH strategies in line with the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027 - in cooperation with social partners - to ensure that the new measures are applied on the ground.
The state administrative bodies with responsibility in the field of labour inspection are the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic, the National Labour Inspectorate, which has its seat in Košice, and eight Labour Inspectorates, which are situated and have jurisdiction over areas which correspond to the eight administrative regions of the Slovak Republic. Empowering provisions are made by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic (Ministerstvo práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny Slovenskej republiky – MPSVR SR) and the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic (Ministerstvo zdravotníctva Slovenskej republiky – MZ SR).
More information on the various OSH systems can be found in the relevant OSHwiki articles on national OSH systems.
Basic information
The current national strategy is not translated to English, all documents are available in the original language:
Stratégia bezpečnosti a ochrany zdravia pri práci Slovenskej republiky na roky 2021 až 2027 a program jej realizácie na roky 2024 – 2027[1].
Harmonogram realizácie Stratégie bezpečnosti a ochrany zdravia pri práci Slovenskej republiky na roky 2021 až 2027 a program jej realizácie v podmienkach rezortu práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny Slovenskej republiky v rokoch 2024 – 2027 (Timetable for the implementation of the Strategy for Safety and Health at Work of the Slovak Republic for the years 2021 to 2027 and the programme of its implementation in the conditions of the Department of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic in the years 2024 – 2027)[2].
Uznesenie vlády Slovenskej republiky č. 192 z 3. apríla 2024 k Stratégii bezpečnosti a ochrany zdravia pri práci Slovenskej republiky na roky 2021 až 2027 a programu jej realizácie na roky 2024 – 2027 (Resolution of the government of the Slovak Republic no. 192 of 3 April 2024 on the Strategy for Safety and Health at Work of the Slovak Republic for the years 2021 to 2027 and the programme of its implementation for the years 2024 – 2027)[3].
Former Strategies and action plans:
Stratégia bezpečnosti a ochrany zdravia pri práci Slovenskej republiky na roky 2021 až 2027 a program jej realizácie na roky 2021 – 2023 (Strategy of safety and health at work of the Republic of Slovakia for the years 2021 to 2027 and the programme for its implementation for the years 2021 – 2023)[4].
Stratégia bezpečnosti a ochrany zdravia pri práci v Slovenskej republike na roky 2016 až 2020 a program jej realizácie (Occupational Safety and Health Strategy (OSH) in the Slovak Republic for the period 2016 – 2020 and the programme of its implementation)[5] .
Occupational Safety and Health Protection Strategy in the Slovak Republic until 2020 and the programme of its implementation for the period of 2013 - 2015 with prospects until 2020 (Stratégia bezpečnosti a ochrany zdravia pri práci v Slovenskej republike do roku 2020 a program jejrealizácie na roky 2013 až 2015 s výhľadom do roku 2020)[6] .
Concept on Health and Safety at Work in the Slovak Republic from 2008 to 2012[7].
Background and the perceived problem
The primary goal of the national strategy on health and safety at work is to adopt and enforce effective preventive measures at the level of the state as well as employers in order to create long-term sustainable, safe and healthy workplaces to ensure a low number of accidents at work, especially fatalities with a vision of zero accidents.
In order to ensure safe and healthy workplaces, it is necessary to reflect on the latest approaches and issues in the world of work. These include changes brought about by digital, environmental, and demographic transformations, the protection of mental health in the workplace, and increased preparedness for potential future health crises.
The national OHS strategy defines the main objective and sets out the key priorities and tasks in the field of OHS for the years 2021 to 2027, with a focus on its implementation programme for the years 2024 to 2027 and is an update of its original text, which set out the priorities and tasks in its implementation programme for the years 2021 – 2023.
Main characteristics and objectives of the OSH strategy (activity plan)
The primary goal of the OSH strategy is to adopt and enforce effective prevention measures at state level as well as employers in order to create long-term sustainable safe and healthy working conditions to maintain a low number of accidents at work, especially fatalities, with a vision of zero accidents, as well as minimising the causes of occupational diseases, promoting prevention, strengthening the importance of occupational safety culture and promoting health and safety awareness. At the same time, it is necessary to support the process of informatisation and digitisation of central state administration and labour inspection bodies and other bodies performing health and safety supervision and their interconnection, in order to ensure efficient performance of activities and also simplify communication with employers.
Details of the strategy and activity plan
Axis description
The health and safety strategy includes three main themes for the implementation programme:
A. Tasks for the years 2024–2027 to improve awareness, promotion, and a culture of prevention in the field of occupational safety and health
B. Tasks for the years 2024-2027 and a focus on occupational health and safety activities
C. Other tasks important for process related technologies and materials
Theme A is accompanied by six priorities
Theme B is accompanied by nine tasks
Theme C is accompanied by four tasks
Each priority and task in turn consists of several measures. They are specified in the timetable for the implementation of the Strategy for Safety and Health at Work of the Slovak Republic for the years 2021 to 2027 and the programme of its implementation in the conditions of the Department of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic in the years 2024 – 2027.
A. Tasks for the years 2024–2027 to improve awareness, promotion, and a culture of prevention in the field of occupational safety and health
Task 1: To mediate and organise activities in the field of occupational safety and health in the Slovak Republic and in the interest of positive media coverage of this issue to ensure the performances of its representatives in the means of media communication.
Task 2: Actively participate in foreign events, expert groups, technical commissions, committees, projects, etc organised by European and international health and safety institutions.
Task 3: Continue to provide advice, to organise seminars, conferences, publish manuals, information, and promotional materials for employers, including small and medium-sized enterprises, natural persons who are entrepreneurs and not employers, health and safety representatives, trade unions and workers.
Task 4: Develop active OSH cooperation at the national, European and international levels between supervisory authorities, research and development institutions, educational institutions and social partners, and, with regard to supervisory authorities, in particular to coordinate the supervisory activities of public health authorities, labour inspection authorities, and other OSH supervisory authorities, and to exchange international experiences regarding current approaches to ensuring OSH.
Task 5: Promoting a systemic approach for employers and OSH services to health and safety at workplaces, involving workers in solving all areas of health and safety and motivating them to actively participate in solving health and safety problems.
Task 6: Organising working meetings of health and safety professionals, representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic (national Labour Inspectorate, regional District Labour Inspectorates, Institute for Labour and Family Research), employee representatives, employers' representatives in order to increase their mutual cooperation.
B. Tasks for 2024-2027, with focus on occupational health and safety activities
Task 1: Focus on OSH activities, including research, on topics that are the subject on topics covered by the Senior Labour Inspectors Committee - SLIC campaigns e.g. “Improving the prevention of accidents at work”) and EU-OSHA campaigns, (e.g. "Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age").
Task 2: Focus on OSH activities, including research, on new risks related to new technologies and the application of the smart industry concept (digitalisation, automation, robotics and artificial intelligence), risks related to new forms of work, climate change and its impact on OSH, demographic developments, including the aging of the workforce, as well as psychosocial risks, and increasing preparedness for potential future health and safety crises based on the experience of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Task 3: Support the development of preventive programmes and put in place mechanisms applicable to existing and emerging psychosocial risks aimed at early detection and assistance in the event of work-related mental and mental strain.
Task 4: Create space and promote the application of a uniform interpretation of health and safety rules, principles and procedures, with respect to the applicable legislative framework. Publish guidelines, rules of good practice, the correct use of which in practice can be considered to meet the minimum requirements for ensuring health and safety.
Task 5: Continue to support programmes such as Safe Company, Responsible Employer and the Healthy Workplaces campaign to reduce the burden and encourage employers to voluntarily verify their Occupational Health and Safety Management System through an independent audit under the Safe Company programme and STN ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
Task 6: Participate in the preparation and support of the use of online tools (e.g., the interactive risk assessment tool OIRA), publish promotional materials, and regularly organise seminars with the aim of simplifying and making more accessible the solution of occupational safety and health issues for employers, including natural persons who are entrepreneurs and not employers.
Task 7: Promote the integration of OSH and risk prevention issues into school education programmes, especially in vocational education and training of students at selected secondary schools within the subject designated by the respective school. Support the development of knowledge and practical skills of children and students of kindergartens and primary schools in the field of OSH.
Task 8: Focus on the activities of labour inspection bodies and other state supervisory bodies on occupational safety and health on sectors and tasks with a high risk for occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
Task 9: In the field of occupational safety and health, give priority to preventive measures over repressive measures, where appropriate.
C. Other tasks important for process related technologies and materials
Task 1: Provide material, technical and personnel support for the effective functioning of labour inspection bodies and other supervisory bodies in the field of occupational safety and health, and ensure lifelong learning and raising the professional level.
Task 2: Update legislation to ensure health and safety, including its simplification and minimisation of administrative and financial burdens, with a guarantee of maintaining or increasing the achieved level of occupational safety and health.
Task 3: Prepare and implement a content-related and time-based timetable for the implementation of the OSH strategy at the level of responsible and cooperating institutions, including the involvement of social partners at the national, sectoral and company levels.
Task 4: Ensure the financing of the health and safety strategy in the preparation of the draft budget chapter for the following year.
Actors and stakeholders
The tasks arising from the OSH strategy will be fulfilled by the following ministries: MPSVR SR (in cooperation with NIP, IP and IVPR), MZ SR (in cooperation with ÚVZ SR and RÚVZ in SR), MH SR (in cooperation with HBÚ), MD SR, MV SR, MO SR, MS SR (in cooperation with ZVJS), MF SR (in cooperation with FR SR), MŠVVaM SR, MŽP SR, MIRRI SR, MZVEZ SR.
Each task is designated to specific interest groups and will be performed by the following ministries:
MPSVR SR, Ministerstvo práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic)
MZVEZ SR Ministerstvo zahraničných vecí a európskych záležitostí Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic)
MZ SR, Ministerstvo zdravotníctva Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic)
MH SR, Ministerstvo hospodárstva Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic)
MD SR, Ministerstvo dopravy Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic)
MV SR, Ministerstvo vnútra Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic)
MO SR, Ministerstvo obrany Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic)
MS SR, Ministerstvo spravodlivosti Slovenskej republiky (Slovak Ministry of Justice)
MF SR, Ministerstvo financií Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic)
MŽP SR, Ministerstvo životného prostredia Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic)
MŠVVaM, Ministerstvo školstva, výskumu, vývoja a mládeže Slovenskej republiky (Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic)
MIRRI SR, Ministerstvo investícií, regionálneho rozvoja a informatizácie Slovenskej republiky, Ministry of Investment, Regional Development and Informatics of the Slovak Republic
And supported by the Labour Inspectorate (IP inšpektorát práce) and other public institutions, social partners (AZZZ SR Association of Employers' Unions and Associations of the Slovak Republic, KOZ SR Confederation of Trade Unions of the Slovak Republic), research and professional associations.
Resources and time frame
The current national OSH strategy covers the period from 2024 to 2027.
The implementation of OSH strategy tasks will be financed from budgetary and extra-budgetary sources.
Evaluation
The evaluation of the strategies of previous years was prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of Slovakia. The evaluation is performed regularly every year. The evaluation is based on the partial evaluations provided by the actors and stakeholders.
The Evaluation of the implementation of the Strategy for Occupational Safety and Health in the Slovak Republic for 2021 to 2027 and its implementation program for 2025 is published by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republik[8].
Indicators used for the evaluation 2025
For example:
Number of occupational accidents
Number of occupational diseases
Publications via social networks, websites etc.
Guidelines, manuals, information
Seminars, events, campaigns, meetings
International forums, workshops
Training for labour inspectors and employees
Preparation of draft legal regulations
Relationship to EU Strategic Framework
The current national OSH strategy continues to be based on the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027 Occupational Health and Safety in the Changing World of Work and its key objectives.
Key objective 1 of the EU Framework is covered for example in Theme B, tasks 1, 2 and 3
Modernising and simplifying OSH rules is covered by Theme C. Task 2
Key objective 2 of the EU Framework is covered for example in Theme B, task 2
Vision Zero is explicitly mentioned as primary goal of the strategy,
Key objective 3 of the EU Framework is covered for example in Theme B, task 2 and task 3. Preparedness is mentioned in task 2.
