1 March 2022
Photo: Archive photo window cleaning - © Clean Totaal
The Dutch Labour Inspectorate will be checking in the coming period whether employers in window cleaning comply with health and safety legislation. This reports Schoonmakend Nederland on its website.
Why is the Labour Inspectorate going to check?
The aim of this inspection is to ensure that employees in the window cleaning industry can work in a healthy and safe manner. Occupational health and safety forms the basis for this. Every year, many accidents occur on the shop floor, unfortunately including fatal ones. People also fall ill because of their work. The Dutch Labour Inspectorate wants to turn that tide, starting by encouraging companies to take preventive measures.
Research shows that only a third of companies have an RI&E, prevention officer, in-house emergency response and a contract with an occupational health and safety service provider. The Netherlands Labour Inspectorate wants this number to rise sharply, as safe and healthy work is vitally important. Especially smaller companies with fewer than 25 employees often have insufficiently developed the basis of their health and safety policy. Serious accidents also happen relatively more often in smaller companies. By properly identifying and addressing workplace hazards, employees can be prevented from becoming victims of occupational accidents or falling ill due to their work.
How will the Netherlands Labour Inspectorate check?
The inspection project ‘Arbo in bedrijf (2018)’ consists of a number of steps. Employers will receive a letter from the Dutch Labour Inspectorate in early 2022 explaining the obligations companies have to comply with. It contains tools to put things in order in your company. Next, the Labour Inspectorate will select a number of companies and ask them to provide various documents in writing to an inspector. The inspector will assess the content of the documents and check whether the obligations under the Working Conditions Act are met. The inspector may see cause to visit a company, taking into account the RIVM guidelines.
Avoid a fine
Schoonmakend Nederland reports that employers are given time and tools to put things in order. ann if they fail to submit an RI&E, a plan of action and a basic contract, the Dutch Labour Inspectorate will impose a fine. Using the online self-inspection tool Healthy and safe working you can check that all risks in the company are in focus and that you have taken the right measures.
English (UK)