OSH Documentation for a Small Business: What You Need to Have Prepared (2026 Overview)

Almost every small business has a binder labeled OSH. The question is what’s in it. It’s often a pile of papers from a previous provider, a few attendance sheets without a syllabus, and a document with a completely different company’s header. Yet during a labor inspectorate check, after a workplace accident, or when dealing with an insurance company, the contents of that binder become evidentiary material — and they determine whether the company can prove that it actually addresses occupational safety.

This article is a complete overview. We will go through what a small business — an office, workshop, warehouse, or service establishment — typically needs to have prepared, what each document is based on, what is conversely just established good practice, how to keep the package up to date, and who is allowed to prepare it. We have detailed articles on individual documents; here we’re providing a map, not the details.

What Should Be in the Binder: A Quick Overview

There is no single statutory list of “mandatory OSH documentation.” Obligations are scattered throughout the Labor Code (Act No. 262/2006 Coll.), Act No. 309/2006 Coll., and implementing regulations — and the specific scope depends on what the company does. For a typical small business, however, the following basics are addressed:

The order in the table is not random. The risk assessment is the foundation from which the content of most other documents is derived — that’s why it comes first.

Risk Assessment: The Foundation for Everything Else

Section 102 of the Labor Code imposes the obligation to systematically search for risks, assess them, adopt measures, and keep documentation about it. The content of training, the PPE list, and local regulations are then derived from the risk assessment — if it doesn’t match the operations, the logic of the entire binder falls apart.

We won’t repeat here how to prepare an assessment step by step; you will find a detailed procedure, examples of specific measures, and common template errors in the article on risk assessment for OSH in a company. For the purpose of this overview, one check question is enough: was your assessment created by walking through your operations, or by downloading someone else’s spreadsheet? If the latter, it’s the first document that needs to be redone.

Work Categorization

Work is categorized based on the level of risk factors — noise, dust, physical load, chemical substances, and others. Categorization is governed by public health protection regulations: lower categories are proposed and recorded by the employer; for riskier work, the Regional Public Health Authority makes the decision. At the same time, Section 103 of the Labor Code requires the employer to inform employees which category their work has been assigned to.

Therefore, the binder should contain the categorization of individual jobs and proof that it was reported to or discussed with the Public Health Authority where required by regulations. Small businesses often forget about categorization entirely — typically with the argument “we’re just an office.” But categorization is the basis for setting up occupational health examinations and for deciding whether risk factors need to be measured. Without it, it’s difficult to prove that the examinations and measurements are set up correctly.

PPE Directive and Issuance Records

Personal protective equipment is addressed in Section 104 of the Labor Code: the employer provides it free of charge according to their own list, prepared based on the risk assessment and specific working conditions, and must not replace it with a financial allowance. The details of provision are regulated by an implementing government regulation.

In practice, this means two documents. First, a PPE directive or list: which position receives which equipment, based on which risk, and at what replacement interval. Second, records of issuance to specific individuals — in practice, PPE cards with employees’ signatures confirming receipt. The link to the risk assessment is the frequent weak point here: a list that assigns a reflective vest to an accountant and doesn’t address gloves for a maintenance worker is difficult to defend during an inspection.

OSH Training Records

Employee training is mandated by Section 103 of the Labor Code — and the same paragraph states that the content and frequency of training, the method of verifying knowledge, and the keeping of documentation about the conducted training are determined by the employer based on risks. A fixed statutory interval for regular periodic training is not established; in practice, repetition roughly every two to three years has become standard for offices, more frequently for manufacturing and warehouses.

Three things belong in the binder: an internal determination of intervals and content (typically a short directive), training syllabi linked to actual workplace risks, and attendance sheets with dates, names, and signatures. A signature alone under a generic presentation is weak proof — when to train, what the training should contain, and how to document it are discussed in the article on OSH training for employees.

Accident Book and Accident Records

Accident recording is mandated by Section 105 of the Labor Code. All employee accidents, including minor ones without sick leave, are recorded in the accident book; for more serious accidents, an accident record is also drawn up, and the event is reported to the designated authorities.

There’s an important update for the 2026 overview here: from January 1, 2026, the new Government Regulation No. 322/2025 Coll. on employer obligations regarding workplace accidents is effective, replacing the previous regulation, changing the classification of accidents, and introducing electronic reporting and sending of records via the State Labor Inspectorate Authority portal. If your binder still contains forms and procedures according to the old regulation, this is one of the first things to update. We have described the specific steps after an accident, the content of the record, and the method of reporting in the article on workplace accidents in a company.

Related to accidents is the provision of first aid according to Section 102 of the Labor Code: who provides it, where the first-aid kit is, who to call. In practice, this information is summarized in a trauma plan — its specific form is a matter of good practice, but the obligation to provide first aid and prepare for emergencies applies to every employer.

Local Operational Safety Regulations and Operating Rules

Act No. 309/2006 Coll. requires the employer to organize work and establish work procedures so that employees are not endangered. For certain equipment and activities, implementing government regulations then anticipate a local operational safety regulation — typically for the operation of forklifts, warehousing, on-site transport, or the use of specific machinery.

A small business usually only needs a few short, specific documents: rules for warehouse and racking operations, rules for the movement of forklifts and pedestrians, a procedure for machinery maintenance, and possibly a yard traffic regulation. Specificity is key — the regulation should describe your warehouse and your machines, not general instructions. Ten pages of copied theory protect less than one page that people know and that is posted where the work is done.

What’s Required by Law and What’s Good Practice

The boundary is simpler than it seems. By law, the following must exist: documentation of risks and measures, work categorization, an own PPE list, verifiable training, accident records, and the designation of who is responsible for risk prevention. Depending on the operational equipment, local regulations and documentation of technical equipment inspections are added.

Good practice — not an explicit obligation in this form — encompasses most of the format: a trauma plan as one clear document, an annual inspection calendar, PPE cards, appointment decrees, a revision schedule in one table. The law doesn’t prescribe these documents word for word, but they are precisely what turns obligations into a system that can be substantiated. An inspection doesn’t just ask “Do you have it?” but “Show us how it works at your place.”

How to Keep Documentation Up to Date

None of the listed documents is a one-off. There is no universal statutory deadline for reviewing documentation — updates are triggered by changes. Typical triggers:

• a new machine, technology, or chemical product,
• a new job position or change in job description,
• relocation, reconstruction, change in workplace layout,
• a workplace accident or repeated near miss,
• a change in regulations (like the update to accident recording from 2026),
• findings from an inspection, audit, or insurance claim.

In practice, it is advisable to go through the binder at least once a year: check that the risk assessment matches the operations, that training took place at the defined intervals, that the PPE list fits the current positions, and that the forms comply with applicable regulations. One hour of work per year is incomparably cheaper than substantiating things retroactively once something has already happened.

Who is Allowed and Able to Prepare the Documentation

The answer is provided by Section 9 of Act No. 309/2006 Coll., which differentiates based on the number of employees:

• up to 25 employees: risk prevention tasks can be performed by the employer themselves, if they have the necessary knowledge,
• 26 to 500 employees: the employer can perform these tasks themselves only if they are professionally qualified; otherwise, through a professionally qualified person,
• over 500 employees: always through one or more professionally qualified persons.

A small business therefore formally does not have to hire anyone. In practice, however, “necessary knowledge” means being familiar with the Labor Code, implementing regulations, and their amendments — and the responsibility for accuracy remains with the employer. Most small businesses therefore opt for a combination: the basic package is prepared by an external professionally qualified person based on an operational walkthrough, the owner then handles routine tasks (training, PPE cards, accident book), and the documentation is reviewed together once a year.

If there is no one in the company who can put the documentation together and monitor its currency, you don’t have to piece it together from internet templates in the evenings. Send us a non-binding inquiry — we’ll walk through your operations, tell you what from the overview above actually applies to you, and prepare the missing documents specifically for you.

Sources for this Article

• OSH for Companies – SOHE service: documentation, training, and ongoing OSH management.
• OSH Documentation for a Company – an older summary regarding documentation content, templates, and preparation costs.
• Act No. 262/2006 Coll. – the Labor Code; Section 102 risk prevention and first aid, Section 103 training and work categorization information, Section 104 PPE, Section 105 accident recording.
• Act No. 309/2006 Coll. – further OSH conditions; Section 5 work organization and work procedures, Section 9 ensuring risk prevention according to the number of employees.
• Government Regulation No. 322/2025 Coll. – employer obligations regarding workplace accidents; effective from 1. 1. 2026, electronic reporting via the State Labor Inspectorate Authority portal.
• Act No. 250/2021 Coll. – occupational safety related to the operation of designated technical equipment; framework for inspections.

The legal status was verified as of 23. 7. 2026 (Labor Code, GR No. 322/2025 Coll.), and as of 14. 7. 2026 (Act No. 309/2006 Coll., Act No. 250/2021 Coll.); Act No. 309/2006 Coll. is used as amended by Amendment No. 318/2025 Coll.

The text is for informational purposes and does not substitute for a legal opinion. The specific scope of documentation must be set according to the actual operations, activities performed, and risk assessment.

Don’t know what from this overview you already have, what you’re missing, and what’s overdue? We’ll organize your binder — from risk assessment to the accident book, tailored to your operations. Send a non-binding inquiry or write to info@sohe.cz, and we’ll agree on the scope based on what you actually do.