OSH training for employees: when to repeat it, what it should include, and how to document it

Many companies handle OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) training once: a presentation for a new hire, a signed attendance sheet, and then no one looks at it for a year. However, the Labor Code doesn’t treat occupational safety as a one-off action. It anticipates that training is repeated and tailored to what the employee actually does — otherwise, it won’t hold up during a labor inspectorate audit or after a workplace accident.

For a small business, this means a few practical things that are often underestimated: when to train beyond onboarding, how often to repeat periodic training, what it should include, and, most importantly, how to document it so that a signature on an attendance sheet isn’t the only thing left behind. We’ll walk through each of these points.

When employees need OSH training

Initial onboarding training is just the beginning. Section 103 of the Labor Code (Act No. 262/2006 Coll.) stipulates that the employer also provides training in other situations — whenever the risks an employee encounters change:

• Upon starting work — before a person begins working independently at the workplace.
• Upon a change in job classification or type of work — when an employee moves to a position with different risks.
• When introducing new technology or changing work and production equipment and processes — typically a new machine, a change in technological procedure, or a reconfiguration of operations.
• When legal regulations change, if the amendment affects the content of existing training.
• Periodically — at a regular interval, set by the employer themselves according to Section 103(3) of the Labor Code.

This obligation applies to all employees regardless of the type of employment relationship — including agreements to complete a job (DPP) and agreements to perform work (DPČ). The scope of training corresponds to what the person actually does, not the type of contract they signed.

How often periodic training is repeated

Periodic training is often a source of uncertainty. The law doesn’t set a fixed deadline like “every two years”. Determining the interval is the employer’s responsibility (Section 103(3) of the Labor Code) and should be based on the nature of the work, the level of risk, and job categorization.

In practice, an interval of roughly once every 2 to 3 years has become established for administrative and office professions. For blue-collar professions, warehouses, and manufacturing, it’s typically once a year, and for higher-risk activities — working at heights, with chemicals, operating binding and lifting equipment — training is generally conducted every twelve months. This represents common practice, not a statutory deadline; the decisive factor is the risk assessment of the specific operation.

It’s advisable to have this interval documented in writing within an internal directive or the OSH management system. If no interval is set and an accident occurs, the labor inspectorate will ask why and on what basis the training was conducted that way.

Managerial employees: training beyond standard operations

Managerial training has a broader scope than training for a regular employee. Besides safe behavior in the workplace, it also covers obligations arising from their leadership role:

• Supervisory activities — how to verify the use of PPE, compliance with prohibitions (smoking, alcohol), and adherence to technological procedures by subordinates.
• Procedure for workplace accidents — who reports what, how to fill out an accident record, when to call emergency services, and how to secure the accident scene.
• Responsibility for entrusted equipment — tools, handling trucks, lifting equipment, whose technical condition needs to be regularly checked.
• Handling chemical substances and flammables — if present in operations, the manager should know the safety data sheets and storage rules.

In small businesses, the owner often fills the managerial role. Even in this case, they must be demonstrably trained — the mere role of owner does not replace knowledge of safety rules and won’t stand up as an argument during an audit.

What OSH training should include

The minimum content stems from several regulations — primarily the Labor Code (§ 103 of Act No. 262/2006 Coll.), the Act on Ensuring Further Conditions of OSH (Act No. 309/2006 Coll.), and government regulations addressing specific risk factors. A reasonable training structure covers:

1. Legal framework — basic obligations of the employer and employee, liability for damages, compensation for workplace injuries.
2. Risks of the specific workplace — a practical explanation of risks the employee faces daily: manual handling of loads, PC work, operating handling equipment, chemical substances.
3. Work organization and procedures — company internal rules, technological procedures, prohibited handling, rules for lone working.
4. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) — when and how to use it, where it’s stored, and who ensures its maintenance and replacement. Its assignment is governed by Government Regulation No. 390/2021 Coll., and training directly follows on from the specific assigned equipment.
5. First aid — location of the first aid kit, who is designated to provide first aid, emergency numbers, and the trauma plan, if applicable.
6. Fire protection — basic rules, evacuation route, location of fire extinguishers, prohibition of handling open flames.
7. Safety signs and signals — the meaning of colors, signs, and acoustic and light signals in the workplace.
8. Specific risks — e.g., working at heights, working with electrical equipment for persons without electrical qualification, working with pressure vessels.

Training shouldn’t be purely theoretical. A practical part — demonstrating the use of a fire extinguisher, trying on PPE, or walking the evacuation route — improves retention and, during an audit, serves as evidence that the company takes it seriously.

Initial vs. periodic training: how the content should differ

Some employers play the same presentation year after year. That’s a missed opportunity. The content of periodic training should differ from the initial training and react to what has actually happened in the company:

• Results of inspections and internal audits — if the non-use of PPE is repeatedly identified in a certain section, this should be a main point in the periodic training.
• Workplace accidents from the past period — an analysis of causes and measures taken. This shows employees that a concrete event led to a change.
• Legislative changes that affected their work.
• Newly introduced equipment or procedures since the last training.

A proven structure for periodic training is a brief recap of basic rules and a longer segment dedicated to news and an analysis of real events within the company. If nothing happened throughout the entire period, the ratio can be reversed — but a “mandatory hour we just sit through” will hardly fulfill the value of the training.

How to document training so it passes an audit

The most common shortcoming found by labor inspectorates is a formally signed attendance sheet without listing the content and scope. A signature alone doesn’t prove that an employee was demonstrably informed about specific risks. Complete training documentation therefore usually includes:

• Date and place of the training.
• Trainer’s name and proof of their qualification — a certificate of OSH Professional Competence (OZO in risk prevention), or a professional qualification or accreditation.
• Training syllabus or program with time allocation for individual points.
• Attendance sheet with participants’ handwritten signatures.
• Knowledge verification record — a written test, oral interview, or practical demonstration with an evaluation (pass / fail).
• Date of the next periodic training — can be stated directly on the attendance sheet.

For e-learning, the system should show who completed the module, when, and with what result. A simple “I sent them a link” won’t hold up as evidence. It is reasonable to keep the documentation for the duration of the employment relationship and for an adequate period after its termination — for potential later audits or disputes over liability for an accident; the specific duration should be set according to the nature of the operation and risks. Practical tip: keep a separate file for each employee and file records chronologically.

Who may train and when an external OSH professional is worthwhile

An employer with up to 25 employees can handle risk prevention tasks — and with them, training — themselves, provided they have the necessary knowledge (§ 9(3) of Act No. 309/2006 Coll.). Above this number, they generally need an OSH Professional (OZO) in risk prevention, whether internal or external.

For a small business with predominantly administrative activities (office, retail, services), an external OSH professional is often more advantageous than a dedicated employee with this qualification. There are three reasons: the costs of obtaining and maintaining professional competence rarely amortize in a small company; an external provider continuously monitors legislative changes and reflects them in syllabi and documentation; and they have the detachment to see risks an internal person might overlook due to routine. Conversely, for companies with over 50 employees, with hazardous operations or high turnover, a combination of internal capacity and external oversight begins to pay off.

The cost of external training depends on the number of employees, the scope of risks, the format, and the extent of the practical part; always request an itemized quote showing what is included in the price (syllabus, test, attendance sheets, records). You can find indicative prices for external OSH services in the price list.

What the labor inspectorate checks regarding training

You’ll receive a report from a regional labor inspectorate audit. For OSH training, inspectors focus on:

• Completeness of documentation — whether records exist for all types of training (initial, periodic, extraordinary, for managers).
• Demonstrability — whether the documents show who was trained, when, to what extent, and with what result.
• Adherence to set intervals — comparison with the internal regulation. If you have a 2-year interval and the last record is three years old, it contradicts your own directive.
• Trainer qualification — proof of OSH Professional Competence (OZO), or a professional qualification for an external entity.
• Inclusion of mandatory topics — especially PPE, first aid, and risks according to job categorization.

Sanctions in the OSH area are governed by Act No. 251/2005 Coll., on Labor Inspection. The upper limit for fines for the most serious offenses is up to CZK 2,000,000; for small businesses, the actual amounts imposed are lower, and factors include the severity and whether it was a repeated offense. The exact amount cannot be predicted — it stems from the specific findings and the administrative discretion of the inspectorate.

Link to company OSH documentation

Training is not an isolated obligation — it is part of the OSH management system, which should be documented in writing. In terms of content, it links to at least these documents:

• OSH documentation — describes the safety management system, responsibilities, and procedures; the training is based on it and refers to it.
• Job categorization — classifies individual positions into four categories according to risk factors (§ 37 of Act No. 258/2000 Coll., on Public Health Protection). The training content should reflect this.
• Trauma (emergency) plan — if required by the operation, it’s among the documents employees are familiarized with.
• Directive for assigning and using PPE — training includes practical familiarization with the specific equipment assigned to the position.
• Fire alarm directives and evacuation plan — part of both initial and periodic training.

In small businesses, periodic OSH training and fire protection training are commonly combined into one session — the syllabi overlap in topics of evacuation and first aid. The documentation should then separate both areas, at least with separate thematic blocks having their own time allocation.

What the article is based on

• OSH for companies – SOHE service.
• Act No. 262/2006 Coll. – Labor Code; § 103 regulates informing and training employees on OSH and determining the interval for periodic training.
• Act No. 309/2006 Coll. – on ensuring further conditions of OSH; § 9 addresses when the employer handles risk prevention themselves and when an OSH professional (OZO) is needed.
• Act No. 251/2005 Coll. – on labor inspection; defines control and offenses in the area of occupational safety.
• Act No. 258/2000 Coll. – on public health protection; § 37 introduces job categorization into four categories.
• Government Regulation No. 390/2021 Coll. – on closer conditions for providing personal protective equipment.

This text is for informational purposes and does not substitute for a legal opinion. The specific training regime, its content, and intervals must be set according to the actual operation, job categorization, usage environment, and risk assessment.

Need to set up OSH training that passes an audit — from syllabus and knowledge verification to periodic deadlines and related documentation? The OSH for companies service from SOHE will prepare training tailored to your operation and keep track of deadlines. Get in touch with a no-obligation inquiry at info@sohe.cz, and we’ll arrange the scope according to your company.