Occupational Health and Safety: The Manager's Responsibility

Occupational Safety Concerns the Apartment Too

Occupational health and safety is a matter for every workplace that employs personnel, not just factories. When an apartment employs a concierge/attendant, cleaning, or security personnel, it becomes an employer, and occupational safety obligations arise. This is a serious responsibility that leads to heavy consequences in the event of a work accident when neglected.

Basic Occupational Safety Obligations

The main occupational safety obligations of an apartment employing personnel:

• Making the working environment safe
• Conducting risk assessment when necessary
• Providing personnel with information/training on work safety
• Providing necessary protective equipment
• Keeping records of work accidents and occupational diseases

The scope of these obligations may vary according to the number of employees and the nature of the work.

The Manager\'s Responsibility

Fulfilling the occupational safety obligations is the responsibility of the manager (as the employer\'s representative). When a work accident occurs, whether the necessary measures were taken is questioned. If measures were neglected, the manager may face heavy legal and criminal liability. This is an important part of risk management; we covered it in our risk management article.

Work Accident Risk

It is possible for the apartment attendant to have an accident during work (cleaning, maintenance, waste transport, etc.). If a safe working environment was not provided, the liability for this accident may be placed on the employer (the apartment). For this reason, both taking measures and documenting the situation are critical.

Service Procurement May Be a Solution

Due to the complexity of occupational safety and personnel obligations, some apartments meet services such as cleaning/security through outsourced service procurement instead of direct personnel employment. In this case, some of the obligations pass to the service-providing company. We compared the two models in our in-house personnel or outsourced service article.

Common Mistakes

• Ignoring occupational safety: If there is personnel, there is an occupational safety obligation.
• Not taking measures: An unsafe environment makes the employer liable in a work accident.
• Not keeping records: Documentation of measures protects the manager in a liability situation.

This content is for informational purposes. Consult an expert and a legal advisor for occupational safety obligations.