In order to ensure the occupational health and safety of his employees, each employer must appoint at least one safety officer (designated worker - travailleur désigné) among his staff.

The safety officer will be entrusted with all activities regarding the prevention and protection of occupational risks in the business.

He/she must fulfil certain conditions in terms of qualification, training and experience within 12 months following his/her appointment. The number of safety officers to be appointed and the time they must be given to carry out their task depends:

• on the number of staff in the business;
• on the number of hazardous jobs;
• on the size and sector of the business.

Who is concerned

All employers can freely appoint their safety officers among their staff. It is preferable to ensure that safety officers are not appointed against their own will.

The employer can:

• either appoint one or more safety officers among his staff;
• or fill the position himself if he employs less than 50 staff provided he meets the conditions of qualification and experience;

Preliminary steps

Before appointing a safety officer, the employer must inform the staff delegation or the joint works committee, where applicable.

How to proceed

Number of safety officers to be appointed

Calculating the amount of time granted to each safety officer

The number of safety officers to be appointed depends on the group or subgroup to which the business belongs, and which is determined by:

• the number of staff in the company;
• the business's sector of activity.

These groups or subgroups determine the minimum time that employers must allocate to safety officer(s) to let them implement protective and preventive measures against occupational risks within the business and/or company.

In the case where some employees hold hazardous positions, the safety officer(s) is (are) given more time to fulfil his (their) task.

When an employer has determined the total amount of time which must be allocated to the safety officer(s), he can calculate the number of safety officers to be appointed.

Calculation of the number of safety officers to be appointed

In order to calculate the number of safety officers needed, the employer must:

• multiply the time allocated per employee (T) by the total number of staff in the company (S);
• where applicable, multiply the additional time allocated per hazardous workplace (Tr) by the total number of hazardous workplaces in the company (Sr);
• add together the sums of the 2 previous calculations to get the minimum average time in seconds which must be allocated to the safety officer to carry out his task;
• divide by 60 to obtain the minimum average time (TMM) in minutes per day.

Employers must use the following formula:

[(S x T) + (Sr x Tr)] / 60 = TMM

The result obtained should be compared with the table below in order to determine the number of safety officers to be appointed:

Whenever a business carries out their tasks on several operating sites, the employer must appoint one safety officer for each site with more than 200 employees.

Training and responsibility of safety officers

Mandatory training and experience

The employer must ensure that each safety officer meets the requirements in terms of qualification, training and experience needed to carry out the task within 12 months following their appointment.

The requirements with regard to qualification and training vary depending on the group or subgroup the business belongs to:

Depending on the area of activity, training classes for safety officers are organised by:

• the House of Training;
• the Chamber of Skilled Trades and Crafts;
• the Institute for Training in the Construction Industry (Institut de formation sectoriel du bâtiment - IFSB).

If the safety officer does not meet the training requirements, the employer must:

• register the person for adequate training (at the business's expenses);
• grant training leave to the person concerned.

Role and responsibility of safety officers

A safety officer must:

• enforce existing legal provisions and regulations with regard to the safety and health of the workforce, including the employees under a fixed-term employment contract or who have been assigned within the framework of a temporary loan of labour;
• act as the employer's representative and define the business strategy in terms of the development of safety and health for its employees;
• oversee the work procedures and resources deployed, the assessment and risk studies as well as the means put in place to prevent accidents;
• carry out regular safety inspections;
• keep the safety inspection register and maintenance books;
• develop, maintain and communicate safety and health plans, as well as warning, alarm, intervention and evacuation procedures;
• prepare, organise and conduct evacuation drills;
• assess the business's or establishment's situation in terms of occupational safety and health;
• maintain good relations with the Inspectorate of Labour and Mines (Inspection du travail et des mines - ITM), the supervisory bodies, the occupational health service where the business is registered, the supervisory bodies for occupational health and safety as well as the emergency services in case of accident and fire.

The employer must keep the safety officer(s) informed about:

• each new employee under a fixed-term employment contract;
• each assigned employee within the framework of a temporary loan of labour;
• each element known or suspected to impact the occupational health and safety within the business/company.

The safety officer is not automatically granted a delegation of power by the employer. The employer may however delegate certain powers to the safety officer(s), namely with regard to:

• the elimination of occupational risks;
• the set up of a risk prevention plan;
• the provision of the means required for the prevention of occupational risks.

Who to contact