Polish system of workers’ protection against noise

Abstract

In Poland, like in other industrial countries, the protection of workers’ health against hazards of occupational environment is a subject of many regulations. The basic act is the Code of Labor. Executive regulations connected with the Code are edited by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The Ministry of Health controls the organization of occupational health services, e.g., requirements for persons performing health examinations, principles of hearing examination, assessment of hearing disability, and the principle of certification of the hearing damage as occupational disease as well as monitoring of noise at workplaces. The Ministry of Labor establishes maximum allowable levels, organizes safety and hygiene services, and sets the principles of education in the field of occupational hygiene. The Ministry of Labor recommends standards for measuring and assessing noise at workplaces. These regulations are the basis for the hearing conservation programs. Polish legislation has been adjusted recently to harmonize with the currently standing legislation in the European Community. The main principles at present are the same as those accepted by the EC, but there are some differences concerning details of legislation and the organization of medical as well as occupational hygiene services.