Barriers in Implementing EU Standards Relating to Health and Safety in Polish Enterprises

The issue of Health and Safety has long been a subject of research and analysis. Poland entering the huge market of the united Europe forces the Polish entrepreneurs to make an effort to reduce labor costs including the costs of safety. Despite the ending of the process of adjusting the Polish Health and Safety laws to the EU standards, the development of rules aimed at proactive action based on trainings, motivation to safety at work, employees’ participation, etc. the safety level in Polish enterprises is not satisfactory. The 2003 implementation of the economic stimulant in the form of diverse contributions for accident insurance will not bring the desired results without raising managers' awareness, shaping safety oriented behavior and creating adequate safety culture. The change in the system of values and staff attitudes contributes to improvement of safety, thus improving workers' motivation and their safe behavior. The article presents the selected aspects of the research carried out by the authors in 2000 companies as a part of the project “The analysis and assessment of the level of adjustment of OSH companies in £ódŸ region to the changes in law and the market needs” financed by the European Union. The project was a diagnosis of the level of awareness of OSH issues in Polish enterprises. The study was based on the interview questionnaire, compiled by the experts. As the research shows, the achievement of European standards relating e.g. to risk assessment methods and adaptation of machinery fleet to legal requirements has not been a priority for many Polish entrepreneurs. The analysis of the degree of compliance with formal and legal requirements in the area of occupational safety, barriers and encountered problems has been the subject of this article.