The world is full of environment, health and safety regulations, with new ones being added every day. Most of these requirements focus on manufacturing operations, but a surprising number of regulations apply to offices and other non-manufacturing, lower-risk operations! Check in with us once a month for our new blog series: EHS Global Moments, where we highlight a country-specific EHS regulation applicable to non-manufacturing operations, organized by place, topic, or theme.
Bucharest, Romania is home to several of the world’s largest brands, and regulations there are changing quickly. One of these recently updated regulations pertains to teleworkers, or employees that work from home, and brings new implications to the table for Bucharest employers.
Under the Labor Code of Romania, Law 81/2018, Article 7, there is no limit on the number of hours an employee works from home that triggers this requirement. It covers not only employees working from home 100% of the time, but also those that may occasionally take a meeting from home or complete a report after hours, which at most companies, is almost every employee! Read on for a quick overview of this updated regulation:
- The employer has the following specific obligations regarding occupational health and safety of the teleworker:
- To provide safe work equipment
- To install, inspect, and service the required work equipment
- To ensure that the teleworker receives adequate and appropriate safety training specific to the place where teleworking occurs (ergonomic set-up, lighting, ventilation), and in the use of visual display equipment.
- Employers may send surveys home with employees to assess their working conditions.
- The employer has the right to inspect the places where employees work from home to ensure compliance with regulations. The inspection requirement should be made clear in corporate contracts, labor contracts, and company policies. If an employee is teleworking from home, inspection of the home can be completed only after the teleworker consents.
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