What does the law say about health and safety?

The Work Environment Act

The Work Environment Act sets out general requirements for the work environment and the distribution of responsibilities, but without providing detailed regulations. According to AML, the following applies, among other things:

• That the employer bears the main responsibility for the work environment and must actively work to prevent ill health and accidents.
• Employees have the right to be represented by safety representatives to ensure that the work environment management works in practice.

The Swedish Work Environment Authority is the authority responsible for ensuring compliance with the legislation. The authority has the right to carry out inspections at workplaces and can intervene if shortcomings are discovered. If a safety representative considers that the work poses an immediate danger and stops the work, the Work Environment Authority is obliged to carry out an inspection quickly to assess the situation.

Detailed rules in the regulations (AFS)

As the Work Environment Act is a framework law, it is supplemented by the Work Environment Ordinance (AMF) and the Swedish Work Environment Authority's regulations (AFS). The Work Environment Ordinance contains more specific rules on, among other things, the work of safety representatives, documentation requirements and how work environment activities should be organized.

The Swedish Work Environment Authority's regulations (AFS) contain the practical guidelines that employers must follow to achieve a good work environment. These regulations cover a number of different areas, such as workload, ergonomics, chemical risks and the organizational and social work environment.

Want to read more about the work environment regulations? You can find the Swedish Work Environment Authority's regulations (AFS) here.

Organizational and social work environment

The Work Environment Act's regulations on organizational and social work environment (OSA) state that the employer must ensure that you know:

• What tasks you will perform
• What the objectives are for your work
• How to prioritize in case of high workload
• Who you can turn to for support

Systematic work environment management - preventive measures

The employer must carry out systematic work environment management (SAM) to identify and prevent risks. By analyzing risks early on, problems can be solved before they negatively affect the work environment.

If you experience high stress or prolonged workload, talk to your safety representative or work environment representative. They represent workers on health and safety issues and can help find solutions.

Safety representatives - your representative in health and safety matters

Workplaces with more than five employees must have at least one safety representative who represents the employees in work environment issues. The safety representative ensures compliance with health and safety laws and works to ensure a safe working environment.

Workplaces with more than 50 employees must have a safety committee, where both employers and employees work together to improve the working environment.

In smaller companies, there are regional safety representatives (RSOs) who support and help build up the work environment.