Workstation OSH Instructions for Construction

I'll tell you straight: one universal PDF headed "OSH Instruction" is, to the PIP inspector (the Polish Labour Inspectorate), not an instruction at all, just decoration for the binder. Every job on a construction site must have its OWN instruction - the painter his, the tiler his, the electrician his. Different hazards, different equipment, different PPE (personal protective equipment). At BudoReady we've got this sorted: in the STARTER package you get ready-made job-specific instructions for specific construction trades, so you don't have to slave over it after hours.

Key points in brief

• The obligation to have OSH (occupational safety and health) instructions stems from Art. 237⁴ of the Labour Code and §41 of the Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 26.09.1997 - it's not optional.
• Each job = a separate instruction. One "universal" file for the whole crew is not enough.
• The instruction must be available at the workstation, not locked in a binder at home.
• A good instruction contains: hazards, rules before/during/after work, emergency procedures and a list of PPE.
• From 8 July 2026 the PIP reform - the inspector will come in faster and check documents on the spot. Better to have it ready.

Why one PDF for the whole crew is not enough

Imagine you have a painter, a tiler and an electrician on site. The painter works at height and breathes in paint fumes. The tiler cuts tiles and makes silica dust. The electrician handles electricity. Three completely different worlds of hazard. How do you want to cram all that into one document and have it make sense and comply with the rules?

You can't. That's why the law says plainly: the instruction has to be job-specific - matched to the actual work a given person does. The basis is Art. 237⁴ of the Labour Code (the employer is obliged to familiarise workers with OSH rules and principles) and §41 of the Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 26 September 1997 on general OSH rules, which expressly requires making available OSH instructions relating to workstations. In construction work there's also the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of 6 February 2003 on OSH during construction work.

If you run a micro construction firm (PKD 43, specialised construction), these rules apply to exactly you. And it makes no difference whether you have two people or ten.

What a proper job-specific instruction must contain

An instruction isn't an essay. It's a short, specific document that a person reads and knows what to do. It should have four things:

• Hazards at the job - what can happen and why. A fall from height, electrocution, dust, noise, a burn.
• Rules before work, during and after - what to check before starting, how to work safely, how to clean up and put away the equipment.
• Emergency procedures - what to do in an accident, fire, equipment failure. Emergency numbers, the location of the first-aid kit and the extinguisher.
• List of personal protective equipment (PPE) - what the person MUST wear: helmet, goggles, gloves, mask, harness.

The job-specific instruction goes hand in hand with the occupational risk assessment - it's the ORZ that dictates which hazards you enter into the instruction at all. One without the other makes no sense.

The instruction has to hang at the workstation, not sit at home

This is the most common mistake I see among colleagues in the trade. A bloke has a beautiful binder, everything signed, instructions printed - and he keeps it in a cabinet at the office or at home. And on site? Nothing.

The rule says plainly: instructions must be available to workers at the workstation. That is, where the person actually works. In practice: a laminated sheet by the entrance to the hall, in the site welfare container, in a visible spot next to the workstation. The first thing the PIP inspector will ask is "show me the instruction for this job". If it's not to hand - you have a problem, however lovely the binder standing at home.

A small thing, but it makes a difference. Especially since from 8 July 2026 the PIP reform gives inspectors more scope for quick inspections. Less advance notice, more checking on the spot.

5 construction trades - hazards and PPE one by one

Now the specifics. Five trades you most often have on site. For each I show the key hazards and what must be in the PPE list. This is exactly what tells one instruction apart from another.

Painter - height and chemistry

The painter hangs off a ladder, scaffold or platform. And at the same time breathes in what he's painting with. Two big topics in one.

• Hazards: a fall from height (ladder, scaffold), solvent and paint fumes, chemicals in contact with skin and eyes, slipping on spilled paint, fire near flammable materials.
• PPE: a mask with an organic-vapour filter, protective goggles, chemical-resistant gloves, work clothing, and when working at height - a harness with a lanyard and a helmet.

The painter's instruction must clearly state ventilation of rooms and the ban on smoking near solvents.

Tiler - silica dust and wet power tools

Cutting tiles is a fountain of dust. And that dust is silica - you breathe it in for years and then get silicosis. On top of that the tiler often works near water, and power tools plus water is a mix to be taken seriously.

• Hazards: silica dust from cutting and grinding, electric shock during wet cutting, cuts from sharp tile edges, noise from the cutter, working in a forced position (knees, spine).
• PPE: a dust half-mask (class min. FFP2), protective goggles, hearing protection, gloves, knee pads. Cutters with water feed and a working residual-current device.

Plumber - excavations, soldering and confined spaces

The plumber probably has the widest range of hazards. One moment he's sitting in a trench, the next soldering under the ceiling, the next entering a manhole or tank where oxygen may run short.

• Hazards: collapse of trench walls, burns during soldering and torch work, lack of oxygen or gases in confined spaces (manholes, tanks), contact with hot water and steam, lifting heavy elements.
• PPE: a helmet, heat-resistant gloves when soldering, goggles, protective footwear, and in confined spaces - a gas detector and a second person on attendance. Excavations above a certain depth must be secured (shoring).

Work in confined spaces is never done alone. That must be in the instruction in black and white.

Electrician - electricity, SEP authorisations and measurements

There's no joking here. The electrician works with something that kills silently and instantly. That's why work on installations requires SEP authorisations (group G1) - and that too you enter into the documentation.

• Hazards: electric shock, arc flash and burns, a fall when working at height (ladder, pole), live working during measurements, fire from a short circuit.
• PPE: electrically insulating gloves, insulating footwear, goggles/a face shield protecting against arc flash, tools with insulated handles. Before work - a check for absence of voltage with a suitable meter.

In the electrician's instruction the key points are: the rule of switching off and securing against re-energising, the check for absence of voltage, the G1 authorisations. Remember too the valid OSH training records - without them even a person with SEP shouldn't set foot on site.

Plasterer - pressurised units, noise and height

The machine plasterer works with a unit that pumps mortar under considerable pressure. The hose can burst, the nozzle can clog and shoot out. On top of that the engine noise all day and work on scaffolding.

• Hazards: a hose or coupling failing under pressure, a jet of mortar hitting the eyes, noise from the unit, a fall from scaffolding, mortar in contact with skin (chemical burns from lime), dust.
• PPE: goggles or a face shield, hearing protection, alkali-resistant gloves, work clothing, a helmet on scaffolding, a dust half-mask when floating.

The plasterer's instruction must have a procedure for checking the hoses and couplings BEFORE starting the unit and the rule for safely releasing pressure.

Table: trade, main hazard, key PPE

Trade	Main hazard	Key PPE
Painter	Height + chemical fumes	Mask with filter, harness
Tiler	Silica dust, electricity near water	FFP2 half-mask, hearing protection
Plumber	Excavations, confined spaces	Gas detector, attendance
Electrician	Electric shock	Insulating gloves, G1 authorisations
Plasterer	Unit pressure, noise	Face shield, hearing protection

See now why one PDF isn't enough? Five trades, five completely different sets. Each needs its own instruction, matched to what the person really does and what equipment they hold in their hands.

Don't write it yourself - take a ready-made set in STARTER

You can sit down and write these instructions from scratch. Five trades, sections, PPE, emergency procedures - several evenings gone. Or take it ready-made.

In the BudoReady STARTER package for 299 zł you get 10 files, including ready-made job-specific instructions for specific construction trades, an occupational risk assessment (ORZ), registers and a PIP inspection checklist. All in Polish and Ukrainian, matched to a micro firm under PKD 43. You open it, fill in your details, print it, laminate it and hang it at the workstation. That's it.

Need more? STANDARD (449 zł 27 files) and FULL (749 zł 45 files) go wider. But if you're only just putting the papers in order before an inspection - STARTER is quite enough to start. The promotion runs until 7 July 2026, so don't delay, especially since the PIP reform starts the day after.

See BudoReady packages

This article is for information only and does not replace advice from an OSH specialist or an individual analysis of your firm's legal state. Document templates require individual adaptation to the realities of your firm and specific jobs, and the current legal state is worth verifying as at the date of use.