WORKPLACE SAFETY CHALLENGES OF COVID-19 PANDEMICS: CASE OF SLOVAKIA

Abstract

Public health laws designed to protect the life and health of people have an impact on working conditions as a significant social determinant of health. Laws designed to reduce the spreading of COVID-19 also had an impact on the organization of work. Legal research methods were used to analyse the regulatory framework for occupational health in Slovakia since the COVID-19 pandemics outbreak on March 6th, 2020, and to analyse how the obligations and rights of employers and employees have changed. This paper also examines emerging issues, such as employees’ privacy and it explores the role of the external environment in safety management and leadership. New regulations passed to control spreading at workplaces strengthened the position of employers in surveillance of anti-pandemic measures. Pandemics mainstreamed the role of law as a public health tool. Sharing experiences across sectors of the economy and countries can be helpful to define good practices and their implementation into legislation.