The Minister of Labour and Social Policy Issued an Order Establishing New Obligations for Employers 

On 2 April 2020 the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Bulgaria signed Order No. RD 01-219 (hereinafter “the Order”) pursuant to which various obligations for employers are established in relation to the protection of the health of employees and limitation of the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Order provides that until the termination of the state of emergency in Bulgaria, the employers are obliged to apply measures for prevention of the risk of spread of COVID-19, in accordance with the specifics of their activities. The Order lists a minimum of measures which must be implemented by every employer. The implementation of the measures should be discussed in the Committees/ Working Groups in the undertakings, and where the undertaking consists of less than 5 employees - with all employees. The control over the observation of the Order is assigned to the Executive Agency General Labor Inspectorate.

The measures to be applied by employers include:

1. Conduct of extraordinary instructions of employees with emphasis on limiting the spread of COVID-19 and provision of updated information about the risks of infection, including provision of appropriate instructions, information materials and guidelines for use of reliable sources of information

2. Establishment of entrance control regime, which ensures that no employees or third parties shall be allowed on the territory of the undertaking in case that they have symptoms of acute infectious diseases

3. The work in the undertaking must be organized in such a manner that direct contact between employees is brought to a minimum, as well as direct contact with third parties, for the whole territory of the undertaking. When impossible – a minimum distance of 1 – 1.5 m shall be kept.

4. Obligatory cleaning and disinfection of workplaces, sanitary facilities and resting and eating places. Disinfection should be carried out not less than twice during the working day/ work shift, but not less than the frequency specified by the manufacturer of the detergents used. In the event of working in shifts, the obligatory disinfection should be carried out after the end of each shift.

5. Ensuring the necessary conditions for personal hygiene of the workers: running hot water, detergents, disposable wipes and towels, disinfectants etc

6. Ensuring good respiratory hygiene in the workplace by regularly ventilating the premises

7. Provision of the necessary personal and collective means of protection of the workers according to the specifics of the activity - protective masks, gloves and others.

8. Disinfection and ventilation of vehicles after each course, when used as company transport, minimizing the number of employees in the vehicle and providing them with protective equipment.

9. Temporary non-admission of employees who exhibit flu-like symptoms or when employees do not use the personal protective equipment provided to them.

This material is not exhaustive, is only of general nature and does not represent a specific advice or consultation. Should any additional questions arise, please do not hesitate to contact us at tel.: 02/943 37 00, fax: 02/943 37 07, е-mail: office@afa.bg or at: 38, Oborishte Str., Sofia 1504.