What this guidebook covers
From July 2026, a breach of health and safety (BHP) rules can be fined up to PLN 60,000 (PLN 90,000 for a repeat), and exposing a worker to danger to life or health is a crime carrying up to 3 years in prison (art. 220 of the Criminal Code). Vehicle lifts are supervised by UDT (the Office of Technical Inspection): without a current UDT decision they must not be used.
This guidebook covers 5 workshop safety standards, with 12 checkpoints: lifts with a UDT decision, guarded inspection pits, the paint shop and chemicals, risk assessment and training, including work on electric vehicles, and accident reporting. The guidebook PDF is in Polish.
The 5 workshop safety standards
| Code | Standard | Ideal fix time |
|---|---|---|
| BHP-01 | Lifts with a UDT decision | Immediate |
| BHP-02 | Inspection pits guarded | 24 hours |
| BHP-03 | Paint shop and chemicals | Immediate |
| BHP-04 | Risk assessment and training | 7 days |
| BHP-05 | Accidents reported | 72 hours |
How to run a Polish workshop health and safety (BHP) audit, step by step
- Confirm what applies. List every lift, pit and paint booth, and include high-voltage work on electric vehicles in the risk assessment.
- Walk the site, standard by standard. Score each of the 12 checkpoints Pass, Fail or N/A. N/A only where the standard rules it out, with the reason recorded. Check the UDT documents and watch a car being lifted, walk the pits, check the paint booth and exposure measurements, and compare the accident register with sick leave.
- Capture the evidence. A pass counts only with proof captured at the time of the audit: UDT decisions, photos of the pits, measurements and safety data sheets, BHP documentation and the accident register.
- Give every fail an owner and a fix time. Record what you saw and who owns the fix. Each standard carries an ideal fix time, from immediate to 7 days, counted from audit submission (see the table above).
- Fix it, then prove it. The site fixes the cause and uploads proof of closure; the auditor checks the proof before closing the finding.
- Re-check at the next audit. Confirm closed findings stay closed, and look for the same fail at your other sites so one gap doesn't repeat across the network.
Who this guidebook is for
- Boards: the criminal liability
- Service managers: equipment and procedures
- Safety (BHP) staff and auditors: walking the workshop like an inspector
A reference document, not legal advice. Fines and rules change: check the current text with the regulator or your legal adviser before acting.
