AutoSmart GuidebooksWhat 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
Open a standard to see the law behind it, what is checked, what it can cost and the evidence. Ideal fix times are counted from audit submission.
BHP-01Lifts with a UDT decisionImmediate
- The law
- Labour Code (section X, health and safety, art. 283) · Technical Inspection Act · Technical Inspection Act: vehicle lifts
- What we check
- Every lift has a current UDT decision and periodic inspections, the maintenance person is qualified, and staff lock the arms before working under a car.
- What it can cost
- An accident means criminal liability and a ban on using the lift.
- Evidence
- UDT decisions
BHP-02Inspection pits guarded24 hours
- The law
- Labour Code (section X, health and safety, art. 283) · Technical Inspection Act · Regulation on health and safety in vehicle servicing: inspection pits
- What we check
- Pits are covered or guarded when not in use, and marked.
- What it can cost
- A fine of up to PLN 60,000.
- Evidence
- Photos
BHP-03Paint shop and chemicalsImmediate
- The law
- Labour Code (section X, health and safety, art. 283) · Technical Inspection Act · rules on chemical substances and harmful agents
- What we check
- Painting is done in a ventilated booth, painters have respiratory protection, and safety data sheets are available.
- What it can cost
- A fine, and criminal liability if someone is harmed.
- Evidence
- Measurements + data sheets
BHP-04Risk assessment and training7 days
- The law
- Labour Code (section X, health and safety, art. 283) · Technical Inspection Act · Labour Code arts. 226 and 237³: occupational risk assessment, health and safety training
- What we check
- There is a current risk assessment for each job (including work on electric vehicles), and staff have health and safety training and medical checks.
- What it can cost
- A fine of up to PLN 60,000.
- Evidence
- Health and safety records
BHP-05Accidents reported72 hours
- The law
- Labour Code (section X, health and safety, art. 283) · Technical Inspection Act · Labour Code art. 234: accident procedure
- What we check
- Accidents are reported and investigated by an accident team, and serious and fatal ones are reported to PIP and the prosecutor straight away.
- What it can cost
- A fine and criminal liability.
- Evidence
- Accident register
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.
