Health and safety at work: employee obligations
Verified 21 November 2025 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
The employee must take care of its health, ensure its security and that of other persons present in the workplace. It must respect the instructions and instructions fixed by its employer. Can an employee be penalized if he does not respect the safety rules defined by the employer? We're taking stock of the regulations.
Everything employee and all person under the authority of the employer (employees in DTA: titleContent or FIXED-TERM CONTRACT: titleContent, temporary workers, trainees, apprentices) are concerned.
The employee must take care of his health and safety as well as that of other people present in the workplace according to his training and according to his possibilities.
The employee must thus:
- Respect the safety instructions in force in the company
- Use the protective equipment provided
- Follow the training and information given by the employer.
Safety instructions
The purpose of safety instructions is to inform the employee of the safety risks and to give appropriate instructions on the behavior to have to prevent occupational risks.
They ensure the safety of the employee and the other persons concerned.
They are defined by the employer and are set out in the - where it exists (company with a workforce of 50 or more employees).
The safety instructions must be clear and precise, so that they can be understood and applied by everyone.
The employee must in particular:
- Respect the traffic zones in the company
- Comply with the operating instructions of the work equipment (machines or tools for example)
- Wear personal protective equipment (safety shoes, noise-canceling caps...).
Means of collective and individual protection
The employee must use the protective equipment provided.
As a priority, the employer must put in place collective protections against risks.
If this is not possible, it will have to provide adequate personal protective equipment.
For example, for roofing work, scaffolding can be installed against the risk of falling. In case of impossibility, the employer will provide individual protections, such as a safety harness.
Training and information provided by the employer
The employer shall provide the employee with the necessary training and information to enable him to know the risks to which he may be exposed and the preventive measures to be taken.
To use chemical substances, the employee must know their danger (corrosive, carcinogenic...) as well as the conditions of use of these products and protective measures to be respected.
To this end, the employer makes available to the employee the safety data sheet for these products (SDS) which includes this information.
If the employee is exposed to electrical risk, he/she benefits from appropriate training organized by the employer.
The employee must also be familiar with evacuation instructions and fire emergency exits.
Please note
The measures taken by the employer must not entail any financial burden for the employee.
The employee must respect the general and specific instructions given by his employer in relation to safety.
The non-compliance with these instructions may result in disciplinary procedure (a penalty up to dismissal).
The - lays down the penalties applicable in the event of non-compliance with safety rules.
In companies where there is no penalty, the employer determines the penalties it considers proportionate to the facts alleged.
For example, the refusal to wear safety shoes may be sanctioned by a warning. But, if it is repeated, a more serious sanction (e.g. dismissal or dismissal) may be notified.
Please note
In the event of serious injury or death, the criminal liability of the employee could be hired.
When the work situation presents a serious and imminent danger for his life or health, the employee may leave his workplace or refuse to settle without the employer's consent.
He can then exercise his right of withdrawal and discontinue its activities until the employer has put in place the appropriate preventive measures.
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