An OHS app bought “because of the PIP” (National Labour Inspectorate) usually ends up as just another spreadsheet, only more expensive. Bought so that the production manager knows in the morning who cannot go onto the shop floor today, it pays for itself in the first month. The difference is not in the price but in what you require of it. Below is a checklist worth taking to a presentation, and questions the vendor should answer without hesitation.
The legal basis the app has to handle
An OHS app does not change the regulations; it has to reflect them. The minimum it should “know”:
- Polish Labour Code (Kodeks pracy), Art. 237³ — induction and periodic training, a ban on allowing anyone to work without the required qualifications and training.
- Labour Code, Art. 229 — pre-employment, periodic and follow-up medical examinations; without a valid medical certificate the employee may not work.
- Regulation of the Minister of Economy and Labour of 27 July 2004 on OHS training — types of training, frequency of periodic training, formats (including guided self-study), induction training card, certificate.
- Labour Code, Art. 237⁶–237⁹ — personal protective equipment and workwear, free of charge, with records.
- Act on the National Labour Inspectorate — the scope of inspections and the documents the inspector may demand.
If the vendor cannot say which fields in their system correspond to which obligations, the rollout will end with you explaining it to them.
What an OHS app must do (non-negotiable)
1. Records per person, not per document. An employee record with everything: medical examinations (type, date, validity, contraindications), training (induction, periodic, on-the-job instruction), qualifications (SEP electrical, UDT, work at height), contracts. One place that shows whether a person is cleared to work.
2. Requirements by position. The position determines what the employee must have and how long it remains valid. A change of position must automatically show what is missing (e.g. on-the-job instruction, different medical examinations). Without this, the records are just a list of files.
3. Advance notifications. Deadlines expire on specific days, so the app has to send reminders in advance: to the manager, to the OHS team, to the employee. It is good if the user sets the horizon (30, 60, 90 days).
4. Online periodic training, in line with the regulation. Guided self-study is permitted for some positions (not for blue-collar ones), so the app must distinguish who may do the training online and who has to complete it as instruction or a course. A test at the end, a numbered certificate, an entry in the record.
5. Access for people without e-mail. In production most employees do not have a work mailbox. Login with a badge, PIN or QR code, a shop-floor kiosk, a private phone without installing an app. If the system assumes everyone has a laptop, it is not for the shop floor.
6. Inspection report. A list of employees with valid and missing documents, to PDF and Excel, in a minute. This is what the inspector asks for first.
What not to let yourself be sold
- An “OHS module” in an HR system that only stores training dates. Without position requirements and online training, it is a calendar, not an OHS app.
- An e-learning platform without records. The courses are there, but the employee record and notifications stay in Excel.
- A system without data export. After the rollout the data is yours. CSV export without asking the vendor is a condition, not an option.
- Features “on the roadmap”. If something is not in the presentation, it is not in the contract.
Questions for the vendor at the presentation
- Show an employee record with a gap and the notification that results from that gap.
- Change the employee's position. What happened to their requirements?
- Enrol a person without e-mail on periodic training. How will they log in?
- Generate a PIP inspection report for one department.
- Where is the data and how will I export it if I cancel?
- Who is responsible for the training content and how is it updated when the regulations change?
Checklist before signing
- employee record with medical examinations, training, qualifications and contracts,
- position requirements with validity periods,
- notifications with an adjustable horizon,
- online periodic training where the regulations allow it, with a test and a certificate,
- login without e-mail: badge, PIN, QR code, kiosk,
- inspection report to PDF/Excel,
- data export, clear ownership rules,
- rollout with an import of the existing records, not from scratch.
This is how ErgoFlow's OHS app is built: requirements by position, employee records, notifications, an online Academy and a shop-floor kiosk for people without e-mail. We describe it all on the OHS at ErgoFlow page. We tailor the app to the company or build it from scratch around its process.
Legal status as of October 2026. This article is for information only and does not replace legal advice or the opinion of your OHS team.
