Occupational-health compliance is a block of three articles of the Labour Code: Article 28 — the night-work restrictions, Article 31 — additional leave for heavy and dangerous work, and Article 45 — the duties of a safe environment, information and medical examinations. This page describes precisely the health-protection layer and differs from the general safety system. Foreign occupational-health-service models do not operate in the Georgian system — protection is provided directly by the Labour Code.
The night-work restrictions
Article 28 defines night time as the period from 22 to 6 o'clock. A night worker is a person who, within normalized time, usually works at least 3 hours during the night. The employment of a minor, a pregnant, a newly delivered or a nursing woman at night is prohibited; a person with disabilities or a parent of a child under 3 years — only with consent. In heavy, harmful or dangerous conditions the maximum night work within 24 hours does not exceed 8 hours. At a night worker's demand the employer conducts, at its own expense, preliminary and periodic medical examinations, and upon a medical conclusion transfers the person to day work.
Additional leave
The third part of Article 31 determines the benefit of the health layer: for work under heavy, harmful or dangerous conditions additional paid leave of 10 calendar days a year is granted. The same article fixes the baseline minima — paid leave of at least 24 working days and unpaid leave of at least 15 calendar days — which, together with the health sphere, also regulate the accounting of leave.
Environment, information and examinations
Article 45 is the foundation of the block: the employer must ensure a maximally safe and healthy environment; supply complete, objective and comprehensible information on every factor affecting health; introduce a preventive system; and, where necessary, provide personal protective equipment. The seventh and eighth parts of the same article are precisely the norms of the health layer: the protection of a pregnant woman from work posing a threat, and the rules of mandatory periodic medical examinations determined by Georgian legislation. Damage to health connected with the performance of work and the costs of treatment are compensated in full.
Assembling the compliance map
The occupational-health programme begins with four registers: a list of night workers showing who works at least three hours in the night period; a list of protected groups — minors, pregnant, newly delivered and nursing women, persons with disabilities and parents of young children; a list of heavy and dangerous jobs activating additional leave and the night-regime cap; and a schedule of examinations — preliminary and periodic, at the employer's expense. A fourth reconciliation of these registers is also needed: for every night worker it must be visible that the examination was conducted and that, upon a medical conclusion, the possibility of transfer to day work was considered.
The information duty is the daily face of this programme: under Article 45 the employee is informed in a comprehensible way about risks and measures, and that communication remains documented. The preventive system, in the health layer, is measured by three traces: control of the night regime, separation of protected groups and the accounting of leave — while the duty to compensate damage is the price of neglecting all three.
Night time under the law means the period from 22 to 6 hours; a night worker is one who ordinarily works at least 3 hours within that period. Employment of minors, pregnant women, women who have recently given birth and nursing women at night is prohibited; a person with disabilities and a parent of a child under 3 may not be employed without consent. In heavy, harmful or dangerous conditions the maximum working time within 24 hours must not exceed 8 hours. At the night worker's demand the employer must, at its own expense, provide preliminary and periodic medical examinations with medical confidentiality preserved; where a health problem connected with night work arises, the person must, where possible, be transferred to suitable day work. The leave balance is likewise statutory: paid leave — at least 24 working days a year; unpaid — at least 15 calendar days; for heavy and harmful work — an additional 10 calendar days of paid leave a year.
Frequently asked questions
Below are the questions most frequently raised about occupational-health compliance.
What is night time?
From 22 to 6 o'clock — and work of at least 3 hours in this period is night work.
Who does not work at night?
Minors, pregnant, newly delivered and nursing women — prohibited; persons with disabilities and parents of children under 3 — only with consent.
What leave is granted for dangerous work?
Additional paid leave of 10 calendar days a year — under Article 31.
Who funds the examinations?
The employer — preliminary and periodic examinations of night workers are conducted at its own expense.
Who may not work at night?
Minors, pregnant women, new mothers and nursing women — by prohibition; persons with disabilities and parents of children under 3 — without consent.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The specialists of Legal.ge build occupational-health compliance programmes on Articles 28, 31 and 45: a register of night work, a list of protected groups, accounting of leave and a schedule of examinations. Submit a request on this page and receive your organisation's health map.