Health and safety (SSM) training for employees in Romania: types, frequency, the individual training sheet and who delivers it

Occupational health and safety (SSM) training starts on the first day of work and never really ends. It is not ticked off once, at hiring: it repeats at fixed intervals, starts over when the post, the equipment or the procedure changes, and stays recorded in a sheet that a labour inspector can ask for — or, worse, that ends up in the investigation of an accident. Below you will find the three phases of training, how often it is done, who can deliver it in a small company, what the individual sheet must contain (including the electronic version) and what you risk if it is missing. The medical examination and the fitness-for-work certificate are covered separately, in our guide to occupational medicine, and the procedure after an event in the one on workplace accidents.

What the law says, in brief

The obligation comes from art. 20 of Law no. 319/2006 on occupational health and safety: the employer must ensure conditions for every worker to receive sufficient and adequate training, specific to the workplace and the post — at hiring, on a change of workplace or a transfer, when new equipment, technology or procedures are introduced and for special works. The training must also be periodic and adapted to new risks. The detailed procedure is in chapter V of Government Decision (HG) no. 1425/2006 (arts. 74–100), last amended by HG no. 259/2022 (Official Gazette no. 223 of 7 March 2022), which aligned the norms with the electronic proof of training that the law has allowed since May 2021 (art. 21 paras. 4–5 of Law 319/2006, added by Government Emergency Ordinance no. 36/2021).

Two rules apply to every type of training: it takes place during working hours, and that time counts as working time (art. 76 of the norms), and it cannot be at the workers’ expense (art. 21 of the law). “Worker” is defined broadly: the law also includes pupils and students on work placements, as well as apprentices (art. 5 lit. a). For interns, Law 176/2018 expressly refers to Law 319/2006 (art. 16 lit. l and art. 27), so an intern from an internship programme is trained like an employee.

The three phases, plus supplementary training

The norms split training into three phases (art. 77). On top of them comes supplementary training: still periodic training, but done outside the schedule, in the cases listed in art. 98.

Type	When	Who delivers it	How it ends
Introductory-general	At hiring; also for workers seconded or delegated from one unit to another and for those made available by a temporary work agent (art. 83)	The employer who has taken on the SSM duties, the designated worker, a worker of the internal service or the external service (art. 85)	A verification test, recorded in the sheet (art. 89)
At the workplace	After the introductory-general phase and at every change of workplace within the company (art. 90)	The direct manager of the workplace (art. 91)	Knowledge check by the trainer’s superior; only then does actual work at the post begin (art. 94)
Periodic	At the interval set in the company’s training-testing programme (art. 96)	The workplace manager	Checked by the superior and, by sampling, by the employer, the designated worker or the prevention service, who sign the sheets (art. 96 para. 4)
Supplementary	In the cases listed in art. 98	The workplace manager (it is still periodic training, art. 96 para. 1); the employer sets the duration together with the workplace manager, the designated worker or the prevention service (art. 99)	Recorded in the sheet, in the section for supplementary periodic training

Introductory-general. It informs people about the company’s activities, the risks and the prevention measures at the level of the whole unit: SSM legislation, the consequences of not complying, the company’s specific risks, first aid, firefighting and evacuation (art. 88). It is delivered individually or in groups of at most 20 people and ends with tests; someone who has not mastered the material cannot be hired (art. 89 para. 3). In practice, it happens on the first day, before the person reaches a machine, a warehouse or a till.

At the workplace. It presents the risks and measures for the specific post, based on topic outlines approved by the employer (art. 93). The norm makes practical demonstrations of the work and practical exercises with protective equipment, alarm, evacuation and first-aid means mandatory. The detail that surprises companies: it is delivered by the direct manager of the workplace. An external service can prepare the outlines and the programme, but under the norms the workplace and periodic training stay with the workplace manager (in practice, the direct supervisor: team, shift or store leader) — not only with “the SSM person”.

Periodic. It is delivered to all workers (art. 95). The interval is set in the company’s training-testing programme, according to the conditions of the post, but with two limits (art. 96):

• the interval between two periodic sessions cannot exceed 6 months;
• for technical-administrative staff, it is at most 12 months.

So 12 months is not the general rule but the exception for technical-administrative staff (in practice, usually office roles). The norm does not define a list of posts: the classification is made in the company’s programme and, if needed, clarified with the external service. Periodic training must mandatorily include practical demonstrations (art. 96 para. 5), so it cannot be reduced to “read and sign”.

Supplementary. It is done on top of the schedule when (art. 98): the worker has been absent for more than 30 working days; SSM rules or the company’s own instructions have changed, including because of new risks in the unit; work resumes after a workplace accident; special works are coming up; work equipment is introduced or modified; a technology or work procedure is changed or introduced. A colleague comes back after two months of sick leave and the procedure has changed in the meantime: both cases call for supplementary training.

Duration. Each phase, like supplementary training, lasts at least one hour, set in the training-testing programme, dated and approved by the employer (art. 80¹). The norms allow several methods, including computer-assisted training (art. 78).

Who delivers it in your company

The employer has four options (art. 14 of the norms): take on the SSM duties personally, designate one or more workers, set up an internal service or use an external service. What is possible depends on company size:

Company size	What you can do
Up to 9 workers inclusive	The employer can carry out the SSM activities personally if three conditions are met cumulatively: the company’s activity is not on the list in annex no. 5 to the norms; the employer works effectively and regularly in the company; the employer has completed an SSM training programme of at least 40 hours, with the content in annex no. 6 lit. A, certified by a completion document (art. 16)
10–49 workers	The same conditions, plus the requirement that the identified risks cannot cause serious, irreversible accidents or occupational diseases — death or disability (art. 17)
50–249 workers	One or more workers must be designated or an internal service organised; if the company has activities from annex no. 5, an internal service is mandatory (art. 18)
Over 250 workers	An internal service is mandatory (art. 19)

Activities that in-house staff cannot carry out are handed to an external service (arts. 16–19). What is worth checking:

• The designated worker is appointed by written decision and must be employed full-time (art. 20). They need at least the “intermediate” level of SSM training: high school studies in a science or technical stream and an SSM course of at least 80 hours, at an authorised provider (arts. 21, 49 and 51).
• The external service must be accredited; the list of accredited services is published on the Labour Inspectorate’s website (arts. 31 and 45). The contract with it must specify which activities each party carries out and how it cooperates with the designated workers (art. 33).

The individual training sheet

The result of each training session is mandatorily recorded in the individual sheet, with the material delivered, the duration and the date (art. 81). The sheet follows the information in annex no. 11 to the norms: the worker’s details, position and workplace; for each phase the date, duration in hours, who delivered it, the content and the signatures of the trainer and of the person who checked the knowledge; the “cleared for work” entry; the table of periodic and supplementary sessions.

• it is completed immediately after the training is verified and signed by the trained worker and by the persons who delivered and verified the training;
• it is kept by the workplace manager, together with a copy of the latest fitness-for-work certificate from the occupational physician;
• it stays in the company, on paper or electronically, from hiring until the end of the employment relationship (art. 81 para. 5). The norm sets no term after termination; see our guide to retaining personnel documents.

The electronic version

Since 6 May 2021, the law has allowed proof of training on paper or in electronic form, as the employer chooses in the internal rules; the electronic version is signed with an electronic, advanced or qualified electronic signature (art. 21 paras. 4–5 of Law 319/2006, as amended by Law 208/2021). The norms were aligned by HG 259/2022. The conditions in the norms:

• the employer decides in the internal rules whether the sheet is signed by hand or with an electronic signature (simple), advanced or qualified (art. 81 para. 3¹), and the procedures are set out in the individual employment contract (para. 3²);
• the employer ensures the traceability and integrity of the materials used in each electronic training session (para. 3³);
• if the training itself is delivered electronically, the sheet must be signed electronically by all persons involved (art. 81¹).

So an electronic sheet means more than a PDF in which someone types a name. The level of signature carries different evidential weight; see electronic documents at a Labour Inspectorate inspection.

Contractors and visitors

For workers of an outside company who work at your site under a service contract, the training on the unit’s activities and risks is yours, as beneficiary, and is recorded in a collective sheet (annex no. 12), on paper in two copies or electronically (art. 82 paras. 2–4). For visitors, the movement rules are set in the internal rules (art. 82 para. 1).

Special cases

• New hire: introductory-general with a test, then workplace training, verification, “cleared for work” (arts. 89–94). See also the documents required at hiring.
• Change of post within the company: workplace training starts over (art. 90 para. 2) — including in an internal reskilling.
• Seconded and delegated workers: introductory-general training is also delivered to them (art. 83 lit. b and c); state in the secondment document who delivers it at the destination — see delegation and secondment. The same rule applies to temporary agency workers (art. 83 lit. d).
• Day labourers: the beneficiary provides training before the activity begins and on a change of workplace, asks for a signed statement about the worker’s health and provides protective equipment free of charge (art. 5 para. 3 lit. b, c and e of Law 52/2011). Details in the article on day labourers.
• Telework: the employer provides training focused, in particular, on display screen equipment — at hiring and when new equipment or a new procedure is introduced (art. 7 lit. c of Law 81/2018); breach is sanctioned with 2,000 lei (art. 11 lit. g). See telework and home-based work.
• Foreign workers: the training must be “sufficient and adequate”, meaning understood by the person trained; the extra rules for non-EU workers are in our guide to hiring foreign workers.

What the Labour Inspectorate checks and what you risk if it is missing

Control of the application of SSM legislation belongs to the Labour Inspectorate (art. 47 of Law 319/2006). An inspector may ask for the documents the norms require to exist: the individual sheets, the approved outlines, the training-testing programme, the company’s own instructions, the designation decision or the contract with the external service. See also the documents required at a Labour Inspectorate inspection and the 2026 inspection measures.

The fine. Breaching art. 20 of Law 319/2006 (the obligation to provide training) is sanctioned with a fine of 4,000 to 8,000 lei (art. 39 para. 4). Closely related obligations fall in the same range: the SSM duties in the job description (art. 13 lit. d), the company’s own instructions (lit. e) and checking that all workers know the measures (lit. f). Training at the workers’ expense or outside working hours breaches art. 21 and is sanctioned with 2,500–5,000 lei (art. 39 para. 7).

After an accident. This is where missing training shows most clearly:

• the investigation file includes copies of the victims’ training sheets (art. 122 para. 1 lit. k of the norms; in case of death, the originals);
• the investigation report records the date of the injured person’s last training (art. 129 para. 5);
• the same report states the cause, the persons responsible for breaching the rules, the sanctions applied and any proposals for a criminal investigation (art. 128 lit. k–p).

No provision says that missing training automatically “aggravates” liability, but an untrained worker easily ends up in the report as a failure to meet a legal obligation. On top of the fine, the employer is liable in damages for the victims’ losses, to the extent they are not covered by social insurance (art. 44 of Law 319/2006). In serious cases criminal liability also comes into play: failing to take the legal SSM measures, if an imminent danger of an accident or occupational disease is created, is punishable by imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years or a fine (art. 349 of the Criminal Code; if committed through negligence, 3 months to 1 year or a fine), and if someone dies, causing death through negligence by breaching legal provisions for an activity is punishable by imprisonment from 2 to 7 years (art. 192 para. 2). The concrete classification is a matter for the investigating bodies and the court, not the company.

Checklist for an SME

1. You have decided who handles SSM in the company (the employer, a designated worker appointed by written decision or an accredited external service, with a contract).
2. You have a written training-testing programme, dated and approved, with the duration of each phase (at least one hour), and approved outlines for each phase.
3. You have company instructions for the posts and the frequency written down for each workplace.
4. Every new employee has an open sheet, has passed the test, has been trained at the workplace and verified, and “cleared for work” is signed before the first actual day at the post.
5. You have a calendar of periodic sessions — at most 6 months (12 for technical-administrative staff), with practical demonstrations — and you know what triggers supplementary training.
6. The sheets are signed, kept by the workplace manager with a copy of the fitness-for-work certificate and stay in the company at least until the contract ends.
7. For electronic sheets, the internal rules and the employment contracts set out the signature and the procedure.
8. Contractors, day labourers, temporary workers and teleworkers are trained; workplace managers (team, shift or store leaders) know that workplace and periodic training are their responsibility.

Risk assessment, the prevention and protection plan and the technical content of the outlines are a job for an SSM specialist; this article deals only with the training obligation and its documents.

Frequently asked questions

How often is SSM training carried out?

Periodic training is done at the interval in the company’s programme, but at no more than 6 months, and for technical-administrative staff at most 12 months (art. 96 of HG 1425/2006). In addition, supplementary training is done in the cases in art. 98: an absence of more than 30 working days, new equipment or procedures, resuming work after an accident.

Are office employees trained too?

Yes. Introductory-general, workplace and periodic training are delivered to all workers; the difference is the interval, of up to 12 months for technical-administrative staff. It also applies to teleworkers.

Who delivers the training in a small company without a specialist?

In a company of up to 9 workers, the employer can do it if the three conditions above are met, including the 40-hour programme; between 10 and 49 workers the condition on risks is added. Otherwise, a worker is designated or an accredited external service is used. Workplace and periodic training are delivered by the workplace manager.

Can it be done online?

Partly. Computer-assisted training is permitted (art. 78) and the sheet is signed electronically by everyone involved. But workplace and periodic training must mandatorily include practical demonstrations: the theoretical part can be online, the practical part cannot.

How long do I keep the training sheet?

In the company, from hiring until the end of the employment relationship (art. 81 para. 5), on paper or electronically. The norm sets no term after termination; later archiving depends on the company’s archiving rules.

What fine do you risk if you do not train your employees?

From 4,000 to 8,000 lei for breaching art. 20 of Law 319/2006 (art. 39 para. 4). If an accident happens, liability in damages and, in serious cases, criminal liability may be added.

Where Workly helps, and where it does not

Workly has no SSM module and does not schedule training: the calendar, the outlines and the signed sheets remain the company’s responsibility, with the help of the designated worker or the external service. What you can do in the documents module is keep the documents around the training in order: each employee has a digital file, with role-based access, where you can upload the training sheet, scanned or electronically signed, next to the fitness-for-work certificate.

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Informational article, accurate at the date of publication. Not legal advice or occupational health and safety consulting. Fine levels, deadlines and forms may change through later legislation — always check the current version of Law 319/2006 and HG 1425/2006 or consult an SSM specialist.