The Hygiene, Safety and Health at Work (“HSH”) services functioning within Angolan companies are subject to new regulations under Presidential Decree 179/24, of 1 August 2024. Below is an outline of PD 179/24:

• HSH services may be provided through:
  • (i) A company in-house department;
  • (ii) Multi-company services;
  • (iii) External service providers.

In any scenario, the HSH services must have appropriate human resources, facilities and equipment to ensure full compliance with Angolan HSH regulations.

• HSH services (in any of the modalities described above) must be authorized by the Labor Inspectorate (Inspeção Geral do Trabalho) of the Ministry of Labor. Authorization is subject to a prior inspection/audit by the Labor Inspectorate. The authorization is valid for a period of 3 years (renewable);
• External service providers of HSH services must provide quarterly reports to the Labor Inspectorate with the following minimum information on their clients:
  • (i) Results of assessments of professional risks;
  • (ii) List of work-related accidents;
  • (iii) Information on absences from work caused by work related illnesses.
• • All HSH employees must be certified by the Labor Inspectorate.
• The occupational health physician must dedicate the following minimum hours to HSH activities within each company:
  • (i) One hour per day for each group of 10 employees, in the case of high-risk industrial facilities;
  • (ii) One hour per day for each group of 20 employee in all other companies.
• The occupational health physician can only be responsible for HSH services in a maximum of 3 companies.
• Medical exams are mandatory for all employees in the following situations:
  • Admission;
  • Regular exams;
  • Return to work;
  • Change of job;
  • Termination of employment.

Exceptions are allowed in certain limited cases.

• Employers must keep a medical report for each employee subject to the following conditions:
  • No information may be included about employee race, nationality, ethnicity or personal habits unless these are related to specific illnesses/diseases;
  • The medical report is confidential, expect it can be disclosed to the occupational health physician and the Labor Inspectorate;
  • The medical report information must be kept by employer for a minimum of 20 years after termination of employment;
  • Employee is entitled to a copy of his/her medical report upon termination of employment.
• Employers who are found to be in breach of PD 179/24 may be subject to a fine/penalty of up to 150 times the minimum wage per offence.