Occupational safety, health and fire safety (Portugal)
A list of checks and obligations with their cadence, ready to add to your agenda.
Kit for employers with staff in Portugal. It covers the duties of Lei n.º 102/2009 (risk assessment, health surveillance, training, worker consultation, accident reporting), the annual Relatório Único and the SCIE fire self-protection measures, with safety records, training, evacuation drills and regular ANEPC inspections. It does not cover the special regime for temporary or mobile construction sites, ADR, or chemicals and the REACH regulation.
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- 12 planned checks, the most frequent every year by 15 April
Planned checks
Informative summary verified on 11/09/2026. It does not replace legal advice: the regulation cited prevails. If you spot an error, report it.
Some checks are only mandatory in certain countries: pick yours and the list follows.
In Italy this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In France this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Germany this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Switzerland this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Austria this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United Kingdom this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Spain this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
- 01
File the annual Relatório Único
Every employer with staff must file electronically on the GEP/ACT portal the Relatório Único for the previous calendar year, with its annexes including Annex D on occupational safety and health activity, within the period set by Portaria n.º 55/2010: 16 March to 15 April. Recent campaigns have been extended by administrative decision, so check the GEP/ACT notice before setting the deadline; the evidence is the submission receipt for the Relatório Único and its annexes. Applies to every entity with employed workers.
every year by 15 AprilLegal obligationPortaria n.º 55/2010, art. 4.ºPortugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 02
Consult workers in writing on safety at least once a year
The employer must consult in writing, seeking their opinion and at least once a year, in advance or in good time, the workers' safety and health representatives or, where there are none, the workers themselves, on safety and health matters such as the risk assessment, the appointment of emergency workers, training and the choice of work equipment. Keep the record of each consultation as evidence: more frequent consultation is always allowed, but the statutory minimum is annual. Applies to every employer, through the workers' representatives where they exist and otherwise directly with the workers.
every 12 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationLei n.º 102/2009, art. 18.ºPortugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 03
Report serious accidents to ACT within 24 hours
Notify the labour authority (ACT) within 24 hours of any fatal accident and any accident revealing a particularly serious situation, identifying the worker and describing the event. This is a reactive rather than a periodic duty: the report to the insurer and the keeping of the accident register remain due, and the register's data feed each year into Annex D of the Relatório Único; the evidence is the notification sent and its receipt. Applies to every employer.
continuous checkLegal obligationLei n.º 102/2009, art. 111.ºPortugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 04
Run evacuation drills
Buildings with an internal emergency plan must run drills to test the plan and train occupants, within the maximum interval set by the technical regulation and with observers following the exercise. Record in the safety record book the drill report with date, scenario, issues found and corrective actions; the most demanding case of 12 months is set here and should be adapted to the actual building. Applies to the use-types and risk categories for which Quadro XXXIX requires a drill, with the maximum intervals of Quadro XLI: two years for use-type I in the 4th category, for II in the 3rd and 4th, for VI and IX in the 2nd and 3rd and for III, VIII, X, XI and XII in the 2nd and 3rd; one year for VI, IX, III, VIII, X, XI and XII in the 4th category and for IV, V and VII in the 2nd with risk rooms D or E and in the 3rd and 4th, with one exercise at the start of each school year in use-type IV.
every 12 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationPortaria n.º 1532/2008, art. 207.º n.º 2 al. a) (Quadro XLI); Decreto-Lei n.º 220/2008, art. 22.º n.º 5, na redação do Decreto-Lei n.º 224/2015Portugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 05
Repeat the medical examination yearly for under 18 and over 50
Workers under 18 and workers over 50 must undergo a periodic medical examination by the occupational physician every year, who updates the fitness certificate. The occupational physician may prescribe shorter intervals depending on exposure to specific risks, and special regimes such as noise, chemical agents and carcinogens impose their own checks. Applies to workers aged under 18 and to workers aged over 50.
every 12 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationLei n.º 102/2009, art. 108.º n.º 3 al. b)Portugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 06
Appoint and train first-aid and emergency staff
Organise first aid, fire-fighting and worker evacuation, appoint the responsible workers and ensure they are trained and equipped, in numbers proportionate to the size and risks of the undertaking. Evidence: the list of appointed workers, training certificates and the first-aid kit check; the law sets neither a minimum number of appointed workers nor a refresher interval, so the annual cadence is a suggested review. Applies to every employer.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationLei n.º 102/2009, art. 75.ºPortugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 07
Carry out the pre-employment medical examination
Before work starts, or within 15 days of hiring in urgent cases, the worker must undergo a pre-employment examination by the occupational physician, who issues the fitness certificate (ficha de aptidão). This is an immediate duty triggered by each hire rather than a recurring deadline; the evidence is the fitness certificate signed by the occupational physician. Applies to every newly hired worker.
continuous checkLegal obligationLei n.º 102/2009, art. 108.º; Portaria n.º 71/2015 (modelo da ficha de aptidão)Portugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 08
Repeat the medical examination every two years
For all other workers the periodic medical examination by the occupational physician is biennial and updates the fitness certificate. Occasional examinations are also mandatory where working conditions change substantially or on return after an absence of more than 30 days due to illness or accident. Applies to workers aged between 18 and 50 who are not subject to special intervals.
every 24 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationLei n.º 102/2009, art. 108.º n.º 3 al. b)Portugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 09
Provide occupational safety and health training to workers
Every worker must receive adequate occupational safety and health training, tailored to their job and to any high-risk activities, and the employer must ensure continuing training for workers designated for OSH duties and for worker representatives. Evidence: training certificates and attendance records. Lei n.º 102/2009 sets no minimum number of hours — the 40 hours a year come from the general continuing-training duty of the Código do Trabalho — so the annual cadence is a good-practice review. Applies to all workers, with continuing training for designated workers and for the workers' safety and health representatives.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationLei n.º 102/2009, art. 19.º e art. 20.ºPortugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 10
Keep the occupational risk assessment up to date
Identify hazards and assess safety and health risks at every workplace, define the preventive measures and update the assessment whenever equipment, substances or work organisation change and after every accident. The evidence is a dated risk assessment document with its action plan; the law sets no review interval, so the annual check is a suggested control cadence. Applies to every employer, regardless of the number of workers.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationLei n.º 102/2009, art. 15.ºPortugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 11
Keep fire self-protection measures up to date
The entity responsible for the building must implement and keep up to date the self-protection measures required for its use-type and risk category: safety records, prevention procedures and plan, internal emergency procedures and plan, awareness and training actions, and drills. Safety records must be kept on file for 10 years; the evidence is the self-protection dossier with an up-to-date safety record book. Applies to all buildings and enclosures, excluding the common parts of residential buildings in the 1st and 2nd risk categories, and the set of measures required depends on the use-type and risk category under Quadro XXXIX of art. 198.º of Portaria n.º 1532/2008.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationDecreto-Lei n.º 220/2008, art. 21.º; Portaria n.º 1532/2008, arts. 193.º a 207.º (Quadro XXXIX do art. 198.º)Portugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 12
Request the regular SCIE fire safety inspection
The owner or safety officer must request through the ePortugal portal an inspection of the building by ANEPC, or by the municipality for the 1st risk category, to verify that the approved fire safety conditions are maintained and that the self-protection measures are implemented; the evidence is the inspection report filed in the safety record book. The maximum intervals are six years for the 1st risk category, five for the 2nd, four for the 3rd and three for the 4th: the most demanding case of 36 months is set here and should be adapted to the building's category. Applies to use-types IV and V in the 1st risk category and to all use-types in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th categories, except buildings used exclusively for housing in the 2nd category.
every 36 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationDecreto-Lei n.º 220/2008, art. 19.º n.os 3 e 4, na redação do Decreto-Lei n.º 224/2015Portugal onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026
In United States this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Other country this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
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