The Swedish Work Environment Authority's new regulatory structure

The new structure will come into effect on January 1, 2025, and the work has involved revising 67 provisions into 15 more comprehensive ones. For example, a current provision may instead become a chapter in a new provision.

Malin Kristiansen and Mats Hansson Cooper are occupational safety engineers at Falck. As occupational safety engineers, they primarily work with the physical work environment, where provisions and laws are a significant part of their work. We asked them for help to clarify what employers need to be aware of before the new structure takes effect.

What's new:

• Simplified, clarified, and updated language to make the rules clearer and more accessible to everyone.
• Digitalization of the provisions.
• Clarity on which provisions apply to whom.
• 67 provisions have been revised into 15, and approximately 2300 sections have been sorted into the new structure.

"Accessibility will be a major change. The new structure will make the provisions easier to understand and more searchable. This will contribute to more people having the opportunity to visit the Swedish Work Environment Authority's website in more situations and read up on the applicable rules," says Malin.

 

New division of the provisions

To make the new structure clear, the Swedish Work Environment Authority has outlined a flowchart describing three roles in work environment management: the first is for employers, the second is for builders, designers, or construction coordinators, and the third is for manufacturers, importers, or distributors of products. The purpose of this division is to make it easier to see which rules apply to whom.

The provisions have also been divided into three different categories: fundamental rules, other rules, and product rules.

"The starting point for the new structure has always been that the level of protection and requirements should remain the same as today. The only completely new aspect is that work environment regulations have been tightened for builders, designers, and construction coordinators. In that area, a few new rules have also been added," says Malin.

Basic rules and other rules

Regardless of the industry or business you work in, as an employer, you should start by looking at the fundamental rules, AFS 2023:1, which cover the foundation of the entire work environment—the systematic work environment management. Then, proceed to AFS 2023:2, which deals with the planning and organization of work environment management.

The next step is to look at the "Other Rules." Here, the provisions, or parts of a provision, that are relevant to your business apply. An example is AFS 2023:10, Risks in the Work Environment, which will include current provisions on noise and vibrations.

If you are a builder, designer, or construction coordinator, you should start with AFS 2023:3 in the fundamental rules and then move on to the other rules that apply to you. If you are also an employer, all fundamental rules naturally apply.

Product Rules

If you manufacture, import, or distribute products, there are a number of product rules you need to be aware of and follow. In the new structure, these have been given a different color, purple, to indicate that these rules specifically concern products.

How to prepare before january 1, 2025

Before the end of the year, it's a good idea to review and update your organization's internal checklists and routines. The Swedish Work Environment Authority offers the "Paragraph key," a tool where you can search for sections to see which of the new provisions they have been placed in.

"In short, the new regulatory structure essentially has the same content as before; it just has a new appearance. The "Paragraph key" is a great tool for navigating the new provisions and getting an understanding of how the structure looks now," says Mats.

The new provisions are available on the Swedish Work Environment Authority's website, making it possible to update your organization's internal documents already. The provisions are marked with a watermark indicating that they will take effect after the turn of the year.