BOZP for catering and HoReCa — HACCP, hygiene minimum and fire protection

The obligation to implement procedures based on HACCP principles follows from Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and applies to every establishment that prepares or serves food — a restaurant, café, canteen or catering company. Only primary production is exempt. The national Act No. 152/1995 Coll. enforces it through sanction provisions (§ 28).

Sanctions are scaled according to the size of the operator: for a hygiene violation and failure to provide HACCP training, a small operator faces up to €100, a medium operator up to €300 and a large operator up to €500. For serious offences (food harmful to health, raw materials past their use-by date, obstruction of inspection) the rates reach up to €500,000 and for a repeat violation within one year from €1,000,000 to €5,000,000. Sanctions are imposed by the official food-control authority (RVPS/ŠVPS; for catering establishments also RÚVZ).

Decree of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic No. 533/2007 Coll. sets out requirements for catering establishments: separation of clean and dirty operations, a continuous unidirectional production process, sinks with a hot-water supply of at least 45 °C, grease traps and temperature monitoring with a calibrated instrument in line with HACCP. Alpha Safety will prepare a full HACCP implementation and documentation tailored to your operation.

The hygiene minimum is the professional competence required to carry out epidemiologically significant activities under Decree No. 585/2008 Coll. (in force, consolidated text effective from 1 June 2025). It is required by persons who actually prepare and serve meals or handle food — a cook, waiter or barista. What matters is the actual performance of the work, not the job title.

• The certificate of professional competence is issued exclusively by the RÚVZ following a successful examination — it has no set validity period and does not need to be renewed. A course alone without an examination is not sufficient.
• Auxiliary tasks (cleaning, waste handling, rough preparation in the dirty zone, working with packaged food) do not require professional competence.
• Health fitness (a doctor's confirmation) is a separate obligation required of all persons carrying out epidemiologically significant activities including those performing auxiliary tasks.

Occupational safety (BOZP) in catering is governed by Act No. 124/2006 Coll. and applies from the first employee, including casual and agreement-based workers. The following procedure summarises the key obligations of the operator.

Protection of health against heat stress is governed by Decree of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic No. 99/2016 Coll. (as amended by Decree No. 227/2019 Coll.). For more demanding kitchen work classified into work classes 3 and 4, optimal and permissible temperature values are not set — instead, a long-term and short-term sustainable working time and a work-and-rest schedule are established.

Protective measures such as a hydration regime and adjustment of working time are triggered primarily when the outdoor air temperature in the shade exceeds 30 °C, or when the maximum permissible temperatures are exceeded on more than 50 % of days in a year. The surface of equipment under permanent contact should be at most 43 °C.

Fire protection (OPP) is governed by Act No. 314/2001 Coll. and Decree No. 121/2002 Coll. Fats and oils used in deep-frying fall within the definition of places with an increased risk of fire — the specific classification of a kitchen is the result of an assessment of the operation. For such places a workplace fire safety order is drawn up, a fire patrol is established and the area is marked. From 1 April 2026, Decree No. 38/2026 Coll. applies to flammable liquids (replacing Decree No. 96/2004 Coll.).

Portable fire extinguishers are inspected at least once every 24 months under § 9 of Decree No. 347/2022 Coll. (unless the manufacturer specifies a shorter interval). For breaches of obligations in the area of fire protection a fine of up to €8,298 is threatened (§ 59 ods. 1 of Act No. 314/2001 Coll.), and up to €16,596 for more serious offences. A fire protection technician (TPO) will arrange OPP documentation, training and inspections.

The occupational health service (PZS) is mandatory from the first employee under § 30 of Act No. 355/2007 Coll., including employees in work category 1 and 2 and agreement-based workers. For categories 1 and 2 a simplified arrangement applies — some activities may also be carried out by a safety technician or public health officer, without the need for a more expensive team headed by a specialist doctor.

In the food industry, health fitness for epidemiologically significant activities applies specifically. Alpha Safety will cover the occupational health service, categorisation of work and health-risk assessment for the entire operation.

Gas appliances, electrical installations, electrical appliances and pressure equipment in the kitchen fall within the category of reserved technical equipment (VTZ) under Decree No. 508/2009 Coll. The intervals for professional inspections and tests are set by Annexes 5 to 10 according to the group and environment classification. For gas equipment the interval depends on group A or B; in all cases the shorter of the intervals under the annex and the manufacturer's instructions applies. An inspection technician with a valid certificate will arrange inspections and deadline tracking.

• Gas equipment (cookers, combi ovens, boilers) — professional inspections and tests under Annexes 9 and 10; for continuous operation the professional test is carried out no later than at the time of the nearest planned shutdown.
• Electrical installations and appliances — intervals according to the type of building and environment (Annex 8); in areas with moisture and heat the intervals are shortened.
• Pressure equipment (pressure vessels, steam and cooking equipment) — intervals under Annex 5; group A equipment is also subject to official tests.
• Inspection technician with a valid certificate under § 24 of Decree No. 508/2009 Coll.; the shorter of the intervals — the annex of the decree or the manufacturer's instruction — always applies.

Alpha Safety provides restaurants, cafés, hotels and catering companies with all four areas under one roof — without five separate suppliers and with a single point of contact.

• HACCP and hygiene — HACCP implementation and documentation, operational procedures and preparation for an official food-control inspection.
• BOZP — risk assessment, documentation, initial and refresher training for employees and casual workers.
• OPP — fire documentation, fire extinguishers, fire patrol and measures for deep-frying and gas appliances.
• PZS — categorisation of work, health-risk assessment and coordination with the hygiene minimum.
• VTZ inspections — gas, electrical and pressure equipment in the kitchen, including deadline tracking.

During inspections of catering operations, the most common shortcomings are undocumented professional competence and health fitness of employees, failure to observe temperature limits and missing thermometers, irregular monitoring of critical control points and missing records. During targeted inspections the public health authority routinely imposes dozens of on-the-spot fines in a single action.

Our experience is clear — operations with an established HACCP system, valid certificates and ongoing documentation pass inspections without sanctions. Prevention is always cheaper than fines, closure of the operation and loss of reputation.