AFS - The Swedish Work Environment Authority's constitution
About the Swedish Work Environment Authority's Constitution (AFS)
The Swedish Work Environment Authority's collection of statutes (AFS) is a collection of regulations issued by the Swedish Work Environment Authority. The Swedish Work Environment Authority has been commissioned by the government to issue these regulations based on the Work Environment Act, which the Riksdag has decided on. The Work Environment Act is the very basis for what applies to the work environment and the regulations issued by the Swedish Work Environment Authority are interpretations and clarifications of the Work Environment Act. Some regulations are mandatory and sometimes punitive, which means that the employer is legally responsible if a violation of these should occur and can risk both fines and imprisonment. Other regulations have a penalty fee, which means that it can involve an administrative fee if a violation of one of these regulations occurs. The remaining regulations are general guidelines that can be seen as instructions for how the regulations are to be interpreted and how companies and organizations are to work to achieve the requirements placed on a good working environment. The Swedish Work Environment Authority also has the option of ordering an employer to take a certain measure or prohibit certain work tasks.
It is always the employer's responsibility to keep all the regulations that are important to the business available to the employees and to ensure that the regulations are complied with.
One of the most important and most emphasized regulations is that of systematic work environment work, also called SAM. SAM informs companies and organizations about how to work to organize their work environment work. An important aspect in the work with systematic work environment work, is that all parts of the business must be included in the work to achieve a good work environment. This means both the organizational structures and the physical workplace for the employees with regard to, among other things, work tools and work equipment. It also means a responsibility for the employer that the social environment in the business is good for the employees.
The work environment regulations are quite general in their interpretation, but they should be seen as a guide and as practical advice to companies and organizations on how to work with the work environment in a workplace.