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Health and safety coordination / Construction coordination
Legislative changes
In Hungary, construction HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) coordination is fundamentally based on occupational health and safety and construction legislation. Since January 1, 2026, the professional qualification requirements for construction HSE coordinators and health and safety coordinators have become significantly stricter. The aim of the regulation is to reduce the number of construction accidents by raising professional standards. Below we summarize the legal pillars of coordination and the current requirements:
Primary legal background:
- EU Directive 92/57/EEC
- Joint Decree No. 4/2002 (II. 20.) of the Ministry of Health, Social and Family Affairs and the Ministry of Health, which sets out the minimum occupational safety requirements to be implemented at construction sites.
As of January 1, 2026, the qualification requirements for HSE coordinators have become significantly stricter.
Health and safety coordinator: a person with a professional qualification in occupational health and safety and a minimum secondary vocational qualification in technical or construction or architectural studies, as well as three years of proven construction or construction contractor experience, who is entrusted or employed on the basis of Section 3 (1)-(3) in order to perform the tasks prescribed in Sections 6–8.
Other relevant legislation:
- Act XCIII of 1993 (Mvt.): Fundamental Act on Occupational Health and Safety.
- Government Decree 191/2009 (IX. 15.): On construction activities (determines the responsibilities of participants, including the coordinator).
- Act C of 2023: On Hungarian architecture (new framework law, which will gradually transform the sector from 2025).
What happens if there is no HSE construction coordination, health and safety coordination?
Due to the tightening of the legal framework, the authorities (Labor Safety Inspectorate) are focusing on the following:
- Occupational safety fine: can range from HUF 50,000 to HUF 10,000,000 if the lack of coordination causes direct danger.
- Suspending the work area: If there is no valid and updated Health and Safety Plan), dangerous work processes are not controlled, or improperly used tools or scaffolding are found in the construction area, or documentation for dangerous work equipment and machine operator licenses are missing, the occupational health and safety authority may suspend work with immediate effect.
- Criminal liability: In the event of an accident, the company manager, HSE coordinator and the responsible technical manager may be criminally liable for the endangerment committed in the course of their work.
- As a legal consequence of work accidents, the court in most cases also establishes the employer’s liability.
As the manager of a company, the biggest risk is when you have to choose between project safety and continuity.
Many people make the mistake of considering HSE coordination as a mere administrative task and entrusting it to a professional who does not have construction qualification and experience.
The dangers of “paper-based” occupational health and safety coordination without construction-technical qualifications and experience
In this case, the following problems may arise:
- Unrealistic prohibitions: Requires solutions that are physically unfeasible, thus unnecessarily slowing down the work.
- Unrecognized risks: Does not foresee the dangers arising from the technological sequence (e.g. slab breakthroughs, collision of crane phases).
- Lack of authority: Experienced subcontractors and technical managers do not accept the professional arguments of someone who does not understand the construction processes.
Why is a construction engineering qualification and practical expertise crucial?
A HSE professional with a civil engineering or architectural technician background not only monitors but also supports:
- Technological approach: He knows how the house is built, so he integrates safety solutions (e.g. collective protection) into the work process already in the design phase.
- Effective communication: He speaks the same language with the project manager and construction managers. He has solution suggestions, not just prohibitions.
- Real prevention: He is able to recognize critical nodes before an accident-prone situation develops.
The lesson? An accident is expensive. A suspended construction is even more expensive. But the most effective defense is when the safety professional understands exactly what and how we are building.
What makes a good construction HSE coordinator?
We often see that occupational health and safety qualifications are not accompanied by thorough construction industry knowledge. But is it possible to effectively supervise safety where we do not understand the technology?
In our opinion, a construction HSE coordinator becomes a true partner in the construction process if:
- Understands technology: He doesn’t just quote regulations, but also knows why a given work process is dangerous (e.g. a more complicated shoring or lifting plan).
- Speaks the language of engineers: If you have the specialized (architectural/civil engineering) foundation, the dialogue will not be an obstacle, but will be solution-oriented.
- Has on-site routine: The real sources of danger can be learned not in the office, but in the mud, at heights and in the thick of structural construction.
- Real solutions instead of bans: With a background in the construction industry, HSE does not hinder work, but helps: it suggests safe alternatives that are technically feasible.
- Handling unexpected situations: In a critical lift or complex assembly, only someone who sees the physical and engineering connections of the process can perform a real risk analysis.
- Recognizing hidden risks: Someone who understands structural engineering can see not only that the worker is at a height, but also if the tension of a formwork or the slope of an earthwork is statically unstable.
Education is the fundamental, but relevant construction industry experience is what makes a professional credible in the workplace.
The lesson? Occupational safety is not a separate island, but an integral part of construction technology. An HSE coordinator with a civil engineering or technical background not only follows rules – he saves lives and profits.
Contact us, request a quote! With 26 years of construction experience and a project support approach, we are at your disposal throughout Hungary.
HSE coordinators at SOLAR SAFETY HSE KFT. partners in the success of the project. We help ensure that every member of your team returns home safe and sound, and that the company’s reputation remains impeccable. Because quality work starts with the basics – and with occupational health and safety.
The health and safety coordination
The health and safety coordinator is the natural person entrusted or employed by the designer and the customer or contractor in the light of the information referred to in regulations 4/2002 SZCSM-EüM.
When it is obligatory to hire a coordinator
a, The duration of the construction work is foreseeable more than 30 working days and more than 20 employee work at the same time on the site
b, the amount of work planned exceeds 500 days of work
Who can be a health and safety building contractor coordinator?
Safety and health coordinator for the implementation of the construction plan means a natural or legal person entrusted by the customer, the construction manager or the project manager to carry out the tasks laid down by law for the building of the construction plan.
Good practices
In the case of competences required for health and safety coordinators of a construction plan,it has to be taken into consideration that the coordinator must:
- have the necessary knowledge to play the role of coordinator
- it has to be proved that he has skills and experience on similar construction sites
- need to have perfection in design and construction work and safety and health issues specific to the planned construction regarding the size and complexity of the construction; and
- ensure the customer that he has the necessary resources to successfully manage the occupational health and safety risks associated with the actual work. When assessing the competences of a legal person, both the competences of the organisation and of the person whose application is planned on the site should be taken into consideration.
It is very important that without a qualification in construction industry (high-construction technician) and experience, it is not worth hiring an BE coordinator!
The mandate or employment of the coordinator is not in connection with the responsibilities of the principal (employer) and the technical manager responsible based on the regulation 4/2002 (II. 20) SZCSM-EüM . §9.
But what is exactly the main task of a safety planning and construction coordinator, also known as a health and safety coordinators ?
The assignment and employment of a health and safety coordinator is obligatory even during the planning. The planned construction of neglected safety elements, which in many cases were not taken into account during the planning, protection against falls, lack of an organizational plan is also the cause of the accidents that occur.
It is the customer’s task (all natural and legal persons on whose behalf the construction takes place) and the task of the designer and constructor to assign a health and safety coordinator . The integrated and preventive safety must be ensured during the planning. This means that these professionals help to design those structures (auxiliary construction structures: scaffoldings, ladders, mooring points for personal protective equipment ) into the building blocks which the devices for safe work can be attached to later. The coordinator can also check that the budget already includes a list for safety equipment. According to the above, the coordinators should be primarily involved in the creation and control of the security plan, so they can filter out the potential risk. If the coordinator do notice them, makes a suggestion to eliminate them. Without a safety and health plan, construction cannot begin. It can be stated that if the safety and health protection plan is not prepared before the implementation phase of the project or the health and safety coordinator is not appointed, the principles of prevention are not met. The coordinator should strive to obtain as much information as possible about the planning and, on that basis, to assist better the designers and contractors. According to the defined principles, the coordinators must check back whether the designers and contractors have met the safety standards to the maximum.
Compared to other sectors of the economy, construction workers are at particularly high risk of accidents therefore the occupational safety construction coordinator’s task is to inspect and coordinate contractors and subcontractors on the basis of occupational safety and participate in defining tasks that can be performed at the same time. Furthermore, the competence of the occupational safety construction coordinator guarantees the accident-free completion of the construction, which also contributes to the success of the construction work.
The task of a construction coordinator consisting of extremely complex, multifaceted tasks can be performed by construction coordinators with at least a high-tech technical qualification and professional experience. The health and safety coordinator must interpret the plans, technical specifications, identify the risks inherent in the construction activity and analyze them. (it is not a risk assessment as described in the Labor Protection Code “ Munkavédelmi Törvény” 54.§ )
This is an activity related to construction professional qualifications and construction specialization in Western European countries. Unprofessionalism and the application of dry laws, regulations, MSZ standards related to construction processes lead to misunderstanding, ignorance and chaos on the part of employees.
In the field of construction, the compliance with the rules and the development of the work culture, which have been systematized by the health and safety coordinator from the beginning and agreed with the contractor, can only lead to results.
The health and safety coordinator makes an entry in the e-main log and its attachments until the e-construction log will be closed ( based on the government decree 191/2009. (IX.15.) “Kormány rendelet” about the construction activity 27.§(1) d)). The reasoned proposals of the coordinator shall be implemented by the responsible technical manager within the manager’s responsibility for safety. This means that the comments made by the safety and health coordinator are passed on to those who actual take part in construction activities through the responsible technical manager. ( 4/2002. (II.20.) SZCSM-EüM regulation 3.§ (2)). The assignment or employment of the coordinator does not affect the responsibilities of the principal (employer) and the responsible technical manager as laid down in the rules on health and safety at work.
Coordinators, like other actors in design and construction, have a key role to play in helping to coordinate work in a safe and healthy way, setting conditions and preventing emergencies.
On construction sites, emergencies occur mainly due to the fact that many work processes take place simultaneously or directly one after the other. Europe-wide studies have shown that a significant proportion of accidents at work can be attributed to design errors, poor organization and incorrect coordination of works and protection measures.
Our aim is to reverse the misconception that the application of legal obligations and standards can mean a business, rather, we try to raise awareness that these obligations can provide physical protection for the employee and legal protection for employers.
As we perform the tasks
Our aim is therefore to reverse the incorrect approach that the application of regulations and standards is a burden on an undertaking, but rather to try to make them aware that these regulations constitute physical protection for workers and legal protection for employers.