National implementation
Belgium
Federal OHS framework + regional building codes — trilingual enforcement system
EnforcementToezicht op het Welzijn op het Werk / Contrôle du Bien-être au Travail (TWW/CBE)FOD Werkgelegenheid / SPF Emploi (WASO)
Well-being at work regulation
- Well-being at Work Act of 4 August 1996, art. 5 §1 — general prevention principles: priority to collective protection over individual protection; material measures before any other measure
- Codex on Well-being at Work — Book IV, Title 5, art. IV.5-2 §4 — working at height: the employer gives priority to collective protective measures over personal ones; collective protection may only be interrupted at a ladder or stair access point
- Codex Book IX, Title 1 — Annex IX.1-2 — where the fall height exceeds 2 m, a guardrail with mid-rail and toe-board (top rail 1.0–1.2 m) or an equivalent device is mandatory; the supplier declares conformity with the design requirements on delivery (art. IX.1-11)
- Royal Decree of 28 April 2017 (Codex Book IV, Title 5) — temporary work at height; transposition of Directive 2001/45/EC; amended by Royal Decree of 12 May 2024
- Royal Decree of 25 January 2001 — temporary and mobile construction sites; implementation of Directive 92/57/EEC in Belgian law
Planning & building regulation
- Brussels Capital Region — BWRO / CoBAT — Brussels urban planning code; regional building permit and safety requirements
- Walloon Region — CoDT — Code du Développement Territorial; Walloon building regulation including safety standards for roof construction
- Flemish Region — VCRO — Flemish spatial planning code; Flemish building permit and construction safety requirements
- EN 13374:2025 + EN 1991-1-4:2011 — temporary vs. permanent systems; wind load calculation required per project
Justification d'offre / offer justification
“Conformément à la loi du 4 août 1996 relative au bien-être des travailleurs (art. 5) et au Code du bien-être au travail (art. IV.5-2 §4 et annexe IX.1-2), les mesures de protection collective ont la priorité sur les EPI. Au-delà de 2 m de hauteur de chute, un garde-corps est obligatoire ; les garde-corps permanents constituent la mesure privilégiée pour les toitures régulièrement utilisées. Les raisons économiques ne constituent pas un motif valable pour s'écarter de cette hiérarchie légale.”
English translation: Under the Well-being at Work Act of 4 August 1996 (art. 5) and the Codex on Well-being at Work (art. IV.5-2 §4 and Annex IX.1-2), collective protective measures take precedence over PPE. Above a 2 m fall height a guardrail is mandatory; permanent guardrails are the preferred measure for regularly accessed roofs. Economic reasons do not constitute a valid ground for departing from this statutory hierarchy.
Verified against
The provisions on this page were checked against the primary legal text. Internal dossier references:
- project-scout/belgie/market/falls-collective-law.md
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