BackSanitary booklet – what do you need to know?
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- What is a health booklet?
- Who must have a health booklet?
- How do I produce the health booklet?
- How long is the health booklet valid for?
- Where do I buy a health booklet?
- How much does a health booklet cost?
- How long does it take to get a health booklet?
- You can obtain a health booklet without a referral.
- Is the health booklet valid abroad?
- Loss of sanitary booklet – what should I do?
What is a sanitary booklet?
The sanitary booklet is essential to work in certain industries. It is a medical document that confirms the absence of bacilli of specific bacteria in the human body. It allows us to check whether we can work when in contact with food or more people. The purpose of this document is to prevent the development of epidemics.
The expression sanitary health booklet itself is a colloquial name that has no longer been in force since 2008. It is replaced by the sanitary and epidemiological certificate. However, nothing has changed apart from the name. The requirement for such an examination still remains.
Who must have a sanitary booklet?
People who do a job where they can transmit an infectious disease to another person must do testing. This is to ensure the safety of others and to stop the spread of epidemics. The sanitary booklet is compulsory in occupations where one comes into contact with water, food, medicines, people or children.
A sanitary booklet is needed for those who want to work as:
- waiter/waitress,
- chef/waitress,
- kitchen assistant,
- baker,
- confectioner,
- grocery shop assistant,
- catering assistant,
- beautician,
- health care worker, hospitality worker,
- masseur/massage therapist,
- babysitter,
- caregiver for the elderly,
- paramedic/ orderly,
- kindergarten teacher,
- medicine worker,
- hairdresser,
- transport workers: stewardess, bus drivers.
The health booklet can be produced from the age of 16. It is useful for students, pupils and trainees for their first job.
In most cases, the sanitary-epidemiological booklet for certain jobs is self-evident. It is the employer’s job to inform you about the booklet.
How do I make a sanitary booklet?
At the very beginning, you can obtain a referral from your employer or do a sanitary examination on your own. Later on, you have to go to your local District Sanitary and Epidemiological Station. The tests consist of giving 3 stool samples, which will be tested for the presence of:
- Salmonella,
- Typhoid bacilli
- Shigella bacteria,
- Mycobacteria.
Once the samples have been donated, there is usually a 1-2 week wait for laboratory results. Once you have the test results, you will need to see an occupational physician. He or she will assess whether you have any contraindications to work. This specialist will issue a final certificate, which is your ticket to employment in the industry concerned.
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How long is the sanitary booklet valid?
The regulations do not specify a specific expiry date for the sanitary booklet. It is assumed that the sanitary examination is for life – that is, we only do it once. However, it all depends on the occupational doctor, who decides when we have to repeat the visit to him. The medical certificate can be issued for a specific period of time or indefinitely.
If you have an up-to-date sanitary-epidemiological booklet and you change employer, it will still be valid. You do not need to repeat the examination.
Where to buy a sanitary booklet?
The sanitary booklet can be purchased in stationery shops, online and some pharmacies. It costs around 2 PLN.
How much do sanitary surveys cost?
If you are referred by your employer, he/she should bear the cost of the health checks. However, if you want to do it yourself, you will have to pay for it. The cost of the sanitary booklet is approximately 150-200 PLN. This price includes examinations (60-100 PLN) and a visit to the occupational doctor (50-100 PLN). In addition to this, we can add the cost of the booklet, which is approximately 2 – 5 PLN.
How long does it take to get a sanitary booklet?
It can take up to 3 weeks to produce a document confirming our health. It takes 3 days to take stool samples and it takes 1-2 weeks to receive the results. Sometimes this can be prolonged, e.g. during the holiday season. Afterwards, you need to make an appointment with an occupational physician, who is usually on hand.
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Sanitary and Epidemiological Services booklet without a referral
A referral for examination is not needed for the sanitary booklet. However, it is usually our future employer who will arrange this. It is then up to the employer to pay for the booklet.
Is the sanitary booklet valid abroad?
It is important to bear in mind that the sanitary booklet is only valid within our own country. Other countries have their own employment requirements and rules.
Loss of sanitary booklet – what to do?
If you lose your sanitary booklet within five years of its issue, it is possible to obtain a duplicate from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station. It is very important that you have the results of your laboratory tests. You will need to go to the occupational doctor’s surgery again to obtain a certificate. However, if you do not have the test results, you will unfortunately have to repeat the tests.
The sanitary booklet is an important document confirming our health so that we can take up a job in, for example, catering. Such information in the CV may be important for our employer during the recruitment process. It is worth putting it there.
If you are interested in working in catering, check out our current vacancies.
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