Accident at work in Poland: employer duties, 14 days, ZUS benefit
Short answer: An accident team must write a protocol within 14 days of notification. Serious, fatal and collective accidents go to the labour inspector and prosecutor. Sickness benefit after a work accident is 100% for up to 182 days.
If you are hurt at work in Poland, a fixed procedure starts. The employer must investigate, and you may get sickness benefit at a higher rate than usual. This page follows two official sources: the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) legal advice page on accidents at work, which carries no date, and the gov.pl service page on sickness benefit after an accident at work, which shows "last update 03.10.2022". Both were read on 19 October 2026. Because they are undated or older, check the current rules with ZUS before relying on any amount or deadline.
What counts as an accident at work
PIP says an event is an accident at work when it has four features at once: it is sudden, it has an external cause, it is connected with work, and it causes injury or death. Connection with work includes the usual duties or the manager's orders, tasks done for the employer even without an order, and the commute while at the employer's disposal between the workplace and the place where the duty is done. An injury does not have to lead to sick leave. PIP also counts psychological shock from stress as an injury.
The page also covers some people on civil-law contracts. A sudden event with an external cause during insurance cover can count if the person works under an agency contract, a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenie) or a service contract treated like one. Such accidents are documented in an accident card rather than a protocol.
An accident on a business trip, for example on the way to the place of assignment or at the accommodation, is treated as equal to an accident at work, unless it came from conduct unrelated to the tasks.
Types of accident
- Fatal: death within 6 months of the accident.
- Serious: for example loss of sight, hearing, speech or fertility, or other serious damage to basic body functions.
- Light: any other accident that causes temporary inability to work.
- Collective: at least 2 people injured.
What the employer must do
PIP lists the employer's duties after learning of an accident: remove or reduce the danger, make sure first aid is given, secure the place, inform the district labour inspector and the prosecutor without delay (for serious, collective and fatal accidents), set up an accident team, and make sure causes are found and preventive steps taken. The team writes an accident protocol, the employer approves it and delivers it to the injured person, and the accident goes into the register of accidents at work. PIP states that failing to notify the authorities of a fatal, serious or collective accident is an offence under article 283 of the Labour Code, with a fine of 1,000 zł to 30,000 zł.
The team has 14 days from the notification to write the protocol. A longer period needs a reason written into the protocol. The employer pays the costs of the investigation and keeps the protocol and the other documents for 10 years. The team has two members. In a small workplace, for example, it is the employer and an outside specialist.
Sickness benefit after an accident at work
According to the gov.pl service page, you can get the benefit if you have accident insurance, a doctor's sick note and inability to work caused by an accident at work or an occupational disease. The document you need is the accident protocol prepared by your employer. If your employer pays the benefit, you give them the documents. If ZUS pays, the employer files the application for you in the form of the Z-3 certificate. The page says the amount is 100% of the benefit base, the average monthly pay from the 12 months before the month you could not work, minus the social insurance contributions you pay. It lasts up to 182 days, or 270 days in pregnancy or with tuberculosis. It should be paid within 30 calendar days of filing documents, and you file within 6 months of the last day of the sick note. You can appeal to the labour and social insurance court within a month of a ZUS decision.
* Photos: cover "Plastic First-aid box" (CC0) and body "Worker Speaking of Personal Safety" (public domain), both via Wikimedia Commons.
What the sources do not say
The pages do not cover foreign workers specifically, workers posted from another country, or compensation for permanent injury. They do not say what happens if the employer refuses to investigate. Sickness amounts and deadlines can change, and the gov.pl page is from 2022. Ask ZUS, the labour inspectorate or a trade union if you are unsure. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes the accident protocol?
An accident team set up by the employer. It has two members and must write the protocol within 14 days of the notification, unless it records a reason for a delay.
How long does the employer keep the documents?
PIP says 10 years.
Does an accident on the way to work count?
PIP counts the route between the workplace and the place where a work duty is done while at the employer's disposal. It does not describe the ordinary commute from home.
