PIP inspection in your company - what a labour inspector checks and how to prepare
In 2025, inspectors of the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) carried out 57,414 inspections - nearly 160 visits to companies on every working day. More than half of them concerned establishments employing up to 9 people, so if you think a PIP inspection is a scenario reserved for large corporations, this statistic says otherwise. An inspector may arrive without prior notice, at any time of day or night (art. 24(1) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate), and does not have to say whether the visit follows a complaint filed by one of your employees.
The good news is that an inspection can be prepared for in advance - not by cosmetising the actual state of affairs, but by putting in order the documentation and working conditions that should be in order on any ordinary day anyway. The Labour Inspectorate itself advises on its portal to check the completeness of documents before an inspection and to arrange them so that everything is at hand during the proceedings. This article shows how to do it step by step: what exactly the inspector checks, which documents are worth having ready, what legal measures the inspectorate can apply, and how high the fines are after the amendment that entered into force on 8 July 2026.
When a labour inspector may arrive at your company
A PIP inspection requires no advance warning. Art. 24(1) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate entitles inspectors to carry out inspections “without prior notice and at any time of day or night”, and the scope of an inspection covers above all the state of occupational health and safety and the legality of employment. In practice, PIP may however inform the employer in advance - by phone, in writing or by email. The manner in which the inspection is opened is decided by the inspector, taking into account the aims of the proceedings.
Before starting the proceedings, the inspector must report their presence to the inspected entity (art. 26(3) of the PIP Act) - the exception being situations where such a report could affect the outcome of the inspection, for example when the inspector is checking compliance with safety rules on the spot. At an entrepreneur’s premises the inspection is carried out after the inspector shows their official ID and a written authorisation (art. 24(3)); where circumstances justify starting the inspection immediately, the official ID alone suffices, and the authorisation must reach the inspected entity no later than within 7 days (art. 24(5)). It is worth knowing that the inspector does not need a pass and is exempt from personal searches, even if the company’s rules provide for such a requirement (art. 26(4)).
The most common trigger for an inspection remains an employee complaint. In 2025, 22,777 inspections were carried out following complaints, which accounted for 39.7% of the total - this comes from the PIP report for 2025. You do not, however, get to know whether the inspection stems from a complaint: the inspector may not disclose such information without the written consent of the person who filed it (art. 44(3) of the PIP Act). Asked directly, the inspector will refuse to answer - and there is nothing unlawful about it.
What the labour inspector checks during an inspection
The scope of the inspection is defined by art. 10(1)(1) of the PIP Act: supervision of compliance with labour law, in particular OHS provisions and rules, the employment relationship, remuneration, working time, holidays and parental rights. From the employer’s perspective this means the inspector may look into everything concerning the legal situation of the people working for you - from OHS training, through preventive medical examinations, occupational risk assessment and the provision of personal protective equipment, to the accident register and post-accident documentation.
The inspector also has extensive evidentiary powers (art. 23 of the PIP Act): free access to buildings and rooms, the right to inspect workstations, machines and technological processes, the power to demand written and oral information - not only from the employer, but also from all employees and persons who provide work on a basis other than an employment relationship - as well as access to personnel files and any documents related to the performance of work. You cannot hide behind data protection rules: the provisions of the GDPR do not limit the labour inspector’s powers to demand personnel files and employment documentation. The inspection also covers verification of whether the supervisory measures from previous inspections have been implemented - post-inspection findings, recommendations and enforcement decisions must not “disappear” into a drawer.
It is worth knowing the statistical context as well: in 2025, 59.6% of inspections were carried out in establishments employing 1 to 9 workers, and a further 23.2% in companies with 10 to 49 people. The most frequently inspected sectors are trade and repair (22.7% of inspections), manufacturing (16.6%) and construction (19.9%). This year PIP has also announced intensified supervision of work in heat, of carcinogenic factors in welding and - following the 2026 amendment - of civil-law contracts concluded in conditions characteristic of an employment relationship.
How to prepare the documentation - a pre-inspection checklist
Well-organised documentation is the cheapest form of risk reduction. Here is a list worth going through before the inspector ever knocks - each item relates to an area that regularly appears in post-inspection findings.
- OHS training - confirmations of completion of initial and periodic training for everyone employed, with refresher deadlines in line with the training regulation (groups and cycles: 1 year for particularly hazardous work, 3 years for manual workers, 5 years for employers and managers, 6 years for office workers). Our OHS training calculator will work out your nearest training deadlines.
- Initial OHS training cards - completed initial and on-the-job instruction sections, with signatures, filed in part B of the personnel files; since December 2025 the confirmation of instruction may take an electronic form.
- Preventive medical examinations - initial, periodic and follow-up certificates for employees, with a schedule of upcoming dates.
- Occupational risk assessment - assessment documentation for all workstations, with the date of the last update after technological or organisational changes.
- Personal protective equipment - issue records, declarations of conformity or certificates, evidence of laundering and maintenance; verify that the selection of PPE matches the hazards identified in the risk assessment.
- Accident register and post-accident documentation - protocols establishing the circumstances and causes of accidents, accident report cards for commuting accidents, documentation kept for 10 years.
- Measurements of harmful factors - current results of workplace environment surveys and measurements, especially where chemical agents, noise or microclimate are present.
- Employment documentation - personnel files in order, contracts in writing before admission to work, confirmed familiarisation with the work regulations and the information required by art. 207(1)1 of the Labour Code.
- Implementation of earlier supervisory measures - if the company has ever received a PIP recommendation or decision, check that all findings have been implemented and that you hold documents confirming their completion.
That last item is often overlooked, and it makes a difference: during an inspection the inspector always verifies the implementation of previous decisions and recommendations (art. 31(2)(6) of the PIP Act). Failure to act on a finding from a previous inspection usually ends with a stronger legal measure - this time an enforcement decision or referral to misdemeanour proceedings.
What penalties the labour inspector may impose
The labour inspectorate has a scale of measures: from an oral order to remove irregularities, through post-inspection recommendations, to written enforcement decisions. For OHS violations the inspector orders their removal within a set deadline (art. 11(1)(1) of the PIP Act); where a violation poses a direct threat to life or health, the inspector may halt work or activity, and such orders are immediately enforceable (art. 11(1)(2)-(4)). A written decision may be appealed to the district labour inspector within 7 days of delivery (art. 34(5) of the PIP Act).
Receiving a decision or a recommendation triggers information duties: the manner of executing a decision must be reported to PIP once the deadline set in the decision has passed (art. 35(1)), and post-inspection findings from a recommendation - within no more than 30 days (art. 36(2)). Failure to execute a decision results in administrative enforcement proceedings.
The most painful consequences, however, are the criminal ones. An overview of the most important legal bases after the amendment that entered into force on 8 July 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473) looks as follows:
| Violation | Legal basis | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to comply with OHS provisions or rules (including missing training) | art. 283(1) of the Labour Code | fine from PLN 2,000 to PLN 60,000 |
| Missing employment documentation, civil-law contract instead of an employment contract | art. 281(1) of the Labour Code | fine from PLN 2,000 to PLN 60,000 |
| Selected violations of employee rights (alimony) | art. 281(2) and art. 282(3) of the Labour Code | fine from PLN 3,000 to PLN 90,000 |
| Misdemeanour fine imposed by the inspector | art. 96(1a)(1) of the Code of Procedure in Misdemeanour Cases | fine up to PLN 5,000 |
A misdemeanour fine is not the only route: the inspector may also file a motion for punishment with a court, in which case the fine is imposed within the limits provided for the given offence - for OHS violations these are the ranges quoted above from the Labour Code. In 2025, PIP imposed 15,856 misdemeanour fines totalling PLN 22.5 million and filed 1,094 motions for punishment with the courts. It is worth noting that the 2026 amendment raised not only the ranges of court fines but also the limit on the inspector’s fine - from the previous PLN 2,000 to PLN 5,000.
During the inspection - practical rules
An inspection goes more smoothly when the company knows how to behave. First of all, you are obliged to give the inspector the conditions needed to carry out the proceedings: promptly present the requested documents, ensure that information from employees is provided on time, and make technical equipment available and - where possible - a separate room (art. 27 of the PIP Act). So designate in advance a person who will act as the inspection coordinator: someone who knows the documentation, can reach individual departments and makes sure every shared copy is logged.
Before signing the inspection protocol you have the right to raise reasoned objections to the findings - in writing, within 7 days of the protocol being presented (art. 31(4) and (5) of the PIP Act). The inspector must examine them and, where justified, amend or supplement the relevant part of the protocol. Refusing to sign the protocol achieves nothing: it does not prevent the application of legal measures (art. 31(8)), and the dispute will be resolved without your input in the content of the document anyway. If the inspection revealed no irregularities, the inspector may draw up only an official note.
Also keep in mind the novelties introduced by the reform that entered into force on 8 July 2026: the labour inspector may issue an order to remove violations concerning the operation of a civil-law contract or the failure to conclude an employment contract, where the legal relationship is dominated by features of an employment relationship within the meaning of art. 22(1) of the Labour Code (art. 11(2) of the PIP Act). Failure to comply with the order opens the way to a decision establishing the existence of an employment relationship - including the obligation to bring the employment into compliance with the law. If you therefore commission work under contracts of mandate or B2B agreements from people working under your direction, at a set time and place, reviewing that practice before an inspection is today one of the most sensible preparatory steps.
Finally, some good news for companies that are only starting out: where no direct threat to life or health and no intentional offence have been found, the inspector may refrain from applying legal measures, limiting themselves to oral instruction and a statement of the deadline for removing the irregularities (art. 37a of the PIP Act). This confirms a broader principle - the inspectorate rewards honesty and readiness to correct, not perfection from day one.
Summary
- A PIP inspection may take place without notice, at any time; preparation means organised documentation, not cosmetics.
- Complete training cards, medical examination records, risk assessments and PPE registers are the first things the inspector verifies.
- Since 8 July 2026, fines for OHS violations reach PLN 60,000 and the inspector’s misdemeanour fine PLN 5,000; new powers concerning civil-law contracts have also been added.
If you want your company to be prepared for an inspection rather than waiting for one, Lenax offers OHS outsourcing as well as initial and periodic training - we will help you organise your documentation and bring your training deadlines together in a single calendar. See our OHS outsourcing and contact us to talk about your company.
FAQ - the most common questions about PIP inspections
Does a PIP inspection have to be announced in advance? No. The inspector may carry out the inspection without prior notice, at any time of day or night (art. 24(1) of the PIP Act). The report of presence takes place before the proceedings start, but the inspector may skip it where it could affect the outcome of the inspection.
Does the inspector have to say whether the inspection follows a complaint? No. The inspector may not disclose the fact that the inspection is being conducted as a result of a complaint unless the complainant gives written consent (art. 44(3) of the PIP Act). You therefore cannot demand this information.
Which documents does the labour inspector request most often? OHS training records, preventive medical examination results, occupational risk assessments, working time records, personnel files, the accident register and documents confirming the implementation of previous PIP findings and decisions.
Do I have to sign the inspection protocol? You sign the protocol as the person representing the company, but before signing you may file reasoned objections in writing within 7 days. Refusing to sign does not block the inspector - legal measures may be applied regardless.
How high is the penalty after a PIP inspection in 2026? For OHS violations, a fine from PLN 2,000 to PLN 60,000 (art. 283(1) of the Labour Code after Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473), and a misdemeanour fine imposed by the inspector of up to PLN 5,000. For missing employment documentation or a civil-law contract instead of an employment contract, the same fine under art. 281(1) of the Labour Code applies.
Sources
- Act of 13 April 2007 on the National Labour Inspectorate - consolidated text (ELI)
- Act of 11 March 2026 amending the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate and certain other acts (ELI)
- Labour Code - consolidated text (ELI)
- Code of Procedure in Misdemeanour Cases - consolidated text (ELI)
- PIP - How to prepare for an inspection?
- PIP - Legal advice: training in occupational health and safety
- Report on the activities of the National Labour Inspectorate in 2025 (orka.sejm.gov.pl)
Legal status: September 2026. This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For individual cases, consult a lawyer or an OHS specialist.
