Who the Act applies to
The Act covers private-sector workplaces. Under s.3 it does not apply to central, provincial and local government, or to businesses excluded by ministerial regulation (currently a 2025 regulation), although those bodies must keep standards no lower than the Act's. Main contractors and subcontractors have the same duties as employers (s.23).
Employer duties
- General duty (s.6): keep the workplace and employees in safe and hygienic conditions. The employer pays the cost of compliance (s.7).
- Standards (s.8): meet the standards set by ministerial regulation, such as those for construction, scaffolding and work at height.
- Safety officers (s.13): provide safety officers, personnel or a unit, registered with DLPW.
- Informing workers (s.14): before work starts, or when work or the workplace changes, tell employees about the hazards and give every employee a work manual.
- Training (s.16): train executives, supervisors and employees, and train every employee before they start work or when their work, workplace or machinery changes in a way that may be hazardous.
- Signs and notices (ss.15 and 17): post inspectors' orders for at least 15 days, and display warning signs and the rights and duties of employers and employees.
- PPE (s.22): provide PPE that meets the standard, make sure it is worn, and stop an employee from working until they wear it.
- Assessment and plans (s.32): carry out a hazard assessment, study working-condition impacts and prepare a safety plan, and submit them to the Director-General.
Employee duties and rights
- Employees must cooperate with the employer's safety measures (s.6), follow the standards (s.8), and wear and look after the PPE provided (s.22).
- An employee who finds a defect they cannot fix must report it to a safety officer, supervisor or executive, who must notify the employer in writing without delay (s.21).
- Employees are paid in full during a work stoppage ordered by an inspector (s.39).
- An employer may not dismiss or transfer an employee for complaining, giving evidence or giving information to an inspector, the committee or a court (s.42).
Safety officers (จป.) and committees
The 2022 ministerial regulation sets five levels of safety officer, depending on the type of business (Schedules 1 to 3; construction is in Schedule 2) and the number of employees:
| Level | When it is required |
|---|---|
| Supervisory and executive | All supervisors and executives in Schedule 1 and 2 businesses with 2 or more employees, and in Schedule 3 businesses with 20 or more. |
| Technical | Schedule 2 businesses with 20 to 49 employees. |
| Advanced technical | Schedule 2 businesses with 50 to 99 employees. |
| Professional | Schedule 1 businesses (mining, petroleum, petrochemicals, refining, gas separation) with 2 or more employees, and Schedule 2 businesses with 100 or more. |
Technical, advanced technical and professional officers need at least 12 hours of further training a year. A workplace with 50 or more employees must set up a safety committee within 30 days: at least 5 members (50 to 99 employees), 7 (100 to 499) or 11 (500 or more), with equal numbers of supervisor and elected employee representatives, meeting at least monthly. All Schedule 1 businesses, and Schedule 2 businesses with 200 or more employees, also need a safety unit.
Reporting accidents
| What happened | What to do (s.34) |
|---|---|
| An employee dies | Tell a safety inspector immediately by phone, fax or other means, then report in writing with the details and cause within 7 days of the death. |
| Fire, explosion, leak or other serious incident that damages the workplace, stops production or injures anyone | Tell a safety inspector immediately, then report in writing within 7 days, covering the cause, the corrective action and how you will prevent it happening again. |
| Injury or illness covered by workers' compensation | Send the inspector a copy of the Social Security Office report within 7 days. |
Written reports use form สปร. ๕, set by a DLPW notice.
Working at height and construction
Three ministerial regulations from March 2021 cover construction work, scaffolding and shoring, and falls. The falls regulation defines work at height as work 2 metres or more above the ground or floor where a worker could fall, and requires:
- written work-at-height procedures (hazard identification, planning and controls), and a briefing for workers before work starts;
- fall-protection equipment used to the maker's specifications, or an engineer's if there are none;
- PPE such as a safety belt, lanyard or lifeline, and a helmet, with secure anchor points.
See also our working at height hub.
Penalties
| Breach | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|
| Not meeting the standards (s.8) | 1 year in prison and/or THB 400,000 (s.53) |
| Safety officers, training or assessment (ss.13, 16, 32) | 6 months and/or THB 200,000 (s.56) |
| Not informing workers, or not reporting accidents (ss.14, 34) | Fine of THB 50,000 (s.57) |
| PPE or contractor duties (ss.22, 23) | 3 months and/or THB 100,000 (s.62) |
| Not following an inspector's order | 6 months and/or THB 200,000 (s.65) |
| Restarting work an inspector has stopped, or breaking a seal | 2 years and/or THB 800,000, plus up to THB 5,000 a day (s.66) |
| Retaliating against an employee (s.42) | 6 months and/or THB 200,000 (s.68) |
Directors and managers can be personally liable for a company's offences (s.69). Some offences can be settled out of court (s.71), and some fines have become administrative fines under the Fines Act B.E. 2565 (2022).
Quick check for your site
- Safety officers at the right levels, registered with DLPW, and a safety committee if you have 50 or more employees.
- A hazard assessment and safety plan, and a work manual for every employee.
- Training records for executives, supervisors and every new or reassigned employee.
- PPE that meets the standard, and a rule that nobody works without it.
- Written work-at-height procedures and anchor points for work at 2 metres or more.
- Everyone knows to report a death or serious incident to an inspector immediately, with a written report within 7 days.
Sources
- Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Act B.E. 2554 (Thai, Royal Gazette), DLPW.
- Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Act B.E. 2554 (2011), English translation, DLPW.
- Ministerial Regulation on safety officers, personnel, units and committees B.E. 2565, DLPW.
- DLPW notice on the accident report form (สปร. ๕), 2011, DLPW.
- Ministerial Regulation on falls from height B.E. 2564, DLPW.
- Ministerial Regulation on construction work B.E. 2564, DLPW.
- Compilation of safety laws, June 2026, DLPW.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Check the current official text and your site's own procedures.
