The rules regarding sending candidates or workers for preventive health examinations are regulated in more detail by the Rules on Preventive Health Examinations of Workers (https://pisrs.si/pregledPredpisa?id=PRAV641)(1). As an employer, you are legally required to send a candidate or worker for a preventive health examination, and the candidate or worker must attend the examination (2) (Articles 36 and 54 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act). Three elements are important: • You must prepare a referral for a preliminary preventive health examination ( Annex 1 of the Regulations on (https://pisrs.si/api/datoteke/integracije/32726656)preventive health examinations of workers (https://pisrs.si/api/datoteke/integracije/32726656)), with which you send a candidate who is not yet employed by you for examination (and is different from the referral for a periodic or other targeted preventive health examination - Annex 3 of the Rules on Preventive Health Examinations of Workers (https://pisrs.si/api/datoteke/integracije/32726662)), with which you send a worker who is already employed by you for examination). In the referral, state the worker's name and surname, their workplace, description of work tasks and information on occupational risks associated with their workplace (e.g. exposure to noise, chemicals, heavy physical exertion, shift and night work, etc.) and special health requirements that the worker must meet (ability to work at height, ability to distinguish colors, ability to drive and operate various machines, etc.). • Inform the worker about the date and time of the examination and provide them with information about what they need to bring with them (identity document, health card, glasses, if they use them). • If you send a worker for examination to an occupational medicine provider who is not your authorized occupational medicine provider (with whom you have a contract) or who has not also prepared a Safety Statement with a risk assessment for your company, send this to the occupational medicine provider as well. This is a key document prepared by the employer (in cooperation with professional colleagues in the field of occupational health and safety) based on an analysis of working conditions and potential risks. After the examination, you, as the employer, will receive a medical certificate on the employee's health condition, which indicates whether the employee is fit to work in a particular job. Keep this certificate in the employee's personal file, as it is part of the mandatory documentation in accordance with the regulations. In addition, it is important to regularly monitor the deadlines for the next preventive health examinations, as these are carried out at different intervals depending on the risk assessment. We advise you not to sign an employment contract with a candidate before they have been issued a medical certificate. References: 1. Rules on preventive health examinations of workers 2002. Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia 87/2002 with amendments, supplements and corrections. 2. Occupational Health and Safety Act 2011. Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia 43/2011 with amendments, supplements and corrections.

It is possible, but such an occupational health provider is not familiar with the risks and burdens of the workers in your company, so it is all the more important that you properly and accurately complete the referral and also provide him with a Safety Statement with a risk assessment. The exception is examinations of workers due to exposure to ionizing radiation, which are only performed by authorized occupational health providers (1). Reference: 1. List of authorized providers of health surveillance of workers exposed to ionizing radiation [Internet]. Available: https://www.gov.si/assets/organi-v-sestavi/URSVS/Seznami-pooblascencev/Seznam-pooblascenih-izvajalcev-medicine-dela.pdf

You are legally obliged to attend a preliminary preventive health examination (and others) pursuant to Article 54 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (2). The following elements are important: • To assess your ability to work, the occupational medicine provider needs your medical documentation or health record (Article 13 of the Rules on Preventive Health Examinations of Workers (1)). You must orally or in writing ask your chosen personal physician to perform a preventive health examination and to send the documentation to the chosen address of the occupational medicine provider. For faster processing, it is recommended that we receive your health record by the day you will perform the medical examination. • You must come to the examination fasting, you can take all the medications you normally take, if you are a diabetic, follow the instructions of your diabetologist or your chosen personal physician, and do not take medications other than as instructed. • Bring your glasses or other aids (hearing aid) if you use them for daily functioning. Reference: 1. Rules on preventive health examinations of workers 2002. Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia 87/2002 with amendments, supplements and corrections.

A doctor must protect information about a patient's health as a professional secret and must not give it to other people or the public, nor publish it in a way that would allow the disclosure of the individual to whom it relates (1). After the preventive medical examination, you will receive a notification of the examination, which will include the diagnoses and results of the tests performed, as well as recommendations. The employer will receive a medical certificate, which does not contain information about your health condition, only findings about your ability to work. Reference: 1. Medical Service Act 2006. Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia 72/2006 with amendments, supplements and corrections.

We advise you to check with your employer's HR department whether they have received a medical certificate and what this means for you. The employer has the right to refuse to employ you at any time. The employment relationship is concluded with an employment contract (1), not with the issued medical certificate. Reference: 1. Employment Relationships Act 2013. Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia 21/2013 with amendments, supplements and corrections.