Occupational safety International framework and country guides
Are pre-employment and periodic medical examinations required for workers in Azerbaijan?
Part of: Occupational safety and health in Azerbaijan: law, authorities and employer duties
Short answer
Yes, for heavy, harmful and hazardous work. Labour Code Art. 226 requires a pre-employment examination and then periodic compulsory examinations at the employer's expense; staff of hazard-potential facilities must be examined at least once a year.
Yes, for heavy, harmful and hazardous work. Article 226 of the Labour Code requires employers to ensure, at their own expense, a pre-employment medical examination when the employment contract is concluded and periodic compulsory examinations afterwards. Workers of hazard-potential facilities must also be examined at least once a year under the Law on Technical Safety.
Short answer
- Who: workers in heavy, harmful and hazardous production (Art. 226.1) and the jobs on the government list of 2000; food, catering, health and trade workers for public health reasons.
- When: at hiring, then periodically; hazard-potential facility staff at least once a year.
- Who pays: the employer.
- Refusal: a worker who avoids the examination or ignores the medical commission's recommendations can be removed from work and disciplined (Art. 226.2).
- Results: a worker who needs lighter work on medical advice must be transferred, with consent (Art. 231).
- No certificate, no hiring: since 19 May 2026 the Code expressly forbids hiring into these jobs without the medical certificate (Art. 48.5-3), and a contract found to have been concluded without it ends (Art. 74.1(ğ)).
Which jobs need a medical certificate
Labour Code Art. 48.5 requires the worker to present a medical certificate when the contract is concluded for these jobs, and Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 1 of 3 January 2000 approved the list of jobs concerned. It replaced the 1998 list (Decision No. 107), which is repealed. Examples from the list:
| Group on the list | Typical jobs |
|---|---|
| Work at height and lifting equipment | Scaffolders, crane and hoist operators |
| Oil and gas industry, including offshore drilling | Drilling crews, production operators |
| Underground work | Miners, tunnel workers |
| Explosives, explosion and fire hazardous production areas | Shot-firers, refinery and tank farm operators |
| Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy with harmful exposures | Furnace and casting workers |
| Machine tools and presses | Turners, millers, press operators |
| Transport | Drivers and others directly linked to traffic |
| Ionising and electromagnetic radiation | Radiology and laboratory staff |
| Chemical industry, contact with toxic substances | Process operators |
| Pressure vessels, boiler houses, gas control | Boiler operators, gas service staff |
| Electrical installations of 127 V and above | Staff who operate or work on them |
The list also covers remote and harsh-climate work, forestry, agricultural pesticide application, armed security, rescue and fire services and, for public health reasons, food, catering, trade, education, child care, health, pharmacy and personal service workers, as well as computer operators and programmers.
How often periodic examinations are needed
The Labour Code says only that examinations are repeated periodically (vaxtaşırı); it does not set one interval for all jobs. For hazard-potential facilities (oil and gas, chemicals, mining, lifting and pressure equipment and others in Annex 1 of the Law on Technical Safety) the interval is at least once a year (Art. 10). For other harmful jobs we found no single national schedule of intervals in the Code or the 2000 list, so agree the interval and content with the health institution that performs the examinations and record the basis.
Narcological examinations. Law No. 394-VIIQD of 27 April 2026 (in force 19 May 2026) added Art. 226.1-1: for professions and posts closed to people with narcological disorders, the employer must pay for a preliminary examination at hiring, periodic examinations afterwards, and an immediate, justified examination when there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a worker is under the influence of a psychoactive substance at work. The examination is done by a state narcological institution under the Law on Narcological Service and Control, and the examination procedure for such professions and high-hazard activities is in Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 18 of 8 February 2003.
Example: An offshore drilling contractor hires a new derrickman. The derrickman needs a medical certificate before the contract is signed (oil and gas work and work at height are on the 2000 list). Because the platform is a hazard-potential facility, the contractor schedules a medical examination and attestation at least once a year. If the examining doctors recommend that the worker no longer works at height, the employer must offer a suitable lighter job with the worker's consent.
Common mistakes
- Charging workers for compulsory examinations: the employer pays.
- Letting a worker start before the certificate arrives: since May 2026 this is an express prohibition (Art. 48.5-3).
- Keeping no follow-up when a medical commission restricts a worker's duties.
Related on excodex
- Occupational safety and health in Azerbaijan: law, authorities and employer duties
- Safety professional and physician requirements in Azerbaijan
- OSH training requirements in Azerbaijan
Standards and further reading
- Labour Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Arts. 48, 226 and 231: https://e-qanun.az/framework/46943
- Law No. 394-VIIQD of 27 April 2026 (Arts. 48.5-2, 48.5-3, 74.1(ğ) and 226.1-1): https://e-qanun.az/framework/61866
- Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 18 of 8 February 2003, narcological examination procedure: https://e-qanun.az/framework/2001
- Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 1 of 3 January 2000, list of jobs requiring a medical certificate: https://e-qanun.az/framework/309
- Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 107 of 5 May 1998 (repealed): https://e-qanun.az/framework/3718
- Law on Technical Safety No. 733-IQ, Art. 10: https://e-qanun.az/framework/21
This article is general occupational safety and health information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable legislation, standards, manufacturers' instructions or the assessment of a competent OSH professional or occupational physician.
More questions on this topic
- What is the main occupational safety and health law in Azerbaijan and who enforces it?
- Must an employer in Azerbaijan appoint a safety professional or an occupational physician?
- Is a written risk assessment mandatory in Azerbaijan, and how often must it be reviewed?
- How and within what time must a workplace accident be reported in Azerbaijan?
- What OSH training must employers provide to workers in Azerbaijan?
- What are the penalties for breaking occupational safety rules in Azerbaijan?
- Is a safety committee or a worker safety representative required in Azerbaijan?
- How are explosive atmospheres and Ex equipment regulated in Azerbaijan?
Part of: Occupational safety and health in Azerbaijan: law, authorities and employer duties