“Silla Law”: Regulatory provisions are published to guarantee the right to rest while standing.

In line with the entry into force of the Silla Law, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) published on June 17, 2025, in the Official Gazette of the Federation the Provisions on occupational risk factors to guarantee the right to rest during the working day for standing workers (Provisions), with the aim of establishing the requirements for employers to provide a sufficient number and type of seats or chairs with appropriate backrests for workers who carry out their activities while standing, thus reducing the risks arising from standing for prolonged periods.

The Provisions impose the following obligations on employers:

1. Conduct a risk analysis and integrate it into the occupational health and safety diagnosis or program, or into the corresponding preventive and corrective actions.
2. Record in the minutes of the health and safety committee's inspections the risks detected for each worker who remains standing during their shift, as well as the preventive measures to be applied.
3. Determine the level of risk to which each worker is exposed through the scoring procedure provided for in the Provisions.
4. Provide the most suitable type of seat or chair with backrest: high bench or coat rack type: if standing with occasional support is required; medium back high chair: to alternate postures; adjustable ergonomic chair: whether the task can be done sitting down; or footrest: if the seat height requires it.
5. Inform workers about the risks to which they are exposed and the preventive measures implemented in the workplace.
6. Mark areas where seats or chairs with backrests are located when these are different from the workplace.
7. Refer workers exposed to standing to medical attention when they experience symptoms of discomfort or impairment that may be related to their posture.

Likewise, employers must consider, among other preventive measures (technical and administrative) to avoid occupational risks, the following:

• Design or adapt workstations to allow for the incorporation of seats or chairs with backrests and free movement of limbs and torso.
• Alternate tasks that allow for a change of posture.
• Provide ergonomic footwear for standing.
• Condition the floors in the workplace to have a cushioned surface.
• Establish an active break program based on the results of the risk analysis.

Similarly, the provisions impose obligations on workers regarding the use of seats or chairs.

The Provisions enter into force from the date of their publication, however, in accordance with the Decree that reformed articles 132, 133, 422 and 423 of the Federal Labor Law, known as the "Silla Law", employers have until December 14, 2025 to adapt their internal regulations to comply with the provisions of section V of article 132 of the Federal Labor Law, so these provisions will not be enforceable until that date.

In light of the above, employers are urged to assess the risks to which workers who remain standing during their workday are exposed in order to determine what actions to take.