Business and Labor approves the grant guidelines to prevent occupational risks

The Department of Enterprise and Labour has approved the regulatory bases for grants, under a competitive bidding process, for the implementation of activities in the field of occupational risk prevention in Catalonia. The regulation, Order EMT/178/2026, of September 16, signed by the Minister Miquel Sàmper i Rodríguez, was published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9755, of September 21, 2026, with the reference CVE-DOGC-A-26261001-2026. The bases enter into force the day after publication and replace those in effect since 2023.

The order deploys in Catalonia the mandate of the fifth additional provision of Law 31/1995, of November 8, on occupational risk prevention, which creates the State Foundation for the Prevention of Occupational Risks (FEPRL) to promote safety and health at work, especially in small businesses. The text is based on Order TES/237/2026, of March 10, from the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, which establishes the common bases, and is framed within the department’s Strategic Grant Plan for the 2025-2028 period, with the code PES25-28_EMT0103. Funding comes from the Social Security Professional Contingencies Fund, through targeted transfers from the Ministry to the competent bodies of the autonomous communities.

Executive competence in matters of labour and labour relations corresponds to the Generalitat under Article 170 of the Statute of Autonomy, and is exercised by the Directorate General of Labour Relations, Self-Employment, and Occupational Safety and Health. The new order repeals Order EMT/232/2023, of October 25, and Order EMT/103/2024, of May 8, which modified it.

Who can apply and which actions are funded

The following entities may be beneficiaries:

• The most representative business and trade union organizations in Catalonia, according to Article 12 of Law 31/1995.
• Representative organizations in their corresponding sectoral field.
• Foundations and other entities established by these organizations.
• Groupings without legal personality formed by the aforementioned entities.

The final recipients of the actions are employees and self-employed workers, as well as companies, with special attention to small ones, defined as those with fewer than 50 workers. Eligible activities are information, technical assistance, training, and promotion actions for compliance with preventive regulations, in addition to those approved by the strategic plan. Resources cannot fund the business preventive obligations of Articles 18 and 19 of Law 31/1995, and activities must be executed in companies and workplaces in Catalonia.

How applications are evaluated

The Evaluation Committee applies the criteria of base 19. It is chaired by the head of the general directorate competent in occupational health and safety, the secretary is the head of the Catalan Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, and up to three technicians from this institute act as members. The maximum score is 100 points, and a minimum of 30 must be obtained to qualify for the grant.

• Representativeness of the requesting organization: up to 70 points, with 70 points for the most representative trade union or business organizations and up to 40 for sectoral ones.
• Technical viability of the project: 10 points.
• Contribution to the objectives of the Spanish Strategy for Health and Safety at Work: 10 points.
• Economic viability of the project: 5 points.
• Incorporation of the gender perspective: 5 points.

Deadlines, payment and control

• Execution of activities: generally, a maximum of twelve months.
• Subcontracting: up to 50% of the amount of the subsidized activity.
• Advance payment: up to 80% of the granted subsidy without guarantees; the remaining 20% once the activity has been justified.
• Justification: within a maximum of four months from the end of execution, with a minimum justified expenditure of 50% of the project.
• Incompatibility: with other subsidies from the Department of Enterprise and Work that finance the same actions in the field of occupational risk prevention or accident rates.

The specific calls, including amounts, deadlines, and budget allocation, will be established in subsequent resolutions which will also be published in the DOGC. The regulation continues a line of grants aimed primarily at SMEs, the group where the most occupational accidents and professional diseases are concentrated, and incorporates the gender perspective as a transversal evaluation criterion.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9755, of September 21, 2026, General Provisions section, pp. 1-28 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26261001-2026).