What DS 44 requires from a Chilean SME in 2026: the full checklist

On 1 February 2025 Decree 44 (DS 44) of Chile's Ministry of Labour came into force: the new regulation on preventive management of occupational risks. It repealed two 1969 decrees, DS 40 and DS 54, and reorganised everything a company must do to protect its people. More than a year later, many small companies still operate with old documents. This guide summarises what DS 44 requires and the order in which to tackle it.

It applies to every company, from one worker up

The regulation does not distinguish between large and small companies for the core obligation: managing risk. What changes with size is the preventive structure and the level of detail of the management system. A company with fewer than 25 workers may use simplified instruments, but it cannot skip the risk matrix, the work programme, worker information or training.

The base documents

1. Hazard identification and risk assessment matrix (IPER). By process, task and job position, built according to the Public Health Institute guide, version 3. It must include ergonomic, psychosocial, violence and harassment, physical, chemical and biological risks, with a gender perspective, and be reviewed at least once a year.
2. Preventive work programme. Written, with measures, deadlines and owners, approved by the legal representative and communicated to all staff. It must include the training plan and health promotion activities.
3. Job-specific risk information (IRL). Replaces the old ODI or "right to know". It is specific to each role and signed before the person starts work.
4. Internal Order, Hygiene and Safety Regulations. Mandatory from 10 workers, updated to DS 44 and with the Ley Karin protocol included. Delivered with a signed receipt.
5. Risk map. A floor plan of the workplace with the official symbols, displayed on site.
6. Disaster-risk management plan. Emergencies, earthquakes, fires and evacuation, with one drill a year.
7. Records. Training, delivery of personal protective equipment, accidents and dangerous incidents, monthly statistics.

The preventive structure by headcount

| Workers | What DS 44 requires | | --- | --- | | 1 to 9 | Appointed and trained prevention officer | | 10 to 25 | Health and safety delegate elected in assembly, if there is no committee | | More than 25 | Joint Hygiene and Safety Committee registered with the Labour Directorate | | Fewer than 100 | Prevention officer (may be the employer) with 24 hours of training | | More than 100 | Prevention Department led by an expert registered with SEREMI de Salud |

The joint committee has three regular and three alternate representatives per side, with a gender-balance rule, and must meet every month with minutes.

Mandatory training

For the first time DS 44 sets a general training of eight hours every two years for all workers, with minimum contents: workplace risk factors, their health effects, preventive measures, Law 16.744 benefits, the emergency plan, signage and fire prevention. Added to that are the annual one-hour course on the use and maintenance of personal protective equipment, machinery training, and the training of committees (8 and 20 hours), delegates (8 hours) and officers (24 hours).

What fails most in inspections is not that training did not happen, but that there is no record: a signed attendance list, contents, trainer and assessment.

Where to start

If your company has never had a safety professional, the recommended order is simple:

• Diagnosis with the official inspection form, to know what is missing.
• On-site survey and IPER matrix, because every other document derives from it.
• Internal regulations, job-specific IRL and Ley Karin protocol.
• Preventive work programme with a Gantt chart and training calendar.
• Preventive structure: officer, delegate or committee as applicable.

At WYPREV we implement Decree 44 in companies across the Valparaíso Region, starting with a free diagnosis. If you prefer a quick answer, ask the site assistant what the law requires from a company of your size.