The EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2014-2020 aims to promote high standards for working conditions within the EU and internationally. It addresses challenges like implementing OSH legislation, preventing work-related diseases, and managing demographic change. Key objectives include consolidating national OSH strategies, ensuring compliance with rules especially for small and medium enterprises, and improving enforcement. Implementation requires collaboration between stakeholders like national authorities, social partners, EU institutions, and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Progress is being monitored and the framework will be reviewed in 2016.

1. EU OSH Strategic Framework in
action – state of implementation
Maria-Teresa Moitinho de Almeida
Head of Unit EMPL B3 "Health, Safety and Hygiene at Work"
Latvian Presidency Conference on
Occupational Safety and Health
4 April 2015, Rīga 1

2. EU occupational safety and health (OSH)- key
elements
• A comprehensive body of EU legislation covering
the most significant occupational risks and
providing common definitions, structures and rules
• A series of multiannual action programmes
between 1978 and 2002, followed by European
strategies (covering 2002-06 and 2007-12)
• EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at
Work 2014-2020
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3. EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at
Work 2014-2020 (1)
• aims at ensuring that the EU continues to play a
leading role in the promotion of high standards
for working conditions both within the European
Union and internationally
• in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy, it
contributes to improving job quality and job
satisfaction, while improving the competitiveness
and productivity of European companies
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4. EU Strategic Framework 2014-2020 (2)
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Challenges:
• Implementation
of OSH legislation
• Prevention of
work-related
diseases
• Demographic
change
Key objectives:
• Consolidation of
national strategies
• Compliance with OSH
rules, MSEs
• Enforcement by
Member States
• Simplification
• Ageing, new risks,
occupational diseases
• Data collection
• International
cooperation
EU instruments:
• Legislation
• EU funds
• Social dialogue
• Communication
and information
• Synergies with
other policies

5. Implementation (1)
• Framework for action, cooperation and exchange of good
practice– implementation requires the active collaboration
of all stakeholders in particular national authorities and
social partners
• Open debate and collaboration with key stakeholders
(national authorities, social partners, EU institutions,
specialised committees – ACSH, SLIC – the European
Agency for Safety and Health at Work …)
• Stakeholders are providing feedback and putting forward
suggestions for its successful implementation
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6. Implementation (2)
Multi-annual work programmes of relevant
committees and bodies adapted (or being adapted)
in the light of the new EU OSH Strategic Framework
2014-2020:
• Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work
• Senior Labour Inspectors Committee
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
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7. Implementation (3)
At Council level:
• Greek Presidency Conference on OSH policy in future (June
2014)
• Lunch debate on psychosocial risks (June 2014)
• Lunch debated on OSH of ageing workforce (December 2014)
• Seminar on OSH in small enterprises under Italian Presidency
(December 2014)
• Council Conclusions adopted on 9 March 2015 under Latvian
presidency
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8. Implementation (4)
At Council level:
• Calls on the Member States: review national OSH
strategies; improve enforcement by providing appropriate
resources of labour inspectorates; provide support,
information and tools to enterprises; use EU funds
• Calls on the Commission: continue to promote OSH;
simplify OSH legislation taking into account results of ex-post
evaluation and REFIT; improve legislation on carcinogens,
envisage consistency between REACH an OSH legislation;
improve data collection; strengthen cooperation with EU
bodies and international organisations
• Calls on the social partners: promote prevention culture
and disseminate good practice information on OSH
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9. Implementation (5)
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee,
adopted on 11 December 2014:
• balance between high level of protection and administrative
burden on firms
• support to SMEs
• better training of – and more – labour inspectors
• more investments in OSH by firms and Member States
• improve the involvement of, and discussions and
consultation with social partners
• critical about lack of quantified OSH objectives at EU level;
recommends Member States to develop such
• improve statistics and data collection on OSH 9

10. Implementation (6)
Opinion of the Committee of Regions, adopted on 12 February
2015:
• acknowledges the importance of EU-level coordination of
OSH measures
• emphasizes the role that Local and Regional Authorities can
play in improving health and safety at work
• calls to strengthen social dialogue
• invites to develop the "culture of prevention" along with
"business culture" – quality in people determines the
quality of industrial processes and products
• questions a lack of provisions for specific legislative
measures, particularly in the area of musculoskeletal
disorders and carcinogens 10

11. Implementation (7)
European Parliament is currently working on its feedback
to the Strategic Framework
European Commission and EU-OSHA – already
addressing the three challenges, for example:
• Non-binding guides (e.g. nanomaterials)
• Online interactive Risk Assessment Tool (OiRA)
• SLIC thematic days on sanctions (Latvia) and training of
labour inspectors (Luxembourg)
• European Occupational Diseases Statistics - EODS
• Expert group on occupational diseases statistics
(OCCUSTAT)
• ACSH – Working Group OSH information systems
• EU Older workers pilot project 11

12. EU Strategic Framework on Health and
Safety at Work 2014-2020
• Monitoring, associating EU institutions and
relevant stakeholders
• Review in 2016 in light of the results of the ex-
post evaluation of the EU acquis, progress on its
implementation, review of EU2020 strategy
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13. More information available on:
EU OSH Strategic Framework 2014-2020
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=151&langId=en
Health and Safety at Work (EC)
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=148&langId=en
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14. Thank you for
your attention
&
let's keep
working
together to
improve OSH in
the EU!
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