The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) is examining safety and health issues in micro and small enterprises (MSEs) which make up half the European Union's workforce. MSEs often struggle with occupational safety and health management due to limited resources and expertise. EU-OSHA aims to improve safety and health in MSEs by providing evidence-based policy recommendations and sharing best practices. Risk assessment is a key part of good safety management but many MSEs do not conduct proper assessments. EU-OSHA's online risk assessment tools make the process easy and can help MSEs better manage workplace risks.

1. The European Agency for Safety and Health atWork
(EU-OSHA) is looking into safety and health in
Europe’s micro and small enterprises (MSEs).1
MSEs
are the foundation of the EU economy and employ
around half of its workforce. However, the safety
and health of workers in MSEs are not always well
protected. Owners and managers in MSEs can find
occupational safety and health (OSH) management
challenging because of a lack of resources or
know-how. More needs to be done to recognise the
specific OSH challenges faced by these companies
and to identify practical solutions.
Working for safer,
healthier and
more successful
small businesses
Micro and small enterprises & OSH
©SHUTTERSTOCK/ThomasAndreas

2. EU-OSHA aims to improve workplace safety and health
in MSEs by providing support for evidence-based policy
recommendations and sharing good practices.
Why risk assessment is key for micro and small enterprises
Ultimately, the aim of this work is to find ways to help MSEs improve their management of workplace risks
to safety and health.The cornerstone of good OSH management is risk assessment — and it’s also a legal
requirement throughout Europe. Risk assessment means identifying workplace hazards and establishing a
preventive action plan. Many MSEs fail to carry out proper risk assessments, but the good news is that help is
available. EU-OSHA’s Online interactive Risk Assessment (OiRA) tools are free, tailored to specific sectors and
multilingual (https://oiraproject.eu).They guide the user step by step through a risk assessment, making the
process easy even for those with no experience of OSH management.
More information on safety and health in MSEs
1
Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) are companies with fewer than 10 and 50 employees, respectively.
Gaining a deeper insight into OSH in smaller enterprises
EU-OSHA has launched a wide-ranging project that seeks to identify effective policies, strategies and practical
approaches to OSH management specifically in MSEs. Its goals are to:
• provide evidence-based support for policy-makers;
• identify good practices and encourage the development of practical tools;
• increase knowledge about the factors that determine good OSH in MSEs.
The project assesses the state of OSH in MSEs, taking the views of managers and workers into account. It identifies
good practices and explores the role of OSH intermediaries, presenting a thorough analysis of the results
alongside evidence-based support for policy recommendations.
http://osha.europa.eu
©European Agency for Safety and Health atWork, 2017
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
For reproduction or use of the cover picture, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holder.
Print:ISBN978-92-9496-400-7,doi:10.2802/920782,TE-04-17-608-EN-D·PDF:ISBN978-92-9496-399-4,doi:10.2802/800342,TE-04-17-608-EN-N