The third priority is to strengthen the link with employability. Increasing employment on a lasting basis and promoting employability are two of the main concerns of the European Employment Strategy. Measures to improve health and safety at work can provide an important contribution to our work. We know that accident prevention is crucial for individual workers and their families. But we sometimes underestimate the economic rationale.
Fewer accidents mean more work, better competitiveness, and lower social security costs.
This is insufficiently understood and articulated in policy making. The fourth priority is to focus on new risks. The labour market is changing. The transformation of the economy into a service economy, the steady increase of women in employment, the ageing of the workforce, the widescale implementation of new technologies and of new forms of organisation of work have implications for safety. The Commission will put more emphasis on determining the implications of these changes and on ensuring that these issues are addressed in future health and safety policies.