Both in the EU and the US the rights of workers to information has been recognised. There is still work needed to put these right into practice. The participants expressed a common willingness to exchange safety and health information and approaches between the US and the EU and suggested that a working group could elaborate a list of topics as a basis for collaboration. A good knowledge and description of the concepts, coverage, classifications, etc., of each type of data-system, as well as the definition and meaning of each indicator, have to be provided with the data to insure an appropriate use. The assessment of the quality of the data at the different levels, from the enterprise to the international dissemination, is a critical point.
Various factors affect the comparability of data between countries.
These need to be taken into account. SME's represent the majority of the enterprises. Nevertheless the data is not always available from them. Therefore major attention should be paid to develop the availability of the data from the SME's. The group recommends establishing an ongoing working group to evaluate the methodological issues that hinder sharing and comparability of data and developing a model for addressing these issues.