No C 88/4 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities 26. 7.74 
7. The  second  point  is unemployment  benefits. 
The conditions  and restrictions  governing  the granting 
of unemployment  benefits  outside  the  Member 
States  in which  entitlement  has been  acquired  might 
be regarded  as rather  severe.  To be eligible  for unem-
ployment  benefits  the person  concerned  must  remain 
available  for work  during  at least  four  weeks  in the 
State  where  entitlement  has been  acquired,  and  such 
benefit  is paid  for a maximum  period  of three  months. 
The Committee  trusts  that  the  Commission  will 
submit  new  proposals  to the Council  after  consulta-
tion of workers'  and  employers'  representatives. 
8. The  third  matter  concerns  fixing  the amount  of 
pension. 
Under  Article  46 (3) of Regulation  (EEC)  No 1408/71, 
benefits  are reduced  wherever  the total  amount  of the benefits  due to the worker  is higher  than  the theoreti-
cal highest  pension  (as defined  in Article  46 (1)). 
This  rule  seems  illogical,  particularly  in a contributory 
insurance  system.  It is inconsistent  with  the line  taken 
by the Community  Court  of Justice. 
The Committee  feels  that there  must  be an immediate 
change  in the rule  in question  in order  to eliminate 
the considerable  damage  which  it causes  to the 
interest  of Community  workers. 
Done  at Brussels,  28 March  1974. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic  and.  Social  Committee 
Alfons  LAPPAS 
CONSULTATION  OF THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
on a draft  Council  Decision  on the setting  up of a General  Committee  on Safety  at Work 
and on a draft  Council  Decision  to confer  on the Mines  Safety  and Health  Commission 
the task  of continuing  its preventive  action  in the field  of safety  at work  in the whole 
range  of extractive  industries 
A. REQUEST  FOR  AN  OPINION 
On 14 December  1973,  the Council  decided  to exercise  its option  of consulting  the Econo-
mic and Social  Committee  on the above  draft  Decisions. 
The request  for an Opinion  was  sent  by the President  of the Council  to the Chairman 
of the Economic  and  Social  Committee  on 20 December  1973. 
B. TEXT  WHICH  WAS  THE  SUBJECT  OF THE  CONSULTATION 
The text  which  was  the subject  of the consultation  was  published  in the Official  Journal 
of the European  Communities  No C 35 of 28 March  1974,  pages  1 to 4. 
C. OPINION  OF THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
At its 118th  plenary  session  held  in Brussels  on 26,27  and 28 February  1974,  the Committee 
adopted  its Opinion  on the text  referred  to under  B by a unanimous  vote  of all members 
present  or represented. 
The text  of the Opinion  is as follows: 
26. 7. 74 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities No C 88/5 
THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE, 
Having  regard  to the Council  Decision  of 20 Decem-
ber 1973  requesting  the Economic  and  Social  Com-
mittee  to deliver  an Opinion  on a 'draft  Council 
Decision  on the  setting  up of a General  Committee 
on Safety  at Work'  and  on a 'draft  Council  Decision 
to confer  on the Alines  Safety  and Health  Commission 
the task  of continuing  its preventive  action  in the field 
of safety  at work  in the  whole  range  of extractive 
industries'; 
Having  regard  to the decision  taken  by the Chairman 
of the Committee  on 7 January  1974; 
Having  regard  to Article  198 of the Treaty  establishing 
the European  Economic  Community; 
Having  regard  to the Opinion  delivered  by the Section 
for Social  Questions  at its meeting  on 14 February 
1974; 
Having  regard  to the  oral  report  submitted  by the 
rapporteur,  Mr Bornard; 
Having  regard  to its discussion  at its 118th  plenary 
session  held  on 26, 27 and  28 February  1974; 
Considering  the  overall  frequency  of industrial 
accidents  in the  Community,  in particular  in the 
building  trade  and  in industries  using  or producing 
highly  toxic  substances; 
Considering  the need  to improve  working  conditions, 
especially  where  laborious  and  unhealthy  work  is 
involved; 
Considering  the urgent  need  to coordinate  efforts  in 
this field  at Community  level  in order  to improve 
prevention,  enhance  safety  and  harmonize  existing 
legislation; 
Considering  the experience  gained  in this  field  in the 
ECSC,  through  the  Mines  Safety  and  Health  Com-
mission  and  the  Steel  Industry  Safety  and  Health 
Commission, 
HAS  ADOPTED  THE  FOLLOWING  OPINION: 
I. GENERAL  COMMENTS 
The Commission  and  the Section  for Social  Questions 
have  on several  occasions  studied  industrial  safety 
questions,  both  in  connection  with  the  annual examination  of the social  situation  in the Community 
and in considering  the  preliminary  guidelines  for a 
Community  social  policy  programme. 
Furthermore,  at its plenary  session  in November  1973, 
the Economic  and Social  Committee  decided  to entrust 
the Section  with  the preparation  of a detailed  study 
on the matter  for the purpose  of working  out general 
guidelines  for a Community  policy. 
The large  number  of industrial  accidents  still  occuring 
makes  it essential  to lay down  common  standards  of 
hygiene  and  safety  at work  without  delay.  The  adop-
tion of limits  for  health  hazards  at work  and  the 
introduction  of a common  reference  system  for 
industrial  medicine  will  also  help  in achieving  this 
vitally  important  harmonization. 
Here  the  Committee  emphasizes  that  hygiene  and 
safety  are among  the most  important  aspects  of the 
general  improvement  of working  conditions.  It is 
essential  to give  consideration  not only  to preventive 
measures  and  to ways  of improving  safety  but  also 
to supervision  to ensure  that  the standards  in force 
are adhered  to. 
In this  connection  the problem  of the  comparability 
of statistics  on preventive  measures  and  their  results 
should  not be forgotten. 
The Committee  underlines  the  effective  work  done 
for many  years  now  by the Mines  Safety  and  Health 
Commission  and  the Steel  Industry  Safety  and Health 
Commission  set up under  the ECSC  Treaty. 
The Committee  therefore  cannot  but  support  the 
proposal  that  the  Mines  Safety  and  Health  Com-
mission  be assigned  the task  of continuing  its preven-
tive action  in the field  of safety  at work  in the whole 
range  of extractive  industries. 
The Committee  also  welcomes  the  Commission 
proposal  for the setting  up of a General  Committee 
on Safety  at Work  which  would  have  the task,  as it 
were,  of centralizing  information  on prevention  as 
well as coordinating  Community  activities  in this 
area and  the exchange  of data.  The  Section  believes, 
however,  that  it is essential  to rationalize  these 
activities  and  avoid  a proliferation  of parallel  bodies, 
while  at the same  time  taking  account  of the problems 
No C 88/6 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities 26. 7. 74 
of the various  sectors  and  in particular  ensuring  that 
the Steel  Industry  Safety  and  Health  Commission  is 
maintained. 
II. SPECIFIC  COMMENTS 
1. Draft  Council  Decision  on the  setting  up of a 
General  Committee  on Safety  at Work 
The Committee  feels  that  the expression  'acceptable 
features  of jobs  and  of the working  environment'  in 
the first  indent  of Article  3 (d) should  be clarified.  For 
the Committee,  the features  would  be acceptable  when 
the risks  involved  in jobs  have  been  analysed  in 
advance,  with  satisfactory  results. 
Furthermore,  point  (d) should  be completed  with  a 
new indent  on improvement  of the means  of inspection 
at the disposal  of the national  administrations. 
As regards  the second  subparagraph  of Article  3 (e), 
the Committee  thinks  that  the activities  of the General 
Committee  on Safety  at Work  should  be made  more 
effective  by laying  down  that  the  Commission  is 
obliged  where  necessary  to make  concrete  proposals 
on the  basis  of the  conclusions  in the  Committee's 
annual  report. 
The Committee  also  requests  that  this  annual  report 
be sent  to the Economic  and  Social  Committee. As regards  Article  4, the Committee  requests  that  the 
three  parties  concerned,  viz.  governments,  employers 
and workers,  should  be equally  represented. 
Article  5 makes  a curious  distinction  between  the 
members  of the  general  committee  appointed  on 
proposals  from  the  governments  and  the  members 
proposed  by employers'  and  workers'  organizations. 
The Committee  asks  that  the employers'  and  workers' 
organizations  be allowed  to appoint  representatives 
according  to their  own  specific  criteria. 
The Committee  is of the opinion  that  Article  10 is not 
sufficiently  clear  on the status  of the technical  advisers 
in relation  to that  of deputies. 
2. Draft  Council  Decision  to confer  on the  Mines 
Safety  and  Health  Commission  the  task  of con-
tinuing  its preventive  action  in the  field  of safety 
at work  in the whole  range  of extractive  industries 
The Committee  approves  this  proposal  but  requests 
that prospecting  for,  and  extraction  of, oil and  gas 
should  not  be excluded  from  this  body's  sphere  of 
competence. 
Done  at Brussels,  28 February  1974 
The Chairman 
of the Economic  and  Social  Committee 
Alfons  LAPPAS 
CONSULTATION  OF  THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
on a proposal  for a Council  Directive  on the approximation  of the  laws  of Member 
States  concerning  the  application  of the  principle  of equal  pay  for  men  and  women 
contained  in Article  119  of the EEC  Treaty 
A. REQUEST  FOR  AN  OPINION 
On 28 November  1973,  the  Council  decided  to exercise  its option  of consulting  the 
Economic  and  Social  Committee  on the above  proposal  for a Directive. 
The request  for an Opinion  was  sent  by the President  of the Council  to the Chairman 
of the Economic  and  Social  Committee  on 30 November  1973.