Council Resolution of 3 June 2002 on a new Community strategy on health and safety at work (2002-2006)
Date: 2002-06-03
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU employment policy, employment policy, exchange of information, occupational health, occupational safety, social change

5.7.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 161/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 3 June 2002

on a new Community strategy on health and safety at work (2002-2006)

(2002/C 161/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

at work, the parties involved must pursue a number of
objectives, including:

Having regard to the Commission communication of 11 March
2002 on adapting to change in work and society: a new
Community strategy on health and safety at work (2002-2006),
which is one of the points included in the European Social
Agenda;

Whereas Article 137 of the Treaty establishing the European
Community has made for a substantial corpus of Community
legislation on health and safety at work;

Whereas health and safety are, without doubt, key ingredients
in employment quality, represent one of the Union's most
important social policy areas and comprise a major economic
dimension;

Whereas implementation of the legislation has not yet achieved
the expected results; the figures for accidents at work remain
high in absolute terms and have begun rising in some Member
figures in the
States and in certain sectors, while accident
candidate
the
than
countries
it is therefore important that the new
Community average;
strategy should remedy this situation;

significantly

higher

are

Whereas the European social model is based on a smoothly
operating economy, on a high level of social protection and
education and on social dialogue, which involve improving
quality of employment with particular reference to health
and safety at work;

Whereas in Barcelona on 15 and 16 March 2002 the European
Council invited the Council to examine as a matter of priority
the Commission communication on a Community health and
safety strategy,

HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION:

I

1. The Council notes the Commission's opinion that, in order
to achieve the aim of constant improvement of well-being

— reducing the number of occupational accidents and
illnesses. For this purpose, quantified objectives should
be set, which presupposes stepping up the work in
progress on harmonising statistics on accidents at
work and occupational illnesses,

— placing more emphasis on the prevention of occupa-
tional
illnesses, especially those which continue to
affect a large number of European workers, such as
those caused by the use of dangerous substances such
as asbestos, hearing loss and musculo-skeletal disorders,

— taking into account social risks such as stress and
harassment at work, as well as the risks associated
with dependence on alcohol, drugs and medicines,

— taking into consideration changes in the composition of
the labour force, due to greater numbers of women
entering the labour market, ageing of the workforce,
demographic change,
the circumstances of workers
with disabilities and ethnic and cultural diversity in the
workplace, as well as their
implications as regards
assessing and preventing risks of accidents and illnesses.
To this end, preventive measures should take more
account of
the age factor, especially with regard to
young people and ageing workers,

— taking account of changes in forms of employment,

work organisation and working time,

— taking the size of firms into account,

in particular as
regards improving access for small and medium-sized
businesses, micro-businesses or self-employed workers
to training,
information, awareness-raising and risk-
prevention schemes,

— identifying,

disseminating

good
practices which create working conditions conducive
to improving the health and safety of workers.

and implementing

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2. The Council notes that,

in order to instil a culture of
prevention and influence behaviour, knowledge of risks on
the part of
those affected must be improved through
education, awareness training and anticipation of new risks.

To this end it is necessary to:

Labour Inspectors will play a vital role in promoting the
exchange of
information and experience and organising
cooperation and mutual assistance. Hence, there must be
practical encouragement for common inspection objectives,
common principles for labour inspection and ways and
means of
inspection systems by
reference to these principles.

evaluating national

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

promote a prevention culture right from the earliest
stages of education and provide continuing voca-
tional
training, dispensed on a regular basis and
geared to everyday work;

enhance awareness among those concerned of the
need to reintegrate
into the
employment market;

disabled people

identify and analyse risks on the basis of systematic
scientific information and opinion.
collection of
Research centres
their
should also coordinate
focusing them on problem-solving
programmes,
and arranging for
to be
the research findings
reported to business;

factors

improve understanding of the human and behav-
ioural
to turn
knowledge of risks and of prevention into practical
action;

so as better

involved,

(d) (a) raise the awareness of those affected by dissemi-
nating
examples
and
showing the importance of good working conditions
for productivity, quality and performance;

information

analysing

(e)

promote the exchange of
practice between Member States;

information on good

(e) (a)

integrate health and safety at work into business
management and other activities giving rise to a
systematic approach to well-being at work.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work must
play a leading role in work on collation and dissemination
of information on good practice, awareness raising and risk
anticipation. In that connection the Council also notes that,
in the second half of 2002, the Commission will present a
communication assessing the Agency.

3. The Council agrees with the Commission that the effective
enforcement of Community law is a precondition for
improving the quality of the working environment.

This calls in particular for effective, equivalent inspection
and monitoring of the implementation of legislation in all
Member States. In this connection, the Committee of Senior

In addition,
instruments
practice,
to make
etc.)
provisions in businesses.

to prepare non-binding
it will be essential
(technical handbooks and codes of good
legal

to implement

easier

it

The Council notes that the Commission intends to:

— present legislative proposals with a view to consolidating
Community Directives and rationalising reports on their
implementation,

— draw up, in conjunction with the Advisory Committee
and the social partners, guides on how to apply
Directives, making allowance for the variety of sectors
of activity and businesses concerned.

4. The Council shares the Commission's opinion that social
dialogue is a key factor in finding new ways forward,
both in effectively implementing the legislation in force
and in addressing the risks and problems specific to the
various
the
importance of corporate social responsibility.

sectors and occupations, and emphasises

5. The Council notes the need to promote the inclusion of
health and safety at work in other Community policies. In
that connection it will be necessary to:

— improve integration of health and safety at work in the
European employment strategy, taking into account the
Barcelona European Council conclusions on simplifying
the employment guidelines, without making them any
less effective,

— improve coordination with Community rules on the
manufacture and marketing of work equipment and
chemicals,

— strengthen,

through cooperation,

links between the
Community's new strategy on health and safety and its
public health strategy,

— develop a coordinated approach with other policies
pursuing protection objectives and based on preventive
measures,
transport,
research,
environmental and civil protection policy and the
common agricultural and fisheries policies,

education,

especially

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— ensure that all current rules on health and safety at work
are observed in the performance of public procurement
contracts.

II

6. The Council recognises that enlargement is one of the main
challenges faced by the European Union, requiring steps to
ensure the enactment and effective implementation of the
Community acquis in matters of health and safety at work
by candidate countries and the adaptation of Community
structures for consultation and for collection, analysis and
dissemination of
the Advisory
Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at
the European Agency for Safety and Health at
Work,
Work (Bilbao) and the European Foundation for
the
Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin).
This calls for effective transfer of experience and know-how,
in particular by:

information,

such as

— strengthening technical assistance programmes, through

association and twinning arrangements,

— developing machinery for exchange of experience and
access
to knowledge and to Community research
findings, by integrating the candidate countries into
the institutions and bodies concerned,

— strengthening social dialogue at all

levels, particularly

within businesses,

— integrating the candidate countries into Community

work on harmonising statistics.

7. The Council notes the need to step up international coop-
eration and the Commission's intention of continuing to
cooperate
and
especially the International Labour Organisation, concen-
trating on the following issues:

actively with United Nations

agencies

— eliminating the worst forms of child labour in the world,

The Council:

1. welcomes

the Commission communication on a new
at work

Community strategy on health and safety
(2002-2006);

2. considers that the communication in question provides a
valuable framework for further effective implementation of
Article 137 at Community level;

3. shares the Commission's opinion that Community policy on
health and safety at work should have as its purpose a
constant improvement in well-being at work,
in physical,
mental and social terms;

4. stresses the need to:

— take into account changes in the world of work and
improve health and safety at work, with the estab-
lishment of a safe and healthy working environment
as one of the key ingredients in quality of employment,

— consolidate a risk-prevention culture, based on a combi-
nation of various policy instruments and on cooperation
between those involved in health and safety and others
who can influence employment quality and working
conditions, as well as by integrating health and safety
at work into strategic corporate decisions,

— show that an effective policy on health and safety at
work is a factor in competitiveness while, conversely,
lack of political intervention makes for increased costs,

— base

any possible Community instrument on an
adequate technical knowledge of both risks and risk
prevention strategies,

— promoting

improved health and safety

at work

throughout the world,

— involve all parties concerned, public authorities and
in order

social partners in carrying out the strategy,
that these objectives can be achieved;

— the

effects of dependence on alcohol, drugs and

medicines on health and safety at work.

5. calls on the Member States to:

recognises

cooperation with third
that
The Council
countries, in particular those of the Mediterranean region,
is vital for ensuring that
ASEAN, NAFTA and Mercosur,
minimum health and safety standards are met,
together
with cooperation and experience-sharing under the Trans-
atlantic Pact with the United States of America.

— develop

and

implement

coordinated,

coherent
prevention policies, geared to national conditions, with
measurable targets set
reducing
accidents at work and occupational illnesses, especially
in those sectors of activity in which rates are above
average,

in this context

for

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— ensure better implementation of the legislation in force,
through more effective inspection and
in particular
monitoring,
through making available to businesses,
especially small and medium-sized businesses, suitable
advisory and consultancy services, as well as through
improved occupational risk-prevention training and the
adoption of measures aimed specifically at reducing
accidents
in
high-risk sectors,

and occupational

at work

illnesses

— instil a real culture of prevention, by including basic
occupational
educational
curricula and further training schemes, as well as by
means of occupational health and safety awareness and
promotion campaigns;

prevention

principles

in

6. calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up
work in hand on harmonisation of statistics on accidents at
illnesses, so as to have available
work and occupational
an objective
comparable data
assessment of
the
impact
measures taken under the new Community strategy;

from which to make

and effectiveness of

the

7. calls on the Commission to:

— include in the social agenda scoreboard the measures to
be carried out in order to put the strategy into practice,
together with a schedule for implementing them,

— submit

to it, by way of

any proposal needed for

the Commission's right of
initiative,
achieving the
objectives set out in the new strategy and in particular
those needed to consolidate, simplify and rationalise the
to technical
framework and adapt
existing legal
progress,
so that existing legislation can be better
enforced,

it

— promote cooperation between the Member States and
the social partners at European level, with a view to

future

enlargement of

the Commission's

the European Union,
the
through the adaptation and rationalisation of
the
existing advisory bodies and the Bilbao Agency. The
Council welcomes
intention to
submit to it proposals for merging the two advisory
bodies into a single Advisory Committee on Health
improving the Bilbao
and Safety at Work and for
Agency's operation and tasks
the
in the light of
the Advisory Committee's
evaluation report
organising
should
opinion,
exchange of good practice and experience between
Member States,

and
tasks which

include

— incorporate in the annual summary report submitted to
the spring European Council the relevant aspects of the
strategy's implementation;

8. calls on the social partners to:

— play an active part in disseminating the basic principles
of this new strategy at European, national, regional and
individual business level,

— promote and publicise in the workplace the proper
application of occupational risk-prevention principles,
particularly through sectoral social dialogue at all levels,

— provide members of their respective organisations with
access to competent advisory services and appropriate
training in health and safety,

— cooperate with their countries' authorities on designing
and implementing Member States' national policies
concerning the sphere covered by Article 137,

— cooperate, at individual business level, in designing the
working environment in such a way as to protect the
health and safety of workers and in implementing the
relevant arrangements for the protection of workers.