WRITTEN QUESTION E-4041/03 by John Bowis (PPE-DE)and Ria Oomen-Ruijten (PPE-DE) to the Commission. The implementation of worker safety directives and protection of healthcare workers and their patients.
Date: 2004-01-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: health care profession, health risk, medical device, occupational health, occupational safety

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/901

Point 4 of the call for proposals open to the 27 partners states that ‘… special attention will be paid to
projects that promote common values, as a statement of the identity of the area, creating an awareness of
their contribution to international material and ethical progress, such as the fight against racism and
xenophobia,
intolerance, mistrust, stereotypes and prejudices; and promote activities to protect young
people and human dignity.’

(2004/C 78 E/0952)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4041/03

by John Bowis (PPE-DE)
and Ria Oomen-Ruijten (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 January 2004)

Subject: The implementation of worker safety directives and protection of healthcare workers and their

patients

It is estimated that 1 million needlestick injuries occur in Europe each year. Between 60 and 80 % of these
go unreported.

Studies show that a combination of training, safer working practices and the use of medical devices
incorporating needlestick protection technology can prevent a large number of these potentially fatal
injuries.

Every day Europe’s healthcare workers are exposed to potentially fatal blood-borne pathogens, including
hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, resulting from needlestick and other medical ‘sharps’ injuries.

Does the Commission agree that action needs to be taken in the form of the provision of specific EU
guidelines to ensure consistent implementation of effective measures to prevent needlestick and other
medical ‘sharps’ injuries across Europe?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(13 February 2004)

The Commission considers the protection of the health and safety of healthcare workers to be extremely
important.

Directive 2000/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2000 on the
protection of workers from risks related to exposure to biological agents at work (1) contains provisions
designed to prevent
these workers from the risk of becoming infected, and lays down minimum
requirements in this area.

The Directive sets out employers’ obligations in terms of risk prevention. For example, in the case of any
activity likely to involve a risk of exposure to biological agents, the nature, degree and duration of workers’
exposure must be determined in order to make it possible to assess any risk to the workers’ health or
safety and to lay down the measures to be taken. It is up to Member States to implement the provisions of
the Directive.

The objective of Council Directive 89/655/EEC of 30 November 1989 concerning the minimum safety and
health requirements for the use of work equipment by workers at work (2) is to guarantee a better standard
of safety for workers in the use of work equipment, such as medical equipment used in hospitals. The
employer must select the work equipment to be used on the basis of the specific working conditions and
the risks for workers, in order to eliminate or minimise these risks. Where it is not possible to use work
equipment which does not pose a risk to workers’ health and safety, the employer must minimise this risk.
Workers must also be provided with adequate instructions and training on the use of work equipment.

C 78 E/902

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

At Community level, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work is developing specific measures
in the healthcare sector. Various information on health and safety at work in the healthcare sector, and in
particular on the prevention of injuries from needles or other sharp instruments,
is available on the
Agency’s website (3).
Important information includes guidelines on the prevention of needle injuries,
examples of good practice, and studies and recommendations in this area, from the Member States, from
other European countries and from outside Europe.

The Commission analyses constantly the situation regarding the prevention of health and safety risks for
workers in all sectors, including the healthcare sector. Should its analysis reveal the need to develop new
Community instruments in this particular area, the Commission would not hesitate to propose the
appropriate measures.

(1) OJ L 262, 17.10.2000.
(2) OJ L 393, 30.12.1989 (as amended by Directive 95/63/EC, OJ L 335, 30.12.1995, and Directive 2001/45/EC,

OJ L 195, 19.7.2001).

(3) http://europe.osha.eu.int/good_practice/sector/healthcare/fr/indexbytopic.php

http://europe.osha.eu.int/good_practice/sector/healthcare/fr/indexbytopic11.php?id=274

(2004/C 78 E/0953)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4042/03

by Kathalijne Buitenweg (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 January 2004)

Subject: Bullying at school

Children must be able to feel safe at school. Bullying and other verbal and physical violence, both in the
classroom and elsewhere, must be controlled and prevented. With a view to this, the EU Member States
decided in 1997 to set up the project ‘Violence at Schools’.

The project was to run for two years and to involve exchanges of information and cross-border activities
and projects. A group of experts was established to advise on the activities. After two years, the Council
was to evaluate the Violence at Schools project.

1.

2.

How was the Violence at Schools project evaluated?

Is it true that there was never any follow-up to the project, and if so, why not?

3.
Is making schools safe, including controlling bullying, currently an objective of Community policy or
of any of the education programmes? Does it, for example, fall under the following objective of the
Comenius programme: developing and disseminating methods for combating educational exclusion and
school failure, promoting the integration of pupils with special educational needs, and promoting equal
opportunities in all sectors of education?

If the answer to question 3 is negative, is the Commission working on initiatives to place this topic

4.
on the European educational agenda?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(10 February 2004)

Sixteen projects were

1. and 2.
from
22 September 1997 initiating pilot activities concerning violence in school. They were in operation from
1997-1999 and had built-in internal and/or external evaluation. The expert group mentioned in the
Council conclusions was continuously informed about the progress of the projects.

the Council’s conclusions

funded in the

framework of

Six projects on violence in school emerged partly as a follow-up to projects funded in the framework of
the initiative ‘Violence at Schools’. They were funded from 1999-2001 in the framework of the Connect
initiative.