Health and safety at work

The need to improve working conditions is a collective concern, prompted by both humanitarian and economic considerations. 

Create more jobs and of better quality: this is one of the main objectives of the EU social policy. A safe and healthy working environment is an essential element of the quality of work. 

Health and Safety at work represents today one of the most important advanced fields of the social policy of the European Union. The EU action in health and safety at work has its legal basis in Article 137 of the EU Treaty. The improvement of health and safety of the workers already started from 1952 under the European Coal and Steel Community. Since then a solid corpus of legislation has been adopted covering the maximum number of risks with the minimum number of regulations. 

But Community action is not limited to legislation. The Commission has widened the scope of its activities, in cooperation with the European Agency for health and safety at work and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, in favour of information, guidance and promotion of a healthy working environment by paying particular attention to small and medium-size enterprises. 

The Commission communication "Improving quality and productivity at work: Community strategy 2007-2012 on health and safety at work" outlines the options for further action to make workplaces across Europe safer and healthier.

Actions in the field of health and safety at work are supported by the PROGRESS programme (2007-2013).