Transcript The Commission's Initiative on MSD Recent Developments in

Current and Future
Developments of the EU
Health and Safety Policy
EBC Closing Conference
“Improving health and safety in construction crafts and SMEs”
London, 13 November 2009
Antonio Cammarota
European Commission, DG EMPL/F4 - Luxembourg
"Health, Safety and Hygiene at Work"
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Achievements
Considerable reduction of work-related
accidents and diseases in the last 20
years in the EU
OSH
– one the most developed areas of the EU
social policy
– one of the pillars of the "European social
model"
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Challenges
Short term priority: exit from the crisis
European Economic Recovery Programme:
6% of GDP injected into EU economy in 2009-2010
3.6 trillion EUR in state aid for the financial sector
SF
ESF
EGF
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Challenges
Long term priority: post-2010 EU strategy
Financial and economic aspects to be
considered along with social aspects
Stronger focus on the social dimension of the
EU is needed
OSH has an important role to play
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The future of OSH in the EU
Main challenges for the future:
 Demographic change (ageing of the work population)
 New employment trends (increase in self-employment and
SMEs; outsourcing/subcontracting; fragmentation of
working life)
 Migrant workers
 New risk factors
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The future of OSH in the EU
To nurtur human capital we need high
OSH standards and better-quality jobs
To be promoted also at international
level (EU committed to the
implementation of the decent
work agenda)
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The current picture
Number of accidents and work accidentrelated absences in the EU still
unacceptably high:
– 5,720 fatal accidents per year in the EU-27
– 500 million days lost (EU-15)
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The current picture
Economic costs of work-related accidents
– 0.64% of GDP in 2000 (EU-15)
Cost of accidents & occupational diseases
– may range from 2.6 to 3.8% of GDP (EU-15)
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The currernt Community
strategy
Improving quality and productivity at
work: Community strategy 20072012 on health and safety at work
COM(2007) 62 final
An integrated framework for OSH policy in the EU:
We need mobilisation of all actors as a basis for the
development of a genuine OSH culture
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Mid-term review of the
Community strategy 2007-2012
Launching event: Barcelona conference
(22-23 April 2010)
Possible Communication from the
Commission in the second half of 2010
Start reflecting on a post-2012 strategic
framework
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Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you for your kind
attention
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