Resolution on the need to reduce work-related fatalities
The European Parliament adopted by 395 votes to 12, with 41 abstentions, a resolution on the need to reduce work-related fatalities.
Parliament called for the 8th of August to be designated as the European Day in Remembrance of the Victims of Accidents at Work and for the Protection and Dignity of Workers, with a view to reinforcing the EU’s ‘Vision Zero’ approach through stronger prevention, safer working conditions, awareness-raising, social dialogue and better enforcement of existing legislation, as well as by advancing EU action to address psychosocial risks, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and occupational health risks linked to extreme weather events in all sectors and in companies of all sizes.
Achieving the objective of zero work-related fatalities requires strong cooperation between Member States, employers, social partners, labour inspectorates, research institutions and EU agencies. In this regard, Parliament called for enhanced exchange of best practice, data and prevention methodologies with the support of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).
The Commission and the Member States are called on to:
- assess and address the occupational safety and health risks associated with AI and algorithmic management systems, including work intensification, psychosocial strain, undue surveillance and the blurring of working time boundaries;
- recognise and address the emerging risks of fatalities and serious accidents linked to new forms of employment, including platform work and algorithmically managed work;
- comprehensively assess and anticipate the occupational safety and health risks stemming from climate-related factors, including heat stress, extreme weather events, air pollution, increased exposure to hazardous substances during renovation and infrastructure modernisation projects, and the emergence of new biological hazards;
- strengthen preventive, protective and adaptive workplace measures in order to reduce work-related accidents, occupational diseases and fatalities;
- raise awareness among employers and workers of their responsibility to ensure their own safety and that of others, to promote first aid training to all employees;
- ensure that responsibility for compliance with occupational safety and health legislation is clearly anchored at management level and broadly embedded within the organisation, including through effective prevention plans and worker participation;
- strengthen the enforcement of occupational safety and health legislation, including by ensuring adequate resources for labour inspectorates, improving cross-border cooperation and ensuring effective compliance;
- assess whether the current occupational safety and health acquis sufficiently guarantees the effective implementation of minimum safety and health requirements throughout subcontracting chains and to propose legislative action where gaps are identified;
- strengthen EU guidance on support for victims of occupational accidents and diseases and their families;
- ensure that all workers effectively benefit from occupational safety and health protection in line with national systems and practices, including platform workers, third-country nationals, and domestic workers employed in private households.