The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Improving health and safety at work has been an important issue for the EU since the 1980s. When the Lisbon Treaty entered into force, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union became legally binding, making health and safety policy an even more important area of EU legislation. In this blog, we will discuss EU ergonomics and health and safety requirements, key legislation and Guidelines to be followed in the European Union.
There is no specific ergonomic regulation that covers workplace ergonomics across the EU. Instead, EU Directive 89/391, the OSH ‘Framework Directive” sets out the requirements for member states to put in place a structure for assessing and monitoring workplace health and safety with the ultimate aim to reduce injuries and illnesses at work for the benefit of employees.
Under Article 5, General Provision of the Directive, the employer has the responsibility to;
All member states of the EU are to abide by the EU Directive 89/391
The framework directive provides clarity on several things, such as:
Under Article 5, General Provision of the Directive, the employer has the responsibility to.
Under Article 9, Various obligations on employers, the employer shall also
The reported data help the relevant authorities to identify persons and industries at risk, as well as to identify new and emerging ones to prevent future incidents.
Updated information on staying COVID safe is available off the website, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, an agency of the European Union. Useful information that you can find here are as below:
Some of the key action as below:
Keeping updated with legal updates is as important as having to comply with them. It is a chargeable offence to be non-compliant which can result with penalty along with jail term depending on the severity of the event.
How can Fit for Work help?
To learn more about setting up or managing an ergonomics programme that supports staff working from home or in the office or support with staying legally compliant, you can reach out to Fit for Work. For more information on our Ergonomics Self-Assessment and Education Tool, contact us.
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