evaluation of the european strategy on safety and health at work ...

168 EVALUATION OF THE EUREVALUATION OF THE EUROPEAN STRATEGY ON SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK 2007-2012168› Workers that have been affected by an accident or a long-term disease canreturn to work after a long absence;› The most vulnerable categories <strong>of</strong> workers (low-skilled, temporary, migrants,ageing, etc.) are less affected by occupational accidents and diseases;› Workers, and in particular women, have fewer difficulties combining <strong>the</strong>irpersonal and pr<strong>of</strong>essional life and involuntary part-time work is limited;› Workers are happier and more productive.Important aspects <strong>of</strong> Europe 2020 are <strong>the</strong> increase in <strong>the</strong> flexibility <strong>of</strong> labourmarkets and <strong>the</strong> support to job creation through targeted reductions <strong>of</strong> non-wagelabour costs, use <strong>of</strong> in-work benefits, flexible contractual arrangement and <strong>the</strong>promotion <strong>of</strong> lifelong learning. 198 While some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se issues are in line with betterOSH protection, in particular <strong>the</strong> promotion <strong>of</strong> up-skilling, o<strong>the</strong>rs, such as flexiblecontractual arrangements and <strong>the</strong> increasing recourse to temporary contracts, canhave negative impacts on <strong>the</strong> health and safety <strong>of</strong> workers. 199Administrative Burdens and Smart RegulationIn this particularly difficult economic context, which will keep framing policydevelopments <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> coming years, one issue has emerged that has importantconsequences for occupational health and safety. The reduction <strong>of</strong> administrativeburdens, in line with <strong>the</strong> objective <strong>of</strong> “smart” growth, has been highlighted in manypolicy documents as a priority to support job creation and economic growth. Inparticular, <strong>the</strong> 2007 Action Programme for reducing administrative burdens in <strong>the</strong>EU has set an objective <strong>of</strong> a 25% reduction in administrative burdens on companiesfrom existing regulation by 2012. 200At <strong>the</strong> same time, as has already been mentioned in this report, a High Level Group<strong>of</strong> independent stakeholders on administrative burdens, was constituted. This maderecommendations for reductions <strong>of</strong> administrative burdens in <strong>the</strong> area <strong>of</strong> “workingenvironment/employment relations”. In particular, referring to Article 9(1)(a) <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> Framework Directive, which lays out <strong>the</strong> obligation <strong>of</strong> employers to “be inpossession <strong>of</strong> an assessment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> risks to safety and health at work, includingthose facing groups <strong>of</strong> workers exposed to particular risks”, Recommendation 58 <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> HLG states that ”a redrafted / clarified Article 9 should give <strong>the</strong> Member States<strong>the</strong> flexibility to provide for exemptions, in <strong>the</strong> light <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> activities198 Council <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> European Union, EPSCO, Joint Employment Report, 8 March 2011.199 Milieu Ltd & OIM, Occupational Health and Safety Risks for <strong>the</strong> most VulnerableWorkers, Study for <strong>the</strong> European Parliament, IP/A/EMPL/ST/2010-03, August 2011, pp92-99.200 European Commission, Action Programme for Reducing Administrative Burdens in <strong>the</strong>European Union, COM(2007) 23 final, Brussels, 24.1.2007http://projects.cowiportal.com/ps/A019055/Documents/3 Project documents/Interim and final report/Final report October 2012/OSH <strong>evaluation</strong>report_Final_submitted14 March 2013.docx