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

EVALUATION OF THE EUROPEAN STRATEGY ON SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK 2007-2012193› Follow-up is needed on <strong>the</strong> guidance to Directives. The guides have notbeen sufficiently disseminated and are too complex for SMEs. There is aneed to rethink <strong>the</strong> idea <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> guides in view <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> needs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> targetgroups and building on <strong>the</strong> expertise <strong>of</strong> EU and national actors who arespecialised in providing guidance, awareness raising and information to<strong>the</strong> end users.› The Commission should take action in <strong>the</strong> areas <strong>of</strong> preventive servicesand sub-contracting as foreseen (but not implemented) under <strong>the</strong> current<strong>strategy</strong>.› Actions to encourage Member State initiatives, e.g. exchange experience andgood practise on <strong>the</strong> reduction <strong>of</strong> administrative burden, on <strong>the</strong>implementation <strong>of</strong> national strategies, on <strong>the</strong> monitoring <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> compliancewith legislation and on awareness raising.› Several important studies on costs and benefits <strong>of</strong> OSH regulation andpractises were carried out during <strong>the</strong> period <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>strategy</strong>. These pointed t<strong>of</strong>indings that <strong>the</strong> benefits <strong>of</strong> good OSH practises outweigh <strong>the</strong> costs. Thisindicates that <strong>the</strong>re could be a good potential for <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> economicinstruments in OSH policy. There is a need to streng<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> evidence baseand, especially, to look into <strong>the</strong> potentials for economic instruments. This alsocomes forward as an obvious area for additional studies and exchange <strong>of</strong>information and experience between Member States.› Actions to research into and find innovative solutions to problems orchallenges, which all (or a majority) <strong>of</strong> Member States are facing. This couldinclude how to address <strong>the</strong> implications <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> changing susceptibility <strong>of</strong> agingworkers to injury or ill-health or how to ensure a proper level <strong>of</strong> protection formigrant groups, who have traditionally worked on <strong>the</strong> fringes <strong>of</strong> employment,<strong>of</strong>ten in more hazardous circumstances or with fewer safeguards.› Continuing <strong>the</strong> focus on awareness raising, building on <strong>the</strong> expertise <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>institutions involved at <strong>the</strong> EU and Member State levels while ensuring a mix<strong>of</strong> instruments and actions, which carry <strong>the</strong> greatest potential for reaching outto <strong>the</strong> end-recipients <strong>of</strong> this information. As part <strong>of</strong> this effort, impact studies<strong>of</strong> awareness activities could be relevant including data collection at enterpriseand sectoral level in <strong>the</strong> EU-27 in order to probe <strong>the</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> activities atwork-place level and to explore effects outside <strong>the</strong> usual circle <strong>of</strong> stakeholdersconsisting <strong>of</strong> government, workers' and employers' representatives.Recommendation 8: The Commission should consider including objectivesrelating to new and emerging risks in <strong>the</strong> new <strong>strategy</strong>, adopting an active rolein promoting and coordinating research ra<strong>the</strong>r than a passive monitoringfunction.Although ongoing risks clearly have an important place in any new <strong>strategy</strong>,attention to new or emerging risks can still be seen as important. There are goodarguments for EU action because, as illustrated by activities in <strong>the</strong> field <strong>of</strong>nanomaterials, <strong>the</strong>re is much Community added value in addressing new andhttp://projects.cowiportal.com/ps/A019055/Documents/3 Project documents/Interim and final report/Final report October 2012/OSH <strong>evaluation</strong>-report_Final_submitted 14 March2013.docx