ABSTRACT
Having regard to the Treaties establishing the European Communities, Having regard to the draft resolution submitted by the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament, Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee, Whereas the Council resolution of 21 January 1974 concerning a social
action programme provides for the establishment of an action programme on safety and health at work;
Whereas, under Article 2 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, the Community shall have in particular as its task, by establishing a common market and progressively approximating the economic policies of Member States, that of promoting throughout the Community a harmonious developing of economic activities, a continuous and balanced expansion and an accelerated raising of the standard of living;
Whereas, at the Conference held in Paris in October 1972, the Heads of State or of Government affirmed that the first aim of economic expansion, which is not an end in itself, should be to enable disparities in living conditions to be reduced and that it should result in an improvement in the quality of life as well as in standards of living;
Whereas, moreover, under Article 117 of the said Treaty the Member States agreed upon the need to promote improved working conditions and an improved standard of living for workers, so as to make possible their harmonization while the improvement was being maintained;
Whereas prevention of accidents at work and occupational diseases and also occupational hygiene fall within the fields and objectives referred to in Article 118 of the said Treaty; whereas in this context collaboration should be strengthened between the Member States and the Commission and between the Member States themselves;
Whereas suitable health protection for the public and effective prevention of accidents at work and occupational diseases would be in conformity with these general objectives;
Whereas, in spite of sustained efforts, the continuing high level of accidents at work and of occupational diseases remains a serious problem;
Whereas efforts made in the field of accident prevention and health protection at the work place have beneficial effects which are reflected in the economic sphere and in industrial relations;
Whereas a considerable effort is needed at Community level to search for and implement suitable means for maintaining or creating a working environment tailored to the needs of man and his legitimate aspirations;
Whereas both the effectiveness of the measures and the cost of implementing them should be taken into account in the choice of action to be undertaken at Community level and of the measures to be taken to implement it;
Whereas the improvement of working conditions and the working environment must be envisaged in overall terms and must concern all sectors of the economy;
Whereas it is also essential to encourage the increasing participation of management and labour, at all levels and particularly at the level of the undertaking, in decisions and initiatives in the field of safety, hygiene and health protection at work;
Whereas the Advisory Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work, set up by Decision 74/325/EEC, must be closely associated with this work;
Whereas the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions and the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training may have a role to play in the implementation of certain aspects of the programme;
Whereas, in implementing the actions, account must be taken of work undertaken in other fields, especially in the context of the Council resolution of 17 December 1973 on industrial policy and of the Declaration of 22 November 1973 and resolutions of 17 May 1977 and of 7 February 1983 of the Council of the European Communities and of the representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, concerning a European Community action programme on the environment, in order to ensure the closest possible co-ordination of actions and proposals;
Whereas, in order to carry out the actions successfully, it is important to ensure that concepts, terminology and methods of identification, measurement and assessment relating to safety and health risks are harmonized; whereas such a task is of major importance in the context of these actions;
I. PROTECTION AGAINST DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES
1. Continue with the establishment of Community provisions based on Council Directive 80/1107/EEC of 27 November 1980 on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents at work(6),
2. Establish common methodologies for the assessment of the health risks of physical, chemical and biological agents present at the work place.
