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 among its tasks, by establishing a common market and progressively approximating the economic policies of Member States, that of promoting throughout the Community a harmonious development 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, in Article 117 of the said Treaty, the Member States agree 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 is being maintained;
Whereas prevention of occupational accidents and 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 meet 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 their cost should be taken into account in the choice of action at Community level to be undertaken 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 the actions should be implemented in accordance with the provisions of the Treaties, including those of Article 235 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,
Whereas it is essential also to encourage the increasing participation of management and labour in the decisions and initiatives in the field of safety, hygiene and health protection at work at all levels, particularly at the level of the undertaking;
Whereas the Advisory Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work, set up by Council Decision 74/325/EEC of 27 June 1974, 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, notably in the context of the Council resolution of 17 December 1973 on industrial policy and of the Declaration of the Council of the European Communities and of the representatives of the Governments of the Member Sutes meeting in the Council of 22 November 1973 on the programme of action of the European Communities on the environment, in order to ensure the closest possible co-ordination of actions and proposals;
Whereas, in order to carry out the actions, it is important to ensure that concepts, terminology and also 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;
Accident and disease aetiology connected with work-Research
1. Establish, in collaboration with the Statistical Office of the European Communities, a common statistical methodology in order to assess with sufficient accuracy the frequency, gravity and causes of accidents at work, and also the mortality, sickness and absenteeism rates in the case of diseases connected with work.
