ABSTRACT
The incorrect or inappropriate use of off-highway plant and equipment can result in serious injury, or in the extreme, fatality. Post Second World War, individual governments across continental Europe have recognised the issues of health and safety but until quite recently, had each developed their own legislation in an attempt to reduce risk of injury or ill health. Since the development of the European Union (EU), the Council of Ministers of the European Community (EC) has sought to harmonise this collection of disparate national legislation, through the introduction of EC Directives. The underlying rationale has been to equip a potentially transient workforce with consistent health and safety knowledge that ensures high safety standards are maintained as they migrate across EU member country boundaries.
