European Social Dialogue contributes to improving the health and safety of workers across the EU

This year's World Day for Safety and Health at Work provides an opportunity to highlight the important contribution of European social dialogue to the continuous improvement of occupational safety and health (OSH) at work in the context of changing technological and environmental conditions and economic structures.

Workers in the EU rate a safe working environment for mental and physical health as the most important aspect they look for in their workplace (European Working Conditions Survey, 2024). The prevention of accidents at work and occupational diseases through bipartite and tripartite social dialogue is a key pillar of the European social model, in alignment with Article 31 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and with Principle 10 of the European Pillar of Social Rights and is delivering concrete results to protect people at work.

The Commission consults the European social partners on new legislative social policy initiatives in accordance with Article 154 of the TFEU on the range of social policy issues set out in Article 153, such as working conditions and occupational health and safety. These have included consultations on improving the protection of workers from risks related to exposure to hazardous chemical agents at work, including asbestos, and other carcinogens, as well as mutagens and reprotoxic substances.

In addition, social partners, together with governments, are fostering structural contributions based on their experience on the ground through their full involvement in the Advisory Committee on Health and Safety at Work and in the implementation of the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work adopted in 2021.

Driving health and safety improvements through bipartite social dialogue

OSH continuously ranks highly among the priorities discussed by social partners in the 44 Sectoral Social Dialogue Committees and is mentioned on the agenda of the current multi-annual work programmes in 28 sectors ranging from agriculture to woodworking.

Over the years, four OSH related framework agreements have been signed by cross-industry and sectoral social partners leading to the implementation of one of them via EU Law, namely in the case of the framework agreement on prevention from sharps injuries in the Hospital and Healthcare sector in 2009, implemented by the Council Directive 2010/32/EU of 10 May 2010. The cross industry autonomous framework agreement on work-related stress (2004) was implemented through actions in line with the practices of social partners at the national level. The framework agreement on the protection of occupational health and safety in the hairdressing sector in 2016 followed a previous sectoral agreement signed in 2012.

Social partners and the Commission outlined in 2019 a set of actions to support its implementation, with regular progress monitoring through project funding. Finally, a groundbreaking multi-sectoral autonomous agreement in 2006 on Workers' Health Protection through the Good Handling and Use of Crystalline Silica and Products containing it led to the establishment of the European Network for Silica (NEPSI) to follow up and monitor its implementation.

Social partners have also adopted joint outcomes contributing to enhancing OSH:

• The joint position in view of the Commission study supporting the assessment of different options concerning the protection of workers from exposure to hazardous medicinal products and a joint declaration on the EU-OSHA Campaign 2020-2022 Healthy Workplaces Lighten the Load in the hospitals and healthcare sector.
• The guidelines on the medical examination of fishers in the sea fisheries sector in 2021, paving the way for the harmonisation of standards for health and fitness checks across Europe and worldwide.
• The joint statement on promoting the implementation of OiRA tools for early childhood institutions and the secondary schools in the education sector.

Most recently, the multi-sectoral guidelines to prevent and tackle third-party violence and harassment related to work, updated and signed by sectoral EU social partners in Central Government Administration, Local and Regional Governments, Hospitals and healthcare, Education and HORECA on 6 May 2025, established a voluntary framework to address Third-Party Violence and Harassment. The Guidelines introduces measures to better identify the risks and inform prevention strategies at work.

The promotion of OSH through EU co-funding support

The Commission also promotes social dialogue at the EU level by providing financial support to transnational projects carried out by social partners through the two social dialogue call for proposals under the frame of the Social Prerogative and Specific Competences Lines. Many projects address specific aspects of OSH. For example:

• The NEPSI PROPAGATION project (2025-2028), following the NEPSI IN ACTION project (2022-2024), is currently implementing the provisions of the NEPSI multisectoral agreement with biannual summary reports, the last one being published in December 2024. Together with the development of e-courses, the project organises national seminars, a mapping exercise of initiatives on respirable crystalline silica prevention and a repository of the new existing technologies on dust prevention.
• Following the framework agreement on the protection of occupational health and safety in the hairdressing sector in 2016, the social partners implemented the key provisions of the agreement with the Forwarding OSH on Cosmetics in the Hairdressing Sector project (2020-2022) and the Evaluation Hair project (2023-2025). The projects were aimed at identifying and prioritising the hazardous chemical substances contained in cosmetic products by risk category and at obtaining a paradigm shift in the risk assessment methodology. These initiatives were integrated into the EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces Campaign and added to OSHwiki.
• The UnionPower4Batteries project (2024-2026) focused on the sectoral social dialogue committees dealing with the automotive industry with the aim of strengthening trade union capacity to represent workers, negotiate collective agreements, and monitor OSH standards. The project delivered a mapping report of the European battery industry, online training for social partners, and national workshops also tackling OSH-related aspects.
• The SODISEES project (2023-2025) produced among its outcomes a communication toolkit tackling health and safety in mining among other issues.
• ADAPTHEAT (2022-2024) investigated the role of industrial relations and collective bargaining in addressing the prevention of heat hazards at the workplace caused by climate change. Social partners issued a leaflet including cross-industry preventive and protective measures against heat stress, occupational exposure limit values as well as conclusions accompanied by a set of 12 practical recommendations.
• SCAFFOLD (2022-2024) stood out for its targeted focus on the scaffolding industry and emphasised OSH among the important factors to enhance working conditions.
• VHAW at Work (2022-2024) explored the critical issue of gender-based violence and harassment at workplace. Cross-industry research led to the preparation of a comprehensive trade union guide, designed to raise awareness, provide actionable strategies and request gender-sensitive occupational safety and health risk assessments, as well as the inclusion of preventive and supportive measures in collective agreements.
• FlexWorkConditions (2022-2024) was designed to train and inform EU cross-sectoral workers' representatives regarding the challenges and opportunities associated with flexible work arrangements, with particular attention given to gender equality and OSH. The project issued the best practice guide "Working Anywhere, anytime".

Towards the future

Bringing together representatives of workers and employers under the European social dialogue provides the opportunity to negotiate and adopt joint measures to continuously enhance the health and safety of workers in the context of changing technological, socio-economic, geopolitical and environmental conditions, thereby ensuring that every worker in the EU benefits from a safe and healthy working environment.

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