Employee participation in health and safety declines

This comparative study is based on in-depth interviews with management and employee representatives from 143 companies of different sizes and from different sectors in seven EU Member States (Belgium, Estonia, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK). The results provide the most complete picture to date of how workers' interests in occupational safety and health are represented in workplaces across Europe.

Employee-centered representation necessary

Christa Sedlatschek, Director of EU-OSHA, emphasizes: "Despite different framework conditions in the various Member States, one fact is certain: a strong commitment by employers to participatory procedures in the field of occupational safety and health, supportive employee organizations within or outside the company and well-trained, fully informed employee representatives are crucial for the effective representation of employees."

Examples of such employee-centered representation were found in all the countries surveyed, particularly in companies in Sweden and to a lesser extent in Belgium and the Netherlands. However, even in these countries, highly effective practices of employee involvement in health and safety management were found in only a few of the companies surveyed. This suggests that good employee representation is far from the norm.

Laws are too non-binding

All employees in the EU are entitled to representation in matters of health and safety at work. So why does company practice seem to deviate from the legal requirements? The answer to this is complex, but it is at least partly due to the existing legal provisions on employee representation in the area of occupational safety and health. Many of these provisions are enabling rather than mandatory, and regulatory inspectors have been shown to rarely insist on the establishment of employee representation in workplaces.

The findings also revealed an increase across Europe in management systems to promote health and safety at work where responsibility for health and safety management is delegated to a manager or specialist. While some good practice was identified, there were many examples of less effective employee representation in such cases, as employee representatives felt they had less autonomy and instead acted as the 'eyes and ears' of safety managers.

Numerous contextual factors affect the practice of employee representation, including the nature of national legal requirements, company size and sector, existing collective bargaining arrangements and wider social and economic circumstances. In Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands, where trade unions and other employee organizations continue to have a strong presence, there were more workplaces with effective employee representation practices. In Sweden, for example, the fulfillment of legal obligations is monitored by inspectors who are in regular contact with employee representatives. In Greece and Spain, where the recent economic downturn has had a particularly detrimental impact, there is evidence of a decrease in resources allocated to occupational safety and health, and employee representation is perceived to be a low priority at best.

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Text: EU-OSHA