European Union | European commitment to safety at work | 20 October 2021

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION pursuant to Rule 143 of the Rules of Procedure on the European commitment to safety at work

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Article 153 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

– having regard to Framework Directive 89/391/EEC,

– having regard to Rule 143 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas in Europe the number of deaths at work has fallen by 70% over the last 30 years, but unfortunately it is estimated that 3 000 people are still losing their lives in the workplace every year;

B. whereas on 28 and 29 September, 10 fatal accidents in the workplace took place in Italy;

C. whereas, in addition to the silent massacre of deaths at work, an estimated 3 million work-related accidents, of varying degrees of severity, are estimated to take place every year;

1. Urges the Commission, within the scope of its remit, to take firm action to curb accidents in the workplace, including fatal ones;

2. Calls on the Member States to provide for harsher penalties for companies that do not meet high safety standards for their employees;

3. Encourages the Commission, together with the Member States, to carry out accurate and continuous monitoring in order to align statistics on work-related deaths in the EU with the ‘Vision Zero’ approach, as set out in the Commission communication entitled ‘EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027’. Occupational safety and health in a changing world of work’ (COM (2021) 323 final).

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