European directives on safety and health at work

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, published the European directives on safety and health. Article 153 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union gives the EU the authority to adopt directives in the field of safety and health at work. The OSH Framework Directive, with its wide scope of application, and further directives focusing on specific aspects of safety and health at work are the fundamentals of European safety and health legislation.

Member States are free to adopt stricter rules for the protection of workers when transposing EU directives into national law. Therefore, legislative requirements in the field of safety and health at work can vary across EU Member States.

In addition to the Framework Directive, a series of individual directives focusing on specific aspects of safety and health at work were adopted. Nevertheless, the Framework Directive continues to apply to all areas covered by the individual directives.

Find the framework directive and individual directives here.