Translation of "GAH Evaluation du lieu de travail " (French → English) :

1. Welcomes the Commission's analysis of the implementation of health and safety legislation and its assessment of how the directives are being applied in the workplace and looks forward to seeing the Commission's evaluation of the application of the remaining individual directives; notes the decrease in the number of accidents at the workplace as a positive result, and that measures to protect health and safety in the workplace contribute to better working conditions and promote productivity, competitiveness and employment; regrets, however, the belated publication of the Commission's report, as the Member States" national implementat ...[+++]ion reports should already have been transmitted in 1997; calls for future evaluation reports to better assess the extent to which health and safety legislation has been complied with in practice in the Member States;

1. Welcomes the Commission’s analysis of the implementation of health and safety legislation and its assessment of how the directives are being applied in the workplace and looks forward to seeing the Commission’s evaluation of the application of the remaining individual directives; notes the decrease in the number of accidents at the workplace as a positive result and that measures to protect health and safety at the workplace contribute to better working conditions and promote productivity, competitiveness and employment; regrets, however, the belated publication of the Commission's report, as the Member States’ national implementati ...[+++]on reports should have been delivered already in 1997; calls for future evaluation reports better to assess the extent to which health and safety legislation has been complied with in practice in the Member States;

6. Underlines the vital role of the social partners, empowered under national as well as European legislation and required to engage in social dialogue in meeting the basic conditions allowing trade unions and representative bodies of workers to work properly (especially as regards information, consultation and participation, training, participation in risk assessments) and to improve the means for extending representation; points out that the culture of prevention must also be strengthened by integrating occupational health and safety issues into basic education, apprenti ...[+++]ceship programmes and further education; also calls on the Commission to stimulate social dialogue between the social partners on health and safety and calls on the Member States to stimulate social dialogue at the workplace with regard to the working environment;

13. Calls for further implementation of the acquis communautaire in the field of health and safety at work; acknowledges the extraordinarily high costs involved in implementing the acquis in this field, calls on the candidate countries, in order to improve living and working conditions, to submit to the Commission a realistic assessment of the difficulties associated with the practical implementation of the acquis in the field of health and safety at work; calls on the candidate countries to reinforce their industry inspection services, particularly in performing their task of assisting firms with the implementation of the acquis commu ...[+++]nautaire;

The Group drew on a report compiled for the Commission on "economic appraisal of European health and safety at work legislation", which analyses the current procedures and available methods for assessing the economic impact (both costs and benefits) of health and safety legislation at European, national and company level and puts forward proposals for practical impact assessment models at European and national levels, including a procedure specifically designed for European Directives.

This document must show, in particular, that the risks run by workers at the workplace have been determined and assessed, that appropriate measures have been taken and that the workplace is designed, operated and maintained in line with safety requirements.