Health and safety at work

As an employer, you must ensure the health and safety of your employees in every aspect related to work. This means you must assess all the risks your workers may be exposed to and put in place the necessary preventive, and protective measures. This includes providing workers with adequate information and training on health and safety and organising the necessary resources to ensure a safe working environment.

You must also designate one or more trained staff members to carry out activities related to the prevention of occupational risks. If there is no one in your organisation who can carry out these activities, you must seek competent external services or individuals.

Additionally, you must put in place first aid, firefighting, and evacuation procedures, tailored to the nature and size of your business, and establish contact with external emergency services if required. You must have designated workers who are trained and equipped to carry out these procedures and liaise with emergency services.

Risk assessment

There are no EU rules that describe exactly how you should conduct risk assessments, and national rules may have specific requirements. However, a comprehensive risk assessment typically involves:

• Identifying all potential risks, like exposure to dangerous substances, slippery floors, or unsafe equipment
• Evaluating the risks, including their likelihood and potential severity
• Eliminating or reducing risk, such as by replacing dangerous equipment
• Documenting the risk assessment by listing the risks identified, workers affected, preventative and protective measures planned, and timelines for implementation
• Reviewing the assessment regularly to ensure that it, and the planned preventive and protective measures, take account of any change in circumstances
• Collecting relevant information, such as accident data

When making a risk assessment you will also need to pay attention to workers who might be especially vulnerable (e.g. pregnant employees, older workers, or those with disabilities) or who perform tasks with specific risks.

The risk assessment and any preventive or protective measures must be shared with the designated workers or workers' representatives specifically responsible for workplace safety. These representatives also have the right to propose or request additional measures.

Useful information on how to conduct a risk assessment can be found in the European Commission’s guidance on risk assessment at work.

Health and safety at work specialist

If you are unable to conduct the risk assessment or to organise the preventive and protective health and safety measures within your company, you will need to ask a health and safety specialist to carry it out for you.

Depending on what kind of business you are operating and the law in your country, you can also carry out a risk assessment with the help of a free online tool.

Sector- or case-specific health and safety measures

You must ensure workers have the necessary equipment and precautions to address specific workplace risks. A few examples of the specific requirements outlined in EU occupational safety and health (OSH) rules include:

• Personal protective equipment (PPE): you must provide PPE free of charge where required. Workers may be asked to contribute to costs if the equipment is for general use and not exclusive to the workplace, depending on national law.
• Eye and eyesight tests: workers who habitually use display screen equipment as a significant part of their normal work are entitled to regular eyesight tests and special corrective appliances, if needed for their work.
• Biological agents: for tasks where there is a risk of exposure to biological agents, employers must provide, when necessary, protective clothing and prohibit activities like eating or drinking in areas of risk.

These are just a few examples. Find a full overview of sector-specific measures and obligations on the website on health and safety at work.

Workers’ consultation and training

You have an obligation to involve workers and/or their representatives in the process of ensuring workplace health and safety:

• Consultation: you must consult workers and/or their representatives on all matters related to health and safety at work. National laws will specify the exact procedures, but this consultation must cover all relevant health and safety measures
• Appeals: if workers and/or their representatives believe that the employer’s health and safety measures are inadequate, they are entitled to appeal to the relevant national authority
• Training for representatives: workers’ representatives with specific roles in protecting workplace health and safety must receive appropriate training to be able to fulfil their duties effectively.

For more details on workplace health and safety requirements in a particular EU country, check the website of the national authorities below: