Integrative Efforts in Occupational Safety and Health in the European Union

The European Union has had a long tradition in developing a common European social policy from its beginning. A milestone to European social policy in the field of occupational safety and health was the Single European Act in 1986. With this Single European Act the improvement of the work environment became an explicit objective of the community. Since that starting point several legislative and nonlegislative actions have been taken to face the huge challenges of globalisation with a targeted social policy. The aim of this policy is to reconcile the interests of the employers in productive and competitive workplaces with the interests of the employees in healthy working conditions.