Workplace safety in industrial settings – How are EU policies protecting workers?

In the context of the EU’s reindustralisation efforts, aimed at strengthening its manufacturing sector, boosting economic growth, and enhancing its strategic independence, new technologies and innovations continue to emerge. Industrial workplace environments are evolving too, reshaping the landscape for workers across all industries. As these transformations can pose risks to workers' physical and mental health, the need to safeguard their well-being and safety is paramount. This shift also emphasises the need for preventive measures, adapted workplaces, and coherent policies at EU level.To better protect workers, the European Commission has introduced several key initiatives, including the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027. The Occupational safety and health (OSH) Framework Directive also sets out core principles aimed at improving workers’ wellbeing. All these efforts are supported by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), which advocates for safer and healthier workplaces.However, despite these EU initiatives, legislation on workers’ health and safety is still not aligned across EU member states. Some stakeholders are therefore calling for more comprehensive, all-encompassing and worker-centered EU policies.Listen to this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to explore how to protect workers’ health and safety in the EU, and how innovation is transforming industrial workplaces. Questions to be addressed include:• How do the EU’s reindustrialisation efforts shape new industrial workplaces? How do they impact workers’ health and safety?• What practical EU legislative tools and measures can be implemented to address these challenges?• How can efficient practices for worker protection be shared across EU member states?• How can we proactively design EU worker-centric policies that equip the workforce for future workplaces, driven by rapid technological change? How to ensure that work legislation is uniform across member states?