A group of experts set up by the Commission to push its so-called “better regulation” drive to deregulate has proposed on 28 May that small firms should no longer have to produce a written risk assessment. “Any such proposal would seriously undermine the systematic management of health and safety in small firms”, argued the Director of the ETUI’s Health and Safety Department, Laurent Vogel.

Simplifying and improving the EU regulatory environment is one of the Barroso Commission’s main instruments within the framework of the Lisbon Strategy. Dubbed "better regulation", the initiative could allow businesses to save billions of euros, according to the Commission. The most recent HESA Newsletter uncovers the hidden side of this campaign that could undermine the European health and safety legislation.

Does the presence of union officials in a workplace actually help to improve safety and health protection for workers? To try and answer this question, three researchers reviewed the studies done on the matter in Europe. They conclude that having trade union representation leads to better observance of the rules, lower accident rates and fewer work-related health problems. The findings of the study, done under the European EPSARE project, have just been published in an ETUI report.

This joint study, co-published by the ETUI, reviews the musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) that workers in SMEs can face. MSDs are very much an agenda-topping issue, and are addressed in a practical and innovative way in Belgium, Spain and Italy through action-oriented risk assessments. Profusely illustrated, the study puts forward practical options derived from the daily experience of working in the highly specific smaller firm environment.

At the conference on "Living and working with nanotechnologies", looking at the results of the European NanoCap project, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) called for the application of the precautionary principle to nanotechnologies. "This is the way to bring about the responsible development of nanotechnologies that will be acceptable to society. We don’t want to repeat the mistakes made with asbestos and GMOs", explained Joël Decaillon, ETUC Confederal Secretary.

The ETUI is launching a new project to apply the "feedback" methodology to combine harvesters, so as to inform and improve the relevant harmonised standard - EN 632 - by workers’ recommendations. The project - named Agri-Project - will run from April to December 2009.

On 31 March 2009, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) presented a list of priority chemicals for authorisation under REACH to the European Parliament. The ETUC is calling on the Member States and European Commission for the 306 substances of very high concern on its list – especially the 191 that cause recognised occupational diseases – to be included on the candidate list of substances for authorisation under the REACH rules.

An unusual trial will start in Turin on April 6, 2009 over the deaths of more than 2 200 people and the cancers developed by a further 700-odd survivors. For the first time, the top executives of a multinational, Eternit, appear in the dock.