On 24 February 2005 the European Parliament adopted an own-initiative report on promoting health and safety at the workplace, tabled by the Czech MEP Jiri Mastalka (Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left).
The report is a response to the Commission communication on the transposition into national law and implementation of the 1989 framework directive and of five directives on health and safety at work.
The European Parliament resolution notes that the Community legislation has led to significant improvements in the field of health and safety at work, while drawing the Commission’s attention to a number of concerns. The report singles out in particular:

• the fact that 50% of workers in the EU have no access to preventive services;
• the excessively high rate of accidents among temporary and short-term workers (which in some Member States is at least double that of permanent workers);
• the specific problems faced by women in the workplace;
• the poor level of implementation of EU directives in the new Member States.

The Parliament has in addition expressed concern about the proposals for directives on working time and services: it opposes any recasting of the regulations on health and safety at work unless an equivalent level of protection is guaranteed for all workers within the Union.

• To view the European Parliament resolution