Besides the challenge of combatting social dumping, the special report addresses other major concerns for building workers and their unions: the continuing exposure to asbestos, women's access to this industry and improving the safety of construction machinery. Find out more

This policy brief looks at the new ISO45001 draft international standard for occupational safety and health (OSH) management systems.After describing the process for international standard-setting, the brief analyses the relationship of this new proposed ISO45001 with the European Union's 1989... Find out more

Equality for men and women in the workplace has been one of the longest standing aims of European social policy. Forty years after the adoption of the first Directive, and in spite of numerous initiatives by the European Union, there is still a long way to go to achieve full gender equality in the... Find out more

International standards are playing an increasingly important role in market governance and often have a direct impact on health, safety and the environment. In most cases, these norms are defined by experts, without the participation of civil society representatives. This Policy Brief presents the... Find out more

This guide gives an overview of the background to, principle actors in, and essential tools of, EU occupational health and safety policy with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of this policy and of facilitating effective intervention at European level.It is aimed primarily at worker... Find out more

This issue carries a feature on standardization, an area governed by new European rules since January 2013. The regulations introduce a series of measures that open up new opportunities for trade unions to get more involved in the work of European standardization bodies. Find out more

This first ETUI Policy Brief of 2012 deals with the first ISO international social standard ‘ISO 26000 – Guidance for Social Responsibility’ (GSR). The author argues, that unlike other standards, it is political rather than technical, taking on the role of organisations within society even though it... Find out more

In the course of trade union debates, occupational health and safety management systems elicit extremely varied responses, running from indignant rejection to enthusiasm. Understandably, because the term “is used to describe all kind of practices. It can cover anything from ambitious continuous... Find out more

Publication date: 1999Scientists, employers, decision makers and even women themselves seem to have difficulty in coming to grips with women’s work-related health problems. In part, this stems from traditional perceptions of women's work. The widespread belief that women’s jobs are safe compared to... Find out more

Publication date: 2000The EU's so-called "New Approach" Directives, which harmonise safety rules for a range of industrial goods, play up the role of private players on the market: manufacturers, standards bodies, certification bodies.Ian Fraser's report focusses on the role of that other crucial... Find out more