HEALTH & SAFETY AND TRAINING - Policy statement EURELECTRIC - EPSU - EMCEF

HEALTH & SAFETY AND TRAINING

Preamble

EURELECTRIC and the European Federation of Public Service Unions agreed on a health and safety and
training statement in 1996, cosigned with Employment Commissioner Flynn. Many developments took
place since that time:

- EMCEF joined the trade union side as social partner;
- Liberalisation of the Electricity Sector and the EU Directives to create an internal market have lead
to restructuring of the Electricity Sector;
- New health and safety directives have been adopted;
- The EU has been enlarged from 12 to 25 Member States with the prospect for a number of other countries to join.

The social partners therefore agreed to consider the statement and its fitness for the future. They agreed
that it continues to reflect what should be expected regarding health and safety and training in the
Electricity Industry. The document sets out general principles as well as specific training issues. It is
based on national experiences and the directives of the European Union in the field of health and safety.
It is not intended to prejudice national practices and legislation.

EURELECTRIC and EPSU/EMCEF firmly believe training is important to sustain the high level of
health and safety in the Electricity Industry. They wish that the document contributes to the on-going
debates between the social partners on training for health and safety in the different countries (December 2006)

Introduction

1. Developments in the European Electricity Industry (EI) place new demands on workers, their
unions, and companies and their employers' organisations.

EURELECTRIC and EPSU/EMCEF have discussed the new challenges facing workers and
companies in the ESI in the context of health and safety. Both organisations wish to stimulate
debate on issues of common interest.(1)

New Directives1 have been adopted on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding
the exposure of workers to the risks arising from asbestos, physical agents (vibration, noise and
electromagnetic fields). The inter-sectoral social partners adopted an agreement on stress which
has been endorsed by the electricity social partners. Its application in the Electricity Industry
will be evaluated after July 2007.

We recommend those engaged in health and safety and vocational training to consider if all the new
rules and regulations have been integrated into training programmes.

Health and Safety Objective

2. This document is a statement of general principles on health and safety of workers in all aspects of
their work, which may assist the social partners locally in ensuring the health and safety of workers
in all aspects of their work especially with regard to illness and injury, improving the quality of
there working life taking into account gender differences and in sustaining and improving the health
and safety performance of the EI. The document is jointly discussed and agreed.

General Principles of Training for Health and Safety

3. Although overall responsibility for the health and safety of workers rests with their employers2,
employeesand there organisations play an important role in ensuring the effectiveness of measures
to improve health and safety. Environmental design and work organisation to eliminate hazards, as
well as considerable dependence on attitudes and behaviour of all those concerned in work is
implicit in preventive health and safety.(3)

Workers will cooperate in all tasks imposed by the safety regulations, and, in cooperation with the
employer, contribute to ensure a working environment and working conditions which pose as little
risk as possible to health and safety (4).

EURELECTRIC and EPSU/EMCEF recognise the important contribution of education and training
of management and the workforce in ensuring high standards in health and safety to ensure that
employees understand clearly their duties and responsibilities for health and safety of themselves
and others. One objective should be to contribute to a better awareness of (information on) health
and safety and to disseminate and promote knowledge or prevention measures on topics relevant to
the electricity industry. Adequate and appropriate training shall be provided by the employer.

for the full text:

• 2006 H&S policy paper final