Brussels, 08/09/2005
The original proposal aimed to oblige employers to take action relating both to information and protection. The main change concerns the removal of reference to 'solar radiation' - the principal source of a growing number of skin cancers. Employers' responsibility is now transferred to the discretion of Member States.
Said ETUC General Secretary John Monks: "By leaving it to Member States alone to define the obligations imposed on employers with regard to protecting workers, MEPs have placed themselves in conflict with EU policy, which aims since the Single European Act to harmonise rules on health and safety."