Europe

• Date: 12 February, 2025
• Year: 2025

The UK's Health and Safety Executive inspected 13 production operators across the North Sea as part of its Process Safety Leadership Principles (PLSP) programme; it has now published its findings and uncovered the risks that remain amongst offshore companies.

The PSLP were developed after the Executive flagged concerns about stagnating safety standards to the offshore industry in 2018. They cover management and regulatory skills to improve and ensure safety on sites.

Inspections took place between January 2022 and May 2024; industry leaders were also engaged with to determine exactly how the safety leadership principles were being embedded throughout project lifecycle stages. The final report, reflecting the outcome of the inspections, quality assessments and actionable next steps, has now been published.

Samantha Peace, director of the HSE's Energy Division, reported that "offshore companies are now engaging with one another on an unprecedented level... firms were looking at themselves, identifying areas of improvement, engaging with other companies and above all, finding solutions."

While these successes are, of course, critical to ensuring that safety regulation is not snubbed moving forward, the report found "several consistent themes" where safety was dismissed or lacking, and that the themes "were not unique to individual organisations."

One such shortcoming was the dwindling workforce, which has in turn sparked a decrease in knowledge and competency within operator workforces.

Despite the final inspection taking place in May of 2024, Samantha affirmed that the HSE "will continue to question companies on how they are implementing PSLP and whether they are still collaborating with other firms on the same level we witnessed during the programme."

The report itself promises "anonymous feedback... on any common trends or themes," identified by the Executive moving forward.

• Region: Europe
• Date: 7 February, 2025
• Year: 2025

SPIE, Europe’s leading independent provider of multi-technical services in energy and communications, has earned the Step 4 Safety Culture Ladder (SCL) certification for its Substations business unit within the High Voltage operational division in Germany.

This achievement marks SPIE as the first company in Europe to attain the second-highest certification level in the field of switchgear engineering, recognising its exceptional workplace safety culture.

The certification remains valid for three years, with performance monitored through regular audits. Notably, the Transmission Lines business unit within the same division was awarded the Step 4 SCL certificate in 2023.

Encouraging mindful safety behaviour 

“The certification independently confirms SPIE’s commitment to fostering a proactive safety culture. Ensuring all our employees return home safe and sound each day is part of our shared responsibility,” said Hannes Simon, head of substations in the high voltage operational division of SPIE Germany Switzerland Austria. “Being the first company to reach Step 4 on the Safety Culture Ladder in switchgear engineering is a source of great pride for us, not to mention clear proof that we are on the right track.”

“That both the Transmission Lines and now the Substations business units have achieved the second-highest SCL certification step is a testament to the importance of workplace safety in our operational division. We will continue to pursue this path with determination,” said Burkhard Sager, head of the high voltage operational division at SPIE Germany Switzerland Austria.

“The progress made by the High Voltage operational division sets an example for others. It demonstrates that workplace health and safety efforts succeed when employees at all levels actively contribute to establishing a sustainable safety culture in their daily work through mindful and safety-conscious behaviour,” said Markus Holzke, managing director of SPIE Germany Switzerland Austria.

SPIE places workplace safety at the core of its operations, conducting regular safety briefings, training sessions, and workshops while adhering to globally recognised occupational safety standards. The company strives to foster a strong safety culture, ensuring that employees remain vigilant while continuously minimising risks and potential hazards in daily operations.

The Safety Culture Ladder (SCL) is an internationally recognised framework that promotes workplace safety through a behaviour-based approach. Consisting of five levels, it assesses safety awareness across all organisational tiers through audits based on employee interviews and on-site observations. The evaluation also includes collaboration with partner companies, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of safety culture beyond SPIE’s immediate workforce.

SPIE is a leading independent European provider of multi-technical services in energy and communications, with a workforce of 50,000 employees across six major European countries. Driven by a commitment to sustainability, SPIE’s mission is to combat climate change by advancing energy transition and enabling a digital transformation that fosters long-term progress for communities and citizens alike.

• Region: Europe
• Date: 31 January, 2025
• Year: 2025

Great Britain's health and safety regulator is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025.

The Health and Safety Executive was the result of the 1974 Health and Safety at Work etc Act., which came into effect in the UK from January 1^st, 1975.

1974, before the HSE was established, 651 Brits were killed in workplace incidents. Figures from 2023/24 show that the figure has fallen to 138.

The Health and Safety Executive's chief executive, Sarah Albon, said the executive "has led the way in establishing Great Britain as a safe place to work," noting that "there is still much for HSE to take on... as we look ahead to the next 50 years."

Sir Stephen Timms, the Minister for Social Security and Disability, added, "Over the last half-century this organisation has been at the heart of efforts to protect people and places across Britain: I would like to thank them for this vital work.

"As we support more people to get into work through our Get Britain Working White paper, and as we move to strengthen protection for workers, their mission will be as important as ever – now and long into the future."

• Region: Europe
• Date: 27 January, 2025
• Year: 2025

The European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) recently released its 2025 action plan aimed at fostering quality apprenticeships in the EU and beyond

The 2025 action plan reflects EAfA’s unwavering commitment to empowering apprenticeships as a foundation for Europe’s workforce strategy. With a key emphasis on innovation and cooperation, members of the EAfA continue to share presentations, infographics and factsheets, in an attempt to promote apprenticeships and the work of EAfA. Meanwhile, targeted outreach campaigns will focus on expanding the membership in underrepresented key economic sectors experiencing shortages, such as agriculture, construction, and hospitality.  

Networking will take centre stage in 2025, with high-profile events designed to connect stakeholders and inspire action. The annual high-level conference in Brussels will delve into apprenticeships' role in achieving the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal, addressing themes like labour mobility, skill recognition, and cross-border collaboration.

Complementing this, the EAfA Get-Together and the European Apprentices Network (EAN) meetings will facilitate dialogue among members and amplify apprentices’ voices, with the 10th annual seminar scheduled to be held later this year. 

To support its members, new tools and learning materials will be introduced in 2025 highlighing on apprenticeships for adults and factsheets equipping trainers with appropriate skills and competencies, developing basic skills, and expanding higher-level apprenticeships. A couple of webinars will also tackle such as improving working conditions and addressing gender stereotypes in apprenticeships. 

• Region: Europe
• Date: 24 January, 2025
• Year: 2025

Chris Floyd, Evri’s transport and safety lead, has been named chair of RoSPA’s National Road Safety Committee (NRSC), bringing two decades of professional and personal dedication to road safety.

With a career that began as an HGV driver and evolved into leadership roles in transport management and safety advocacy, Floyd’s journey has been shaped by his understanding of the personal and economic impacts of road incidents.

Data-driven approach

As Chair, Floyd aims to strike a balance between leveraging data and recognising the human stories behind road safety statistics. He emphasises that each incident represents a life, a family, and a community affected, underscoring the need to combine analytical insights with compassion.

Floyd’s contributions to the road safety community include chairing the Institute of Couriers’ Road Safety & Wellbeing group and delivering the Bridget Driscoll Memorial Lecture at the University of West London.

His involvement with organisations such as RoSPA, ScORSA, and National Highways highlights his commitment to advancing safety standards across the sector.

Reflecting on his vision for the NRSC, Floyd aspires to build on the committee’s legacy by advocating for practical, sustainable solutions that influence decision-makers locally, nationally, and internationally. He hopes to continue fostering collaboration and driving actionable change to make roads safer for everyone.

• Region: Europe
• Date: 22 January, 2025
• Year: 2025

To address the numerous cybersecurity challenges faced by EU countries in the past few years, the European Commission has presented an Action Plan to strengthen the cybersecurity of hospitals and healthcare providers

The rise in data-related threat risks can affect a number of systems that would be likely to have a significant affect on patient care. By building on existing legislation and extending its scope to include general practices, the new Action Plan focuses on impact mitigation as well as preventing, detecting and deterring cyber threats. 

Moreover, it also aims to offer bespoke guidance to hospitals and healthcare providers by setting up a pan-European Cybersecurity Support Centre which is scheduled to be set up over the next couple of years. 

• Region: Europe
• Date: 16 January, 2025
• Year: 2025

The EU's stringent regulatory framework and varying standards outside of the bloc have inevitably led HSE practices and strategies to differ greatly among parties operating inside and outside of the Union: cooperation is growing all the more critical to establish and adhere to best practices that go above and beyond the standards set by EU regulation.

The European Union's influence on HSE standards is self-evident; companies must adhere to stringent and extensive regulations, ranging from frameworks dictating risk assessment processes to those relating to preventive measures and employee safety.

Companies outside of the Union, however, may operate under vastly different frameworks or regulations; in some regions, HSE requirements may be less comprehensive, while others may exceed the standards and demands laid out by the EU.

This creates discrepancies between different companies and internally within those operating internationally or interregionally, posing a risk to both market competition (where companies may opt to divest from projects subject to more stringent regulations) and worker safety for those falling behind modern HSE standards.

Inevitably, as these discrepancies grow more dramatic, they also complicate international cooperation between teams and projects inside and outside of the European Union, potentially rendering such projects more expensive, less safe, and of greater risk to their surrounding environments. 

Looking towards a future that undoubtedly requires international and, indeed, global cooperation to solve matters of emergency or crisis (with recent wildfires and pandemics serving as notable reminders of the fragility of the Earth's environment), it is critical that industry convenes and cooperates to ensure a largely seamless transition between regions and countries. Such cooperation will protect and enhance the stringent (but necessary) HSE regulations that have sparked a massive decline in workplace incidents in the EU, while also enabling companies to expand and operate internationally without regulatory barriers or a compromise of workplace safety.

A continuous and consistent approach can level the currently skewed playing field, reducing competitive disadvantages for businesses adhering to stricter regulations. It also ensures consistency in addressing global challenges like climate change, pollution, and occupational hazards.

Essentially, aligning HSE approaches between EU and non-EU businesses is essential for fostering global safety, sustainability, and equity. Divergent standards will create growing health and environmental risks over the coming decades, particularly in global supply chains, where lower standards outside the EU may undermine broader efforts to protect workers and the environment.

• Region: Europe
• Date: 6 January, 2025
• Year: 2025

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Great Britain’s national workplace safety regulator, marks 50 years of safeguarding lives this January.

Established under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, HSE began operations on 1 January 1975. Over the decades, it has significantly reduced workplace fatalities, with annual deaths dropping from 651 in 1974 to 138 in 2023/24.

HSE chief executive Sarah Albon emphasised that workplaces have evolved dramatically.

“Over the past half century, the Health and Safety Executive has led the way in establishing Great Britain as a safe place to work. As we look ahead to the next 50 years, we recognise there is still much for HSE to take on," Albon said. 

“We’re proud of our successes over the last five decades, but the fact remains that any work-related death is a tragedy, and there are still far too many workers suffering ill-health brought about by work activity.

“In 2022, we launched our 10-year strategy, Protecting People and Places, to build on HSE’s strong foundations and address our current and future challenges.

“So today, HSE’s role goes beyond worker protection to include public safety assurance on a range of issues. Recent years have added new responsibilities, such as becoming the appointed Building Safety Regulator and playing an extended role in chemical regulation, post Brexit,” Albon concluded.

• Region: Europe
• Date: 1 January, 2025
• Year: 2025

Malta recorded the highest workplace fatality rate in the EU for 2022, with over five deaths per 100,000 workers, according to new data released by Eurostat.

Fifteen workplace deaths were reported, a rate 50% higher than France, the second-highest, and more than three times the EU average.

National Statistics Office data reveals that over half of these fatalities in 2022 and 2023 occurred in the construction sector, marking 2022 as the deadliest year for workplace accidents in 18 years.

Malta’s workplace fatality rate in 2022 was 75% higher than France’s and over three times the EU average, Eurostat data reveals.

In contrast, the Netherlands emerged as the safest EU country for workers, followed by Greece, Germany, and Sweden.

Construction was responsible for nearly a quarter of workplace fatalities across the EU, with transportation, storage, and manufacturing industries also recording significant numbers. Manufacturing had the highest proportion of non-fatal workplace accidents.

Overall, the EU saw nearly 3,300 workplace deaths in 2022, a slight decline from the previous year.

Most non-fatal incidents resulted in superficial injuries, dislocations, sprains, and strains.

• Region: Europe
• Date: 30 December, 2024
• Year: 2024

Smart digital systems have revolutionised EU workplaces through state-of-the-art innovations in smart wearables, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and Internet of Things (IoT), among others 

In order to investigate the practical implications of these tools and new occupational safety and health (OSH) monitoring systems, EU-OSH developed nine case studies that investigate aspects related to the development and implementation stage. 

A recent report that compared and analysed these case studies highlighted the diverse array of smart monitoring systems that use new technologies and tools currently developed and deployed to improve OSH. While new OSH monitoring systems are generally perceived as beneficial, they also pose significant challenges to OSH. From the analyses, it was inferred that the key to overcoming these challenges is the manner in which the systems are integrated into existing OSH frameworks.

When it comes to introducing digital technologies to the workplace, it was observed that although smart OSH digital monitoring systems serve to boost workers’ safety and wellbeing, the employer remains the primary user. The concern and primary considerations therefore, relate to the privacy of workers’ data and the potential misuse of such data. 

This emphasises the need to consider data privacy when introducing smart digital systems into the workplace, while also developing regulations that would safeguard workers’ rights. 

• Region: Europe
• Date: 27 December, 2024
• Year: 2024

Workplace safety remains a pressing issue across the European Union, with over 3,000 deaths and nearly 3 million injuries reported in 2022, according to Eurostat. The figures reveal that for every fatality, there are approximately 905 non-fatal injuries.

Workplace incidents can have devastating consequences, from fatalities to life-altering injuries. Fatal accidents are defined as those leading to death within a year of the incident, while non-fatal injuries often result in long-term harm, such as disabilities. These incidents not only affect victims but also impose emotional and financial burdens on families.

While workplace accidents occur across various industries, some sectors face disproportionately higher risks. Construction stands out as the most dangerous, accounting for nearly a quarter of all work-related deaths in 2022. Transportation, manufacturing, and agriculture also reported significant numbers of fatalities, collectively making up 65.5% of deadly incidents. In terms of non-fatal injuries, manufacturing led the way, followed by healthcare, construction, and trade.

Men are overwhelmingly represented in accident statistics, with over two-thirds of incidents involving male workers. This imbalance is largely attributed to the gendered nature of high-risk sectors, which tend to employ more men.

The lifting of Covid-19 restrictions in 2022 coincided with a 3% rise in non-fatal injuries, translating to an additional 87,139 incidents compared to the previous year. While fatal accidents saw a slight decline, the overall increase in injuries underscores the need for renewed focus on worker protection.

Germany recorded the highest number of non-fatal injuries, with over 700,000 cases, followed by France, Spain, and Italy. However, France reported the most fatalities, with over 600 deaths, highlighting stark differences in safety outcomes across EU countries.

While physical injuries dominate the statistics, the psychological impacts of work, such as burnout, remain an underreported yet critical issue. These disorders, though excluded from accident data, are increasingly recognised as a significant threat to worker wellbeing.

• Region: Europe
• Date: 24 December, 2024
• Year: 2024

A comparative study between two automotive companies in Belgium and Italy explores the digital impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence-based worker management (AIWM) systems on occupational safety and health (OSH)

AIWM system integration has become increasingly prevalent in industrial sectors to enhance productivity and streamline processes. However, they can significantly impact worker autonomy, job quality and OSH. Findings of the study indicate that the adoption of the system mainly depend on the level of worker involvement and the managerial strategies employed.

While the Italian firm involves employees in decision-making processes and reports superior OSH outcomes and overall wellbeing, the Belgian firm follows a hierarchical, top-down management model. The choice of the management model adopted may largely be influenced by the size of the companies and their positions in the global value chain.

Given their active engagement with technology adoption and development, workers in the Italian firm were found to experience lower levels of stress, increased job satisfaction and reduced exposure to OSH risks in comparison with workers in the Belgian firm who exhibited an absence in worker participation, resulting in adverse health effects including burnout and anxiety. 

Italian case reports also showed zero turnover along with the presence of a stable workforce, while the Belgian case on the other hand showed a slightly higher turnover indicating potential challenges in maintaining a consistent organisational culture and overall instability. 

Moreover, the study takes into account the dual role that AIWM systems play in OSH management. For instance, while these systems enable real-time hazard monitoring, provide ergonomic support and facilitate the delivery of safety training programmes, they can however lead to adverse outcomes if operated without adequate human oversight. 

Overall, the findings of the study highlight that a successful integration of AIWM systems require active engagement and participation of workers in the adoption, development and implementation of digital tools. In addition, structured training programmes, job role rotations, and proactive health and safety measures are mandatory requisites to ensure worker wellbeing and optimisation of production processes.