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The EU’s Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)

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The EU’s Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) 2019/126 establishing the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

It repeals and replaces Regulation (EC) No 2062/94 which, in 1994, established the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).
It adapts the rules concerning EU-OSHA to take into account as far as possible its tripartite nature. It is governed by a board comprising representatives of:
- EU countries’ governments;
- employers and workers of EU countries — social partners; and
- the European Commission.

KEY POINTS

Objective

As one of the EU’s decentralised agencies, EU-OSHA’s objective is to provide the EU institutions and bodies, EU countries, the social partners and others involved in the field of safety and health at work with:

relevant technical, scientific and economic information; and
qualified expertise in the field in order to improve the working environment as regards the protection of the safety and health of workers.

It seeks to meet this objective by:

enhancing and disseminating knowledge;
providing evidence and services for the purpose of policymaking, including research-based conclusions; and
facilitating knowledge-sharing among interested parties at EU and national levels.

Tasks

While fully respecting EU countries’ own responsibilities, EU-OSHA:

collects and analyses technical, scientific and economic information on safety and health at work in the EU countries in order to:
- identify risks and good practices, as well as existing national priorities and programmes;
- provide the necessary input to EU priorities and programmes;
- disseminate that information to the EU institutions and bodies, EU countries, the social partners and other parties involved in the field;
collects and analyses information on research into safety and health at work and on other related research activities, and disseminates the results;
promotes cooperation and the sharing of information and experience amongst EU countries, including information on training programmes;
contributes to the implementation of reforms and policies at national level;
collects and makes available relevant information from and to non-EU countries and international organisations;
provides information on methods and tools for implementing preventive activities, identifies good practices and promotes preventive actions, paying particular attention to the specific problems of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises;
contributes to the development of EU strategies and action programmes;
establishes a strategy for relations with non-EU countries and international organisations;
carries out awareness-raising and communication activities and campaigns.

Organisation

EU-OSHA, which is based in Bilbao, Spain, has a management board and an executive board, an executive director and a network.

Management board

It comprises:
- 1 representative from each EU country;
- 1 representative of the employers’ organisation for each EU country;
- 1 representative of the employees’ organisation for each EU country;
- 3 members representing the Commission;
- 1 independent expert appointed by the European Parliament.
The board’s main functions are to:
- provide EU-OSHA’s strategic direction;
- adopt EU-OSHA’s programming document;
- adopt EU-OSHA’s budget;
- adopt rules of procedure (including those of the executive board), financial rules, rules on preventing and managing conflicts of interest and an anti-fraud strategy;
- appoint the executive director.

Executive board

The executive board assists the management board by:

preparing its decisions;
monitoring, together with the management board, any follow-up to findings and recommendations stemming from internal or external audit reports, and OLAF investigations;
advising the executive director in the implementation of management board decisions, in order to reinforce the supervision of administrative and budgetary management.

Executive director

The executive director is responsible for:

EU-OSHA’s management and the implementation of EU-OSHA’s tasks and budget;
drawing up a draft programming document containing a multiannual and an annual work programme in line with Regulation (EU) No 1271/2013 on the financial rules adopted by the EU’s agencies and bodies.

Network

EU-OSHA’s network comprises:

the main components of the national tripartite information networks, including the national employers’ and employees’ organisations;
the national focal points (typically the competent authority for safety and health at work in each EU country).

Work programmes

The draft programming document is submitted to the management board for its approval and then submitted to the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council before 31 January each year.

The multiannual work programme sets out:
- overall strategic programming, including objectives;
- expected results and performance indicators;
- resource programming including multiannual budget and staff.
The annual work programme must be consistent with the multiannual work programme and comprises:
- detailed objectives and expected results, including performance indicators;
- a description of the actions to be financed, including planned measures to increase efficiency;
- an indication of the financial and human resources allocated to each action;
- possible actions for relations with non-EU countries and international organisations.
Both programmes must avoid overlaps with work carried out by other EU agencies. EU-OSHA coordinates closely with 2 other tripartite agencies: the European Foundation for Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) and the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop). It also works closely with the Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work.

Budget

Estimates of all revenue and expenditure for EU-OSHA must be prepared each financial year and shown in EU-OSHA’s budget. The budget must be balanced in terms of revenue and expenditure.

Its revenue side comprises:
- a contribution from the EU’s general budget;
- voluntary financial contributions from EU countries;
- charges for publications and any service provided by EU-OSHA;
- any contribution from non-EU countries involved in EU-OSHA’s work.
Its expenditure side includes:
- staff remuneration;
- administrative and infrastructure expenses;
- operational expenditure.

Evaluation

By 21 February 2024, and every 5 years thereafter, the Commission must ensure that an evaluation is carried out to assess EU-OSHA’s performance in relation to its objectives, mandate and tasks.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

It has applied since 20 February 2019.

BACKGROUND

For more information, see:

About EU-OSHA (EU-OSHA).

MAIN DOCUMENT

Regulation (EU) 2019/126 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 January 2019 establishing the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 2062/94 (OJ L 30, 31.1.2019, pp. 58-73)