The Spanish Presidency of The European Union aims to tackle issues of workplace safety, starting with its recent event on managing psychosocial risks and preventing their impact on physical and mental health in the workplace, which took place in Toledo on 26 and 27 September.
From July 1 to December 31, the Spanish government takes up office in their Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will be Spain's fifth time governing the EU in its rotation of presidency.
As part of their work with the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, the Spanish Presidency aims to raise awareness on occupational safety and health. And so the event, ‘Mental Health and Precarious Work: The management of Psychosocial Risks’ brought together representatives of the Member States of the European Union, the European Parliament and the European Commission, as well as representatives of companies and workers and bodies specialised in safety and health at work, both European and national, to address priorities in the field of safety and health at work.
For this event, mental health and psychosocial risks were at the forefront, with information and advice shared from plans for the European OSH Strategic Framework (2021-2027) and the Spanish OSH Strategy (2023-2027).
PRIORITY IN SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK
The three themes around which the priorities of the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy will be developed are: Social Dialogue, Social Economy and Decent Work, which includes issues of safety and health at work.
In relation to safety and health at work, the actions that are planned within the framework of the Spanish Presidency are the following:
- Proposal for a Directive relating to the improvement of working conditions when working on digital platforms. The Spanish Presidency of the Council will begin negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, with a view to reaching a provisional agreement on the Directive.
- Proposal for a Directive to revise Directives 98/24/EC and 2004/37/EC regarding limit values ​​for lead and diisocyanates. It is expected that following the position of the European Parliament scheduled for the autumn, the Spanish Presidency of the Council will begin negotiations with the European Parliament, on behalf of the Council, with a view to reaching an agreement on the modification of both directives.
- The Spanish Presidency will work towards the adoption of Council Conclusions on mental health and job insecurity.
Also noteworthy, is that this year marks the European Year of Skills in which training in occupational health and safety will also play a role.
The Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (INSST), Spain’s national institutes for health and safety at work, will provide advice on all aspects related to occupational health and safety to contribute to the success of the Spanish Presidency.
For more information, visit their official website: https://spanish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/es/
