The Executive Committee of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) recently adopted a resolution on the future European health and safety strategy.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently released a list of 13 substances it wants banned under the European Union's (EU) REACH chemical law.

In an argument that sounds familiar on this side of the Atlantic, a group of European employers say that a proposed work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) directive would impose an unbearable administrative and financial burden upon companies – especially small businesses.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Industrial European Trade Union, the new European trade union that represents seven million workers from a variety of sectors, have launched an informational campaign on REACH, the European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use.

European trade unions are expressing disappointment in the recently concluded United Nations Earth Summit held in Rio, Brazil.

Almost twice as many piece rate workers suffer from workplace injuries as those on standard contracts, according to research from Lancaster University Management School. The increased productivity gained by employers from piece rate work is lost through increased absence and the cost of compensation, the authors note.

A report from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) warns of a lack of awareness about occupational exposure to nanomaterials.

Representatives from the oil and gas industry, government inter-governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), consultants and educational institutes met in Brussels, Belgium last month for a Biofuels sustainability standards and regulations workshop.

A nanomaterial review meant to quell concerns raised by European legislators fails to propose a strategy for protecting nanotechnology workers, says the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI).

The European Union (EU) has reached an informal agreement on the review of legislation to limit worker exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) – although it does not take into consideration demands from trade unions to look at the long-term effects on human health of exposure to these fields.