How to reconcile temporary work with occupational safety? The question is worth asking given that the use of temporary work and fixed-term contracts is progressing everywhere in Europe and the workers in question apparently sustain occupational injuries twice as often as other workers. And yet legislation exists. Starting with a European directive, adopted in 1991, which lays down minimum requirements for protection of the health and safety of temporary workers. It has, moreover, been transposed into national law in all the EU Member States. But, in the opinion of the European Commission itself, the results of this implementation are “highly inadequate”. The aspects brought into question are the information and training of temporary workers, induction of temporary employees, the “duality” of the employers (the temporary work agency and the user firm), etc. That is why Eurogip – whose mission is to coordinate, on the European level, Social Security action in the area of occupational risks – has decided to devote its fourth “Discussions” to issues regarding improved protection of temporary workers and to examples of good practices developed in various European countries.
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At a time when the French social partners are entering into negotiations on the employment of seniors, Eurogip publishes the proceedings of the discussion workshop held by it in October 2004 on the theme of “Ageing and occupational risks: How to promote workers’ health throughout their working lives”. The document summarises the papers presented. Initial round table discussions led to a more precise definition of the subject and a better understanding of the potential implications, through speeches by Gérard Kreutz, gerontologist at national research and safety institute INRS, Anne-Marie Guillemard, Professor of Sociology at Sorbonne University, and Paul Glynn, European Commission consultant on the working environment. Then, initiatives taken at the national level (in Germany, Belgium, Sweden and Luxembourg) and in enterprises (Storebrand, Akzo Nobel, Spie Batignolles, PSA Peugeot-Citroën) were described.
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This document appears at the right time. Just when the social partners are entering into interprofessional negotiations on the employment of senior citizens and painful working conditions, Eurogip publishes the proceedings of the European conference held by it on the theme of “Ageing and occupational risks – How to promote workers’ health throughout their working lives?”
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Eurogip publishes the results of a survey on the conditions of compensation of occupational injury and disease victims in 14 European countries.
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The Europe of tomorrow will be built with senior citizens. On the one hand, life expectancy is increasing and fertility rates are highly inadequate for generation renewal. At the same time, senior citizens represent the main labour pool, apart from immigration, to cope with the labour shortage looming on the horizon. Ageing baby boomers will start retiring in large numbers from 2005 on, and there is a shortage of young people to replace them. Accordingly, in 2010, the 45-64 age group in Europe will account for almost half the working-age population. It is in this context of population ageing that Eurogip organised in early October a European conference to promote the exchange of experience and information on the following theme: “How to promote workers’ health throughout their working lives?”

It is possible to make an economic assessment of what companies devote to occupational diseases in Europe by studying the expenses of the competent national insurance organisations. This is the purpose of the present report, which also deals with the question of funding for occupational health insurance.

This report, made by a European working group, studied the possibilities of recognition of these illnesses in 13 European countries and gives a review of current national thinking.

At a time when stress at work is becoming a subject of growing concern, a European working group has examined the issue of the recognition of illnesses of psychosocial origin as occupational diseases in thirteen countries. Eurogip, which coordinated the work, publishes the study report.
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