the ultimately desired effective protection of all groups of workers, in all sectors, all occupations, all work 
tasks and all forms of work. 
This report paints a mostly quantitative picture of the current OSH status in the EU. It uses data from 
European surveys and statistics that were compiled in the frame of EU -OSHA’s activity ‘ EU OSH 
Information System’ and combines quantitative data with explanatory and analytical descriptions. The 
report covers trends that reach back between 10 and 25 years — depending on data availability and 
methodological issues. It also takes into account relevant context factors, be it economy, workforce and 
demography, industrial relations or technological developments.  
The report covers as many indicators, trends and context developments as possible. Short overviews 
and summaries form the character and shape of this report, not detailed descriptions. This is slightly 
compensated by extensive referencing to literature, particularly the OSH Barometer data visualisation 
tool, reports by EU -OSHA and other EU agencies (e.g. Eurofound), and other EU institutions and 
international agencies.