Occupational safety and health in Europe - state and trends 2023 
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work – EU-OSHA 116 
ICOH stated in its Centennial Declaration: 
‘The globalization process has not succeeded in equalising the conditions of work but in fact the opposite 
has occurred; the gaps are increasing. Poverty, inequality and under -development are closely 
associated with the poor safety, health and social conditions of work, as they are also linked with illiteracy, 
lack of education, poor access to health services and low or non-existent social protection.323 
International organisations like the ILO, WHO and UN have also taken up the task to promote OSH 
worldwide. The ILO has established a system of conventions; their implementation is monitored in the 
signature states.324 The ILO has issued and decided on nine ‘Fundamental conventions’ that have been 
signed by 92% of the ILO member states.325 These fundamental conventions are: 
1. Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) ; 
2. Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) ; 
3. Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) (and its 2014 Protocol);  
4. Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); 
5. Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138);  
6. Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182); 
7. Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); 
8. Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); and 
9. (since 2022) Two conventions on Occupational Safety and Health, that is, C-155 Occupational 
Safety and Health Convention,326 and C-187 Promotional Framework for OSH Convention. 327  
The ILO also promotes the ‘ Decent work’ approach to improve working conditions, covering aspects 
like fair income, social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social 
integration, and equal opportunities and treatment. In the frame of this approach, the ILO has developed 
flagship programmes like ‘Safety and Health for all’ 328 and the ‘Global Action for Prevention on 
Occupational Safety and Health’ (OSH-GAP), a programme to support and promote OSH globally.329 
Its priorities are:  
• legal, regulatory and adjudicative frameworks that address and integrate OSH, including core 
OSH laws and technical regulations; 
• enforcement and compliance with OSH in workplaces, including public, private and non-
governmental systems that operate independently or in concert; 
• employer and worker competencies that are necessary to achieve and sustain OSH at global, 
national and enterprise levels; 
• social dialogue that supports OSH; 
• public and private financial resources for investment in OSH; 
• occupational health services including public and private health services; 
• employment injury insurance programmes that support prevention of OSH fatalities, injuries 
and illnesses; 
• OSH professionals, institutions and networks; 
• OSH indicators and implementation of effective methodologies for OSH data collection; and 
• demand for the safety and health of workers and workplaces.  
The International Social Security Association (ISSA) developed the Vision Zero initiative.330 ISSA 
promotes together with enterprises and many global OSH organisations this concept, aiming at the 
complete elimination of work accidents and occupational diseases.  
The UN has developed a set of targets and indicators, the Social Development Goals (SDG).331 Target 
8 is dedicated to ‘Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive 
employment and decent work for all’. Sub targets are: 
8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, 
including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value