text: **4.1 Trends in safety outcomes – work accidents**
  The**development of better safety standards, safety technologies and preventive organisational**
  **approaches**were major factors to achieve a steady reduction of work accidents and fatal work 
  accidents during the last 30 years. This is caused by crucial improvements in safety measures and 
  technologies, by practical implementation of these measures in enterprises, by scientific developments, 
  and crucially supported by the legal obligation to apply a comprehensive, proactive and preventive 
  approach, as introduced in the EU Framework Directive. 