'Zero death at work is not a Utopian dream', insists ETUC

摘要

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has launched a manifesto urging the EU, member state governments and employers "to bring an end to deaths at work" by 2030. With a dozen workers killed every working day, the ETUC insists that: "Zero death at work is not a Utopian dream. The trend in fatal workplace accidents is down and eradication of fatal accidents is achievable". Conversely, occupational diseases are increasing, with hazardous substances causing 100,000 deaths a year, while "long working hours and psychological pressure at work cause heart disease, stroke, depression and suicide". There are new challenges too, with COVID-19 having "shown that the workplace is a major source of contagion", leading to the deaths of thousands of workers. The ETUC launched the manifesto on International Workers Memorial Day (28 April) (HSB 509 p.24), acknowledging that the EU's health and safety strategy states: "All efforts must be deployed to reduce work-related deaths as much as possible, in line with a Vision Zero approach to work-related deaths". While this may be "good", the ETUC emphasises that the actions promised in the strategy "will not achieve zero deaths".