Protecting workers: health and safety at work
EU legislation sets minimum standards for health and safety at work, and protects workers against exposure to dangerous substances, such as asbestos.
Minimum standards for health and safety at work
To better protect workers in the EU from work-related accidents and diseases the EU has adopted legislation to guarantee minimum safety and health requirements valid for both private and public employers throughout the EU.
When protecting workers, the EU takes into account technical safety but also the general promotion of well-being including in the organisation of work, working conditions, social relationships and the influence of factors related to the working environment.
The EU adopted in 1989 an occupational and health safety (OSH) framework directive. With this directive, the EU established an obligation for employers to take appropriate preventive measures to make work safer and healthier and provide information and training to workers to promote health and safety at work.
Dangerous chemical substances at work
Cancer is the number one cause of work-related deaths in the EU, causing 52% of deaths annually (data: International Labour Organization, 2017).
Workers in the following sectors are most at risk of occupational cancers:
- constructions
- automotive, textile, woodworking and furniture industries
- chemical manufacturing
- food production
- healthcare
Over the years, the EU has adopted rules to protect workers on specific aspects of work or hazards. For example, the EU has rules on limiting harmful substances in the workplace to protect workers from risks related to exposure to:
- carcinogenic and mutagenic substances (including reprotoxic substances, meaning chemicals which may interfere with the human reproductive system)
- lead
- asbestos
The EU laws on the protection of workers from dangerous substances are updated regularly, adjusting the limits of exposure in line with latest scientific findings and technical data.
Since its first adoption in 2004, the carcinogens and mutagens directive has been reviewed several times and now addresses 28 cancer-causing substances.
New rules to strengthen worker protection
On 1 December 2025, EU employment ministers went a step further towards preventing work-related diseases and protecting workers from exposure to harmful substances that can lead to serious illnesses such as cancer and developmental disorders.
The Council agreed its position on the sixth revision of the carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances directive. This revision seeks to update the rules on exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace in line with the latest scientific developments.
The revision is expected to prevent around 1,700 lung cancer cases and 19,000 other illnesses over the next 40 years.
The Council also further enhanced the updated rules by adding an occupational exposure limit for isoprene, in line with the recommendations of the European Chemicals Agency.
On 23 June, the Council struck a provisional deal with the European Parliament on rules aimed at protecting workers in the EU from exposure to hazardous substances that could cause illnesses such as cancer or asthma.
The provisional agreement will now have to be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament. It will then formally be adopted by both institutions following legal-linguistic revision.
Cancer prevention in the EU
Fighting cancer is one of the priorities of the European Union in the field of health.
Apart from the direct impact it has on the health and wellbeing of individuals, cancer also has an impact on healthcare and social systems, public budgets, and the productivity and growth of the economy, including a healthy workforce.
In this respect, cancer screening is essential to maintain a healthy population, and workforce. In 2003 the Council approved a recommendation on cancer screening, encouraging EU countries to implement population-based, quality-assured screening programmes. Following the implementation report of the recommendation and the latest scientific data EU ministers are discussing an update to the recommendation to ensure that even more people can be covered by cancer screenings.
Asbestos
Asbestos is a dangerous carcinogen. The European Union banned its use in 2005, but it remains present in many older buildings and infrastructure. Because of its mineral composition it was once widely used to strengthen and fireproof construction materials.
Asbestos causes serious illnesses, such as cancer, with very low survival rates. In 2019 alone, it claimed more than 70 000 lives in the EU. Reducing contact with asbestos is essential to protect workers' health and save lives.
The new EU law increases workers’ protection by lowering the limit value for asbestos exposure at work and modernising the way asbestos is measured.
Reduced limits of exposure to asbestos
The new rules reduce by ten times the maximum limit of asbestos to which a worker can be exposed (from the current maximum air concentration of 0.1 fibres of asbestos per cm3 to 0.01 fibres per cm³).
A more sensitive detection technology
After a maximum transition period of six years, detection of asbestos levels will have to be conducted with a more modern and sensitive technology that can detect fibres, namely electron microscopy.
The new rules also include new safety requirements to protect workers more robustly, such as obtaining special permits for asbestos removal and checking if there is asbestos in older buildings before starting demolition or maintenance work.
The new exposure limit to asbestos is expected to significantly reduce workers' risk of developing asbestos-related illnesses, including cancer. That is all the more important given the EU’s goal to boost energy renovation in the EU, which could lead to 35 million buildings being renovated by 2030.
- Asbestos: Council and Parliament strike deal on new rules protecting workers (press release, 27 June 2023)
- Protection from asbestos at work: Council votes to reduce exposure limits (press release, 23 October 2023)
Asbestos removal
As part of the effort to lower the risks of exposure to asbestos, the Council also agreed a common position on the proposed revision of EU rules on energy performance of buildings in October 2022. In this proposal deep renovations for buildings are encouraged, and defined as a prime opportunity to also address asbestos removal.
The impact of asbestos on workers’ health (infographic)
Lead and diisocyanates
Prolonged exposure to lead is known to affect reproductive functions and foetal development, as well as to damage the nervous system, the kidneys, the heart and blood. For this reason, the EU has had rules in place to limit occupational exposure to lead since 1982.
On 26 February 2024, the Council adopted a directive which revisited the limit values for occupational exposure to lead and its inorganic compounds, by reducing them fivefold.
The legislation also sets limit values for diiosocyanates, a group of harmful substances to which 4.2 million workers are currently exposed and which can cause asthma and dermal diseases.
Lead
The new rules reduce the limit to occupational exposure for lead: from 0.15mg/m3 to 0.03mg/m3. They also reduce the biological limit value for lead from 70µg/100ml to 15µg/100ml.
Diisocyanates
The new rules also establish the first-ever overall occupational exposure limit for diisocyanates.
The limit is fixed at 6µg NCO/m3. This equals to the maximum concentration in the air a worker breathes during the course of an 8-hour working day. The short-term exposure limit of 12µg NCO/m3, equal to the average exposure over a period of 15 minutes.
Transitional period
The Council and the European Parliament also agreed on a transitional period for the new biological limit value for lead to allow member states to have sufficient time to effectively update production processes and to implement the necessary prevention and protection measures. The new limits will become effective in 31 December 2028.
EU health policy
EU member states are responsible for organising and delivering health services and medical care. The EU’s role in health policy is therefore complementary to national policies.
EU cooperation serves to promote health and tackle communicable as well as non-communicable diseases such as cancer. Moreover, it addresses common health challenges resulting for example from antimicrobial resistance, and environmental or lifestyle factors.
The EU has the competence to adopt legislation in the field of health and safety at work following article 153 TFEU, to complement and support national legislation. In the Council these issues are discussed by ministers in the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO).
Last review: 25 June 2026