Overview of how the Agency and its partners operate

Director

Dr Christa Sedlatschek is a medical doctor (University of Vienna) and a specialist in occupational health.

The Director is the legal representative and is responsible for the management and day-to-day running of the Agency, including all financial, administrative and personnel matters. The post is for a term of five years, renewable once, and the Director is accountable to the Governing Board

Governing Board

The Governing Board sets the goals and strategies and identifies priority issues where further information or activity is required. It appoints the Director and adopts the annual management plan, work programme, annual report and budget.

The Board is made up of representatives of governments, employers and workers from EU Member States, representatives of the European Commission and other observers.

The Chair of the Board rotates between the three interest groups on an annual basis.

Advisory Groups

Advisory Groups, covering the Agency’s European Risk Observatory, Working Environment Information, and Communication and Promotion Unit activities, provide us with strategic guidance and feedback on our work. Their members are appointed by EU-OSHA and its Board and include individuals from workers’ and employers’ groups and government.

Bureau

The Bureau works as a steering group, overseeing the Agency's operational performance, and meets four times a year. It is made up of eleven members from the Governing Board.

Focal points

Our main safety and health information network is made up of focal points in Member State, Candidate and EFTA countries. Focal points are nominated by each government as the official representative and are usually the national authority for safety and health at work.

They support our initiatives with information and feedback and work with national networks including government, workers' and employers' representatives. The focal points contribute to the Healthy Workplaces campaign, manage national websites and nominate representatives to our Expert Groups.

Expert groups

Several expert groups contribute to our work and provide advice in their field of expertise, e.g. Internet, European Risk Observatory, Working Environment Information. They are nominated by national focal points, together with observers representing workers, employers and the Commission.

Topic Centres

Topic Centres are consortia of national safety and health institutions under contract to collect and analyse existing national data to support key areas of our work.

Our current Topic Centre is led by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH)

Staff

A dedicated staff of specialists in occupational safety and health, communication and public administration bring with them a wealth of knowledge from around Europe.