OSH system at national level - Netherlands

Occupational safety and health legislative framework in the Netherlands

The Dutch occupational safety and health legislation started in 1874 with the first law against child labor, which forbade children until the age of 12 to work in factories [1],[2]. This was followed in 1889 by the Labor Act (Arbeidswet) and in 1895 by the Safety Act’ (Veiligheidswet). These acts were adapted several times, and in the last decennia of the 20th century they were replaced by the Working Conditions Act (1980) and the Labor Time Act (1996). In 1994 the Working Conditions Act was changed in order to comply to European legislation. The latest major changes in the Working Conditions…