Directive 89/654/EEC - workplace requirements

of 30 November 1989 concerning the minimum safety and health requirements for the workplace (first individual directive within the meaning of Article 16 (1) of Directive 89/391/EEC)

Objective

The Directive lays down minimum requirements for safety and health at the workplace.

Definitions

Definition of the term “workplace”.

Contents

The Directive shall not apply to means of transport used outside the undertaking and/or the establishment, or workplaces inside means of transport, temporary or mobile work sites, extractive industries, fishing boats and fields, woods and other land forming part of an agricultural or forestry undertaking but situated away from the undertaking's buildings.

Workplaces must satisfy the minimum safety and health requirements laid down in Annex I.

General obligations for the employer:

traffic routes to emergency exits and the exits themselves are kept clear at all times
technical maintenance of the workplace and of the equipment and devices is carried out as quickly as possible
the workplace and the equipment and devices are regularly cleaned to an adequate level of hygiene
safety equipment and devices intended to prevent or eliminate hazards are regularly maintained and checked.

Moreover, the provisions of Directive 89/391/EEC - "the Framework Directive" - are fully applicable without prejudice to more restrictive and/or specific provisions contained in this directive.

Annexes

Annex I (for workplaces used for the first time)

Annex II (for workplaces already in use)