National legislation on safety and health at work

National legislation on safety and health at work

European directives set out the minimum standards for safety and health in the workplace. The EU directives are implemented through the national legislation of Member States.

Member States may adopt stricter rules to protect workers but their legislation must comply with the minimum standards. As a result, national safety and health legislation varies across Europe.

A list of the national implementation measures can be found at the end of each directive’s abstract in the EU-OSHA section on European directives. For example, if you select the OSH Framework Directive, you will find at the bottom of the page a link to the EUR-Lex website listing the national implementing laws for this directive.

The European Commission has carried out an evaluation of the practical implementation of the EU occupational safety and health (OSH) directives in EU Member States (2015) which is also summarised in a briefer synthesis report.

More information on national occupational safety and health laws is also available in the OSHwiki articles on national systems.

Find out more about national legislation by contacting the relevant EU-OSHA focal point of the Member State you are interested in.