Mainstreaming gender into occupational safety and health practice

Women and men are not the same, and the jobs they do, their working conditions and circumstances and how society treats them are not the same. All these factors can affect the risks they face at work and the approach that needs to be taken to prevent these risks. More widespread recognition of the importance of taking account of gender differences in occupational safety and health (OSH) is relatively recent, although the number of initiatives seen in this area is increasing. However, especially because it is not always a very well understood area, practice needs to be exchanged and experiences shared. This report presents examples of policies, programmes and practices from across the EU and worldwide to illustrate gender approaches in OSH.