European legislation

The Single European Act does not stop at removing barriers to trade: it also seeks to upgrade social and welfare policy throughout Europe. It includes a specific pledge to improve health and safety at work for all European workers.

The commitment to ‘level up’ to the best practice currently employed within the Union has been enshrined in a legally binding Framework Directive (89/391/EEC), which not only lays down broad guidelines for health and safety but also places upon the employer an absolute duty “to ensure the safety and health of employees in their workplace”. This directive is amplified by five daughter directives, of which one directly governs the use of protective gloves