Every year millions of people in the European Union are injured at work or have their health seriously harmed in the workplace. Occupational accidents and diseases cause great human suffering and loss, and the economic cost is also high.
Prevention is the guiding principle for occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation in the EU. In order to avoid accidents and occupational diseases, the EU has stablished minimum requirements for OSH. The OSHwiki article offers an overview of these prevention and control strategies.