A Post-Analysis of the Introduction of the EU Directive 92/57/EEC in the Swedish Construction Industry

The EU directive 92/57/EEC focuses on ensuring that health and safety-related matters are taken into consideration during every stage of construction-related work and has been introduced into the regulations of the member countries. In 2006, Sweden was tasked by the European Commission to clarify its implementation of the directive, including which management roles and responsibilities were to come into effect during both the planning and eventual execution of construction work-changes that ultimately were introduced into the national regulations in 2009. Focusing on the accident trends in the construction industry in the years immediately following these regulatory changes, we find that the new management roles and responsibilities had no apparent effect on the accident rates. Furthermore, we argue that there is a need to broaden the analysis regarding the implementation of the EU directive 92/57/EEC to also include nation-specific changes to health and safety management and policy. These qualitative studies should also include a dedicated focus on how changes to management structures and processes may affect the prevalence of occupational diseases specifically.

Automated summary

The EU directive 92/57/EEC requires health and safety considerations in every stage of construction work and has been incorporated into the regulations of member countries. Sweden was assigned by the European Commission to clarify the implementation of the directive, including the management roles and responsibilities during planning and execution, which became part of national regulations in 2009. However, a study on accident trends in the construction industry following these changes showed that the new management roles did not have a noticeable impact on accident rates. The study suggests the need for broader analysis on nation-specific changes to health and safety management and policy, including the potential effects on occupational diseases.