Activites

• 2006/02/14 Results of vote in Parliament
  • Results of vote in Parliament
• #X018
• 2003/06/02 Council Meeting
• 2002/07/06 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Directive 2002/44
  • OJ L 177 06.07.2002, p. 0013
  • Corrigendum to final act 32004L0040R(04)
  • OJ L 079 21.03.2013, p. 0036
• 2002/06/25 Final act signed
• 2002/06/25 End of procedure in Parliament
• #2426
• 2002/05/21 Council Meeting
• 2002/04/25 Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading
  • T5-0199/2002 summary

    The European Parliament adopted the Conciliation Committee's compromise agreement. (Please refer to the summary dated 13/03/02). �

• 2002/04/24 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2002/04/05 Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs
  • 3616/2002
• 2002/03/13 Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading
  • A5-0110/2002
• 2002/03/13 Final decision by Conciliation Committee
• 2002/02/26 Formal meeting of Conciliation Committee
• #2404
• 2002/01/21 Council Meeting
• 2001/10/23 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
  • T5-0544/2001 summary

    The European Parliament adopted the resolution drafted by Helle THORNING-SCHMIDT (PES, DK), and agreeing with the parliamentary committee, made some amendments to the common position. -As regards whole-body vibration, Parliament decided that the limit and action values should correspond to ISO standards which would represent a lower threshold than the values being proposed by the Council.-Parliament felt that the transitional arrangements planned by the Council were too long. In the light of technical developments, Members were convinced that a five-year transition period would be sufficient for companies to replace their tools and machinery, although within the agricultural and forestry sector a further extension of two years (rather than three years as proposed by the Council) could be permitted, whilst bearing in mind the research in this sector. -Parliament stated that the final decision on the use of derogations should be taken by Member States after consulting the two sides of industry.

• 2001/10/09 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
  • A5-0320/2001
• 2001/07/05 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• #2362
• 2001/06/25 Council Meeting
  • 07914/1/2001 summary

    The European Parliament adopted 26 amendments at first reading which concerned vibrations. Nearly all were accepted in the Common Position, either fully or on substance. Of those not accepted: - the threshold levels were deleted. The Council considered that the deletion strenngthened the text, by making the provisions of the Directive applicable for as long as the risk exists. - the obligation imposed on the Commission to submit a report was already covered by the submission of the Commission's annual implementation report. The common position respects the objectives put forward by the Commission and supported by Parliament, and introduces some amendments to the proposal. The preventive measures adopted are based on the obligation imposed on the employer to determine and assess risks by using various methods to assess the level of exposure to mechanical vibrations. The Council refers specifically to the ISO standards. The major differences with regard to the Commission's proposal concern an increase in the exposure limit values and the exposure action values for whole body vibrations. The threshold level has been deleted. The common position grnats special derogations for the sea and air transport sectors and for seasonal work and, establishes transitional periods for existing work equipment. there is an additional transitional period for work equipment used in the agricultural and forestry sectors.�

• #2357
• 2001/06/11 Council Meeting
• 2000/12/08 Modified legislative proposal published
  • 14162/2000 summary

    Following the debates which led to the adoption of the common position on the draft directive dating from 1993 on the exposure of workers to risks caused by physical agents, it has been decided to propose a new text of the amended proposal on which the Council shall shortly come to a decision and which could led to an agreement by most of the delegations. The new text concerns in particular the risks caused by mechanical vibrations, which is only one of the four agents taken into consideration in the 1993 proposal, taking account of the difficulty for the Member States to come to a conclusion on the whole of the proposal (noise, optic lights, electromagnetic fields and mecanical vibrations). The proposed amended Directive aims to combat against the effects of vibrations which cause muscular and skeletal disorders which are nowadays the first root of professional illness. It shall apply to cases of vibrations transmitted to the hands and the arms, causing in particular vascular problems, osteo-articular or muscular or neurological damage. It also applies to vibrations transmitted to the whole body, which leads in particular to the risk of trauma to the colon vertebral. The proposed directive accepts the level of actions beyond which specific prevention measures must be taken, such as the choice of working equipment produced, taking into consideration the work to be carried out, the least vibration possible or the right, for the workers concerned, to be subject to a health monitoring system. It sets the limit values of daily exposure on a reference period of 8 hours which must not be exceeded: - a limit value of 5m/s2 for the vibrations transmitted to the hands and the arms; - a limit value of 1,15m/s2 for the vibrations to the whole body. The exposure values triggering an action are: - 2,5m/s2 for the vibrations transmitted to the hands and the arms; - 0,6m/s2 for the vibrations transmitted to the whole body. In order to take into consideration the technical difficulties of the application, in particular in SMEs, the proposed revised directive provides a transition period of 6 years for the application of the limit values. This period is brought back to 3 years when new materials are brought into service and may be brought to 9 years for agricultural and forestry equipment. The Member States have the option of lowering the application of the value limit for the maritime and air navigation sectors. �

• #2313
• 2000/11/27 Council Meeting
• #2226
• 1999/11/29 Council Meeting
  • 2226
• 1999/09/16 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T5-0012/1999 summary

    The European Parliament confirmed as its first reading in the context of the codecision procedure the text voted upon on 20.04.1994 concerning this proposal for a directive.�

• 1999/09/01 Committee report tabled for plenary confirming Parliament's position
  • A5-0006/1999
• 1999/09/01 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
• #2182
• 1999/05/25 Council Meeting
  • 2182
• 1994/07/08 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(1994)0284 summary

     The Commission submits to the Council an amended proposal. There are two main types of amendments:-one group of amendments provides useful additional detail and clarification of the initial proposal;-a second group of amendments strengthen the proposal by enhancing the protection offered to the health and safety of workers.The Commission’s amended proposal retains the general structure and objectives of the initial proposal but extends and expands on certain provisions. Of the 41 amendments adopted by Parliament, 31 have been accepted, 4 of these in part. Six amendments have been rejected because they sought to exclude audible acoustic fields (Annex 1) from the scope of the proposal. The Commission has not accepted these amendments because they are contrary to the Commission’s obligations under Article 10 of Directive 86/188/EEC and under the European Parliament resolution of 13 September 1990 which requires the Commission to put forward a proposal on a directive on the basis of Article 118A of the Treaty with regard to the risks arising from noise and vibration and other physical agents. The Commission has also refused an amendment which imposes upon it an obligation already fulfilled by the Commission in producing its annual report on the implementation of Community legislation. Three amendments could not be accepted because their extremely binding nature would impose additional costs on employers yet not contribute to enhancing the health and safety of workers.

• 1994/04/20 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T3-0239/1994 summary

    The European Parliament adopted the report by Mr HUGHES on the exposure of workers to risks arising from physical agents. �

• 1994/04/19 Debate in Parliament
• 1994/03/29 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A3-0192/1994
• 1993/04/19 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1992/12/23 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1992)0560 summary

    PURPOSE : proposal to protect workers from the risks of exposure to physical agents.PROPOSED ACT : Council Directive.CONTENT : The proposal aims to protect workers against risks to their health and safety, including the prevention of such risks, arising or likely to arise from exposure to physical agents. It lays down particular minimum requirements in this area. The physical agents are defined as:-audible acoustic fields;-vibrations;-electric or magnetic fields or combinations of these with a frequency equal to or less than 3,10(15) Hertz (wavelength of 100 nanometres or more.) The directive will apply to activities where workers are likely to be exposed to these physical agents as a result of their work. The employer must then carry out an assessment of the risks resulting from exposure. Under the conditions laid down in the relevant Annexes, certain activities must be considered as presenting an increased risk and must be declared to the authority responsible. Each physical agent must be assessed, and where necessary, measured. The risk arising from exposure must be reduced to the lowest achievable level, with the aim of reducing exposure to below the threshold level referred to in the relevant Annex.The proposal proceeds on the basis that minimum requirements in the field must establish the general principles of protection and the objectives to be achieved, whilst leaving open the detailed rules translating the safety levels in operational terms, to be adopted in order to comply with the provisions of the Directive.The proposal makes provisions on personal protection, as well as worker information and training, consultation and participation of workers.

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1992)0560
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A3-0192/1994
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T3-0239/1994
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(1994)0284
• Debate in Council: 2182
• Committee report tabled for plenary confirming Parliament's position: A5-0006/1999
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0012/1999
• Debate in Council: 2226
• Modified legislative proposal published: 14162/2000
• Council position published: 07914/1/2001
• Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A5-0320/2001
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T5-0544/2001
• Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading: A5-0110/2002
• Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs: 3616/2002
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading: T5-0199/2002
• : Directive 2002/44
• : OJ L 177 06.07.2002, p. 0013
• : Corrigendum to final act 32004L0040R(04)
• : OJ L 079 21.03.2013, p. 0036
• Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)