From residual risks to future strategy: ACSH sets the course for upcoming initiatives.

The Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work (ACSH) met in mid-December 2025 to conclude outstanding work and plan activities for the coming year. In addition to adopting the work programme for 2026, the ACSH issued several opinions, including on improved communication of residual risks, initial input for the next strategic framework on safety and health at work, as well as two further opinions related to climate protection (see DSV News 1-2026). The ACSH is a tripartite advisory body of the European Commission, composed of representatives of national governments as well as workers’ and employers’ organisations from the 27 Member States.

Strategic framework: progress with room for improvement

As part of the 2025 work programme, an ACSH working group was tasked with analysing the state of implementation of the current strategic framework and developing initial input for a framework beyond 2027. It became clear that coordination between different levels of government and cooperation with the social partners are of central importance, but continue to pose challenges in practice.

The opinion also highlighted that enforcement and control are crucial to ensure that occupational safety and health requirements are actually implemented. Another key issue remains the availability of high-quality and comparable data. Despite existing support instruments, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continue to face significant implementation difficulties. Over the course of the year, this was also frequently linked to the European Commission’s simplification initiatives in the area of competitiveness.

Input for future objectives and areas for action

Based on the discussions, initial thematic areas for action for a future EU occupational safety and health framework were identified. These include in particular:

• Strengthening prevention while simultaneously promoting competitiveness
  
• Addressing new risks arising from digitalisation, artificial intelligence, climate change and demographic change, as well as psychosocial risks and mental health
  
• Further development of chemical protection, also beyond carcinogenic substances
  
• Improved support for micro enterprises and SMEs
  
• Expansion of research, exchange and data collection, including with regard to the standardisation and integration of data collection on occupational diseases
  

Some areas, such as psychosocial risks and mental health at work, as well as the question of how to address improvements in the safety and health of certain migrant workers, domestic workers and the self-employed, require further discussion.

Better information on residual risks

As no safe threshold exists for many carcinogenic substances, a statistical cancer risk remains even when binding occupational exposure limits are complied with. This issue is at the centre of the ACSH opinion on transparent communication of residual risks. The ACSH calls for systematic and transparent information on residual risks as a core element of a modern, risk-based occupational safety and health policy. This is intended both to strengthen the protection of workers and to support the further development of EU occupational safety and health legislation.

Specifically, the ACSH recommends the publication of a residual risk list with explanatory text on the website of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), a clear reference to this information in future amendments to the Directive on carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances (CMRD), and regular updates of the list when new or revised limit values are introduced.

Focus 2026

The 2026 work programme is clearly geared towards preparing a possible new EU strategic framework on safety and health at work after 2027. The focus is on identifying priorities and thematic areas for action.

Further substantive priorities include, among others, the drafting and adoption of an ACSH opinion on mental health and psychosocial risks at work, exchanges on fatal and serious occupational accidents related to critical raw materials, and technical input for the development of new or the updating of existing occupational exposure limits as part of the seventh amendment to the CMRD.