European impulses for a gender-sensitive occupational safety and health policy.

The gender-sensitive design of occupational safety and health (OSH) is increasingly moving into focus at the European level. Discussions in the context of the Directive on carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances (CMRD), as well as recent research by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and EUROGIP, make it clear: gender sensitivity is a key factor for effective OSH and should be considered more systematically at EU level.

CMRD: Taking the gender dimension into account

In the context of the sixth revision of the CMRD, Member of the European Parliament Liesbet Sommen (EPP, BE), acting as rapporteur, explicitly incorporated the gender dimension into her amendments to the text. She calls for gender-specific aspects to be systematically integrated into future evaluations and revisions of the Directive. The background to this is that differences in exposure patterns, physiological susceptibility and health effects between women and men have so far not been sufficiently considered in OSH research, particularly with regard to chemical risks.

Amendments from the Renew, Greens/EFA and The Left also address this demand. They emphasise gender-specific vulnerabilities and call for the gender dimension to be systematically considered in scientific studies as well as in opinions issued by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work (ACSH). In addition, gender mainstreaming should become an integral part of all EU policies and prevention strategies.

If these positions prevail in the further legislative process on CMRD VI, this would represent an important step towards evidence-based and gender-sensitive regulation in European occupational safety and health.

Menstruation, menopause and mental load: blind spots in occupational safety and health

The issue is also receiving increasing attention at trade union level. At an ETUI event in February, it became clear that aspects such as menstruation, menopause and the so-called mental load have so far been insufficiently considered in Europe in risk assessments, prevention strategies and OSH concepts.

Yet mental health has long been regarded as a central component of OSH in the modern working environment, as high mental strain has been shown to increase the risk of accidents. Hormonal changes related to menstruation or menopause can also affect concentration, fatigue, sleep quality, thermoregulation and stress processing, that is, precisely those factors that are crucial for safety and health at work.

Nevertheless, these aspects remain largely invisible. Spain has so far been an exception, having created a legal framework under labour law through the introduction of paid menstrual leave in order to recognise gender-specific health burdens.

Structural differences in exposure and recognition

The current EUROGIP commentary on the “Gender-specific approach to occupational safety and health in Europe” uses European data to demonstrate that risks, exposures and also recognition practices differ significantly between men and women. The publication analyses accidents at work and occupational diseases by gender in six countries (Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France and Italy) and highlights structural differences in exposure and recognition.

Gender-specific biases in the recognition of occupational diseases and inequalities in access to information, prevention and occupational health surveillance become evident. In addition, EUROGIP presents concrete instruments, including communication campaigns, practice-oriented guidelines, pilot projects and regulatory approaches, through which the gender perspective can be systematically integrated into prevention policy. The commentary thus provides not only a stocktaking but also practice-oriented impulses for a gender-sensitive further development of OSH in Europe.