Worker Control over Occupational Health Services: The Development of Legal Rights in the EEC

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the legal developments with respect to worker control over occupational health services. It gives a survey of legislation in the member states of the European Economic Community (EEC), in particular as to how worker involvement in occupational health services is organized and what it entails in terms of access to information, supervision of the health expert's work, and participation in decisions on selection of service and staff. Although worker participation in the organization and functioning of occupational health services is recognized as a matter of principle in several countries, disparity exists concerning the arrangements adopted for this purpose. It is shown, that—on the whole—legal rights concerning the supervision of the health specialist's work remain rather limited in scope. Finally, the question is discussed which legislative measures could improve the workers' position vis-à-vis occupational health services and their professional staff and to what extent the transformation of occupational health services into public institutions would remove the limitations inherent in any form of worker participation at enterprise level.