THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 118a thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1),
In cooperation with the European Parliament(2),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee(3),
Whereas Article 118a of the Treaty provides that the Council shall adopt, by means of Directives, minimum requirements for encouraging improvements, especially in the working environment, to guarantee a better level of protection of the safety and health of workers;
Whereas, pursuant to the said Article, Directives must avoid imposing administrative, financial and legal constraints which would hold back the creation and development of small and medium-sized undertakings;
Whereas recourse to forms of employment such as fixed-duration employment and temporary employment has increased considerably;
Whereas research has shown that in general workers with a fixed-duration employment relationship or temporary employment relationship are, in certain sectors, more exposed to the risk of accidents at work and occupational diseases than other workers;
Whereas these additional risks in certain sectors are in part linked to certain particular modes of integrating new workers into the undertaking; whereas these risks can be reduced through adequate provision of information and training from the beginning of employment;
Whereas the Directives on health and safety at work, notably Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work(4), contain provisions intended to improve the safety and health of workers in general;
Whereas the specific situation of workers with a fixed-duration employment relationship or a temporary employment relationship and the special nature of the risks they face in certain sectors calls for special additional rules, particularly as regards the provision of information, the training and the medical surveillance of the workers concerned;
Whereas this Directive constitutes a practical step within the framework of the attainment of the social dimension of the internal market,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Opinion delivered on 20 November 1990 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and OJ No C 158, 17. 6. 1991.