Context and arrangements for occupational safety and health in micro and small enterprises in the EU : SESAME project : executive summary

Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) account for nearly 99% of enterprises in the European Union (EU) and employ nearly 50% of EU workers. Given these numbers, and the significant role such enterprises play in society as well as in the EU economy, the importance of effective means to prevent harm to the health and safety of workers in these firms should be apparent. Bearing this in mind, the aim of this review is to contribute an informed EU-wide analysis of current knowledge concerning the nature and experience of health and safety in work in micro and small enterprises. It reviews research concerning the nature of micro and small firms and their role in the EU economy, measures of the known extent of mortality and morbidity associated with work in them and the arrangements made in these enterprises to prevent this harm to their workers, while taking proper account of the structural, economic and political contexts in which this occurs in the Member States of the EU. It is intended to inform discourse on future policy development in this important area, while at the same time helping to identify important gaps in current understanding.