EU Parliament approves 8 August as European Day in Remembrance of the Victims of Accidents at Work

Brussels – Following the vote in Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, today (21 May), the European Parliament’s plenary session voted in favour of the proposal to establish a European Day in remembrance of victims of work-related accidents and the protection and dignity of workers. For MEPs, this is an opportunity to raise public awareness of the importance of prevention and workplace safety across the public, private, and institutional sectors, and to accompany it with concrete initiatives in schools and workplaces. The date chosen is 8 August, the anniversary of the Marcinelle tragedy (Belgium), where, on 8 August 1956, a fire in the Bois du Cazier’s coal mine caused the deaths of 262 miners of various nationalities, including 136 Italians. “Remembrance must translate into responsibility, awareness, and greater protection for every worker“, reiterated MEP and rapporteur for the text, Chiara Gemma (Fratelli d’Italia – ECR). Approved by 395 votes in favour, 12 against, and 41 abstentions, the non-binding resolution also calls for greater institutional commitment to reducing workplace accidents, occupational diseases, and deaths. “We must turn the remembrance of the victims of work-related accidents into a concrete commitment to their prevention,” Gemma emphasised. 

In particular, the European Parliament has asked the Commission to assess and address the occupational health and safety risks associated with artificial intelligence and algorithmic management systems, as those working via a digital platform—whose tasks or performance are directed or assessed using tools based on artificial intelligence—may be exposed to greater risks due to the intensification of work rhythms and invasive monitoring practices in algorithmic decision-making processes. MEPs then called on the Commission to assess the occupational health and safety risks associated with climate-related factors (heat stress, extreme weather events, and air pollution), urging the executive to propose more effective preventive and protective measures. On this point, Gemma noted that the resolution reinforces “support for the objective Vision Zero, namely zero work-related fatalities.” Parliament also emphasised the importance of inspections in ensuring safe and healthy workplaces. It therefore called on Member States to strengthen labour inspectorates with permanent staff, adequate resources and institutional independence.

The resolution was also enthusiastically welcomed in Italy by the National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL), which expressed “great satisfaction”, and by the Christian Workers’ Movement (MCL), whose president, Alfonso Luzzi, congratulated the Italian government on its support for the initiative and noted that, “after almost seventy years of waiting, the families of the 262 miners, including 136 Italians, who tragically lost their lives in what is the worst workplace accident ever to have occurred in Europe, will be able to commemorate their loved ones and, alongside them, the many, far too many, victims who lose their lives in the workplace every year.” In 2023 (the latest complete data available), there were 3,298 work-related deaths and approximately 2.8 million non-fatal accidents in the EU that resulted in at least four days’ absence.