The Construction Sites Directive (92/57/EEC) published by the European Union (EU) in 1992 introduced the new concept of safety and health coordination based on a new chain of responsibilities (including the owner and the designer), new safety and health documents (the prior notice, the safety and health plan, and the safety and health file) and new safety and health stakeholders (the safety and health coordinators for the design phase and for the construction phase).

This new approach for the implementation and improvement of safety and health in construction comprises the design, execution and maintenance phases, representing a real challenge for all those involved in the construction process. At this moment, each of the 15 EU member states has brought this Directive into national law, interpreting and adapting this new approach to the reality of each country and taking into account the experience and particular environment of those who most apply them everyday. This document aims to discuss these issues together with this new concept of safety and health coordination and the way European Union countries have implemented it.

The exchange and knowledge of the existing practices in each country will certainly benefit other countries to develop improvement strategies for the future. It is the author’s belief that this exchange of information between countries should be strengthen, as this will certainly contribute significantly to improve safety and health on construction sites and reduce the number of occupational accidents and diseases in the construction industry in the European Union.

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