Under the lead of ECR rapporteur Chiara Gemma, the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee has backed a resolution calling for stronger workplace safety standards across Europe, including better prevention measures, tougher enforcement of labour protections and the establishment of an annual European Day in Remembrance of the Victims of Accidents at Work and for the Protection and Dignity of Workers on 8 August.

“Every worker who leaves home in the morning deserves to return safely to their family in the evening. It is about prevention, responsibility and respect for the people who keep our societies functioning every single day,” Gemma said following the adoption.

The proposed remembrance day commemorates the 1956 Marcinelle mining disaster at the Bois du Cazier mine in Belgium, where 262 miners from Italy, Belgium, Poland, France, Germany and Greece lost their lives. The tragedy remains one of the defining moments in Europe’s collective awareness of the need for stronger workplace safety standards.

“Marcinelle is a symbol that belongs to the whole of Europe. Workers from many nations died together there, and their memory reminds us that European cooperation must also mean a shared responsibility to guarantee safe and dignified working conditions across our continent.”, said Gemma.

Gemma warned that the scale of workplace accidents across Europe remains unacceptable, saying:

“More than 3,200 Europeans lost their lives in workplace accidents last year, while nearly 2.8 million suffered serious non-fatal injuries. These are not abstract statistics. They are construction workers, drivers, factory workers and many others who took risks simply by going to work.”

She stressed that workplace safety debates must remain focused on the real risks workers face every day:

“When we speak about occupational safety, we must speak about the real dangers workers face every day like dangerous machinery, heavy transport, construction sites, exhaustion and unsafe conditions. However, Europe should not only protect these workers better, it should value them more.”

On the broader significance of the remembrance day, Gemma added:

“Remembering past tragedies is not about symbolism alone. It is about learning lessons, strengthening prevention and building a genuine culture of safety in every workplace. A European Day of Remembrance on 8 August would send a strong message that the lives and dignity of workers matter everywhere in Europe.”

The resolution was adopted with 45 votes in favour, none against and 6 abstentions.