Bilbao – Gisteren schreven wij dat de Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie sinds 11 maanden toestaat dat jongeren in de meest gevaarlijke sectoren werkaam zijn (zie https://havennieuws.nl/arbeidsinspectie-maakt-groenplukken-in-de-techniek-de-doodnormaalste-zaak-van-de-wereld/). Die publicatie riep heel wat vragen op waarop wij niet alleen de Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie maar ook de overkoepelende European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) een aantal vragen hebben gesteld.
592 woorden – 3 minuten
Hier onze brief aan hen:
— begin —
Esteemed Mr. William Cockburn,
I have a question regarding the employment of young people in high-risk sectors and the alignment between European and Dutch legislation.
The European Union requires employers to take a series of measures to protect the health and safety of young workers, based on a thorough risk assessment. However, the Netherlands Labour Authority (NLA) appears to have relaxed some of these minimum safeguards. A few examples:
1. Informing Young Workers of Risks
EU guidelines stipulate that all young workers—presumably under 18—must be informed of the potential risks associated with their job, as well as the protective measures in place. The NLA does not explicitly mention this obligation.
2. Offering a Health and Capacity Assessment
EU rules also require employers to offer a free, appropriate medical and psychological assessment before a young person begins work. The NLA fails to mention this entirely. Is this assessment truly mandatory, or is it sufficient to include a vague reference during intake or buried in a contract clause on page four? The difference between “offer” and “obligation” is significant—and yet, the NLA remains silent.
3. Work Beyond Physical or Psychological Capacity
Without requiring any form of assessment, how can the NLA—or employers—determine whether a job exceeds a young worker’s physical or mental capacity?
4. Exposure to Harmful Substances
EU legislation prohibits youth employment involving exposure to hazardous substances. Yet the NLA allows 16-year-old students to work in such environments, provided they wear standard Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This seems to contradict EU policy, which does not allow such work under any circumstances. The NLA’s conditions are limited to avoiding direct contact (even through gloves or inhalation) and excluding work involving chemical storage (e.g., tanks, pipes, reservoirs). Production and transport are notably absent from their exclusions.
Here’s the relevant Dutch excerpt:
a. zij doen geen werkzaamheden waarbij meer dan de standaard PBM’s zoals helm, gehoorbescherming, veiligheidsbril- en -(hand)schoenen en dichte werkkleding gebruikt worden, en
b. er ook met PBM’s geen enkele aanraking plaatsvindt (zoals in handen houden, waaronder inbegrepen in/op handschoenen, op kleding of door middel van inademing) met gevaarlijke stoffen, en
c. zij geen werkzaamheden doen aan of met opslagmiddelen waarin (restanten van) aangewezen gevaarlijke stoffen aanwezig zijn. Hierbij kan worden gedacht aan leidingen, vaten, tanks en reservoirs.
5. Work in High-Risk Environments
EU regulations prohibit youth employment in sectors with a high risk of accidents. Yet the NLA explicitly permits this through its “Work Instruction Interpretation” of Article 4.105 of the Dutch Working Conditions Decree (see https://www.nlarbeidsinspectie.nl/publicaties/richtlijnen/2024/05/13/werkinstructie-interpretatie-artikel-4.105-arbobesluit).
Given these discrepancies, my question is: Are the EU requirements for youth employment—particularly regarding risks, safety, and health—insufficiently clear, or do they contain loopholes that need urgent correction to protect young workers especially in the Netherlands as so many young people under 18 die at work in the Netherlands. See also our C. Steinweg Dodenmonitor.
Warm regards,
Erik van Loon
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Antwoorden vanuit de OSHA zal ik net als met antwoorden van de Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie meteen terugkoppelen op Havennieuws.nl dat verdienen alle nabestaanden (ouders, familie, buren, vrienden, collega’s) van al die jongeren die binnen de meest gevaarlijkse sectoren in Nederland sterven op de werkvloer.