Occupational Safety and Health, from the Perspective of the Prevention of Occupational Hazards

Abstract

The passing of the Prevention of Occupational Hazards Act, (Ley 31/1995), constituted a change in direction in the development of occupational safety and health in Spain. This article describes the most salient points of this new legislation, from the criteria and principies that have to govern preventive activities, to the obligations and rights of both employers and workers, together with the co-operation and co-ordination of the activities of the various Administrations which have jurisdiction and the participation of employers’ and workers’ organisations, as the backbone of policy in matters concerning the prevention of occupational hazards.