Standards work in the field of electrical engineering has taken place mainly at international level, at IEC, for many years. Conflicts may arise if the safety and health requirements of the European Single Market Directives are not accepted at international level or if standardization intervenes in the safety and health of workers at work by stipulating any rules of behaviour.

Since the first safety provision VDE 0100 was adopted over 100 years ago, the basic conditions of standardization have changed constantly. Its significance for occupational health and safety has continued to increase steadily. In the field of electrical engineering in particular, standards were referred to in laws, ordinances and accident prevention regulations at a very early stage. New basic conditions have now been defined for the interaction of occupational health and safety and standardization through EU legislation and the World Trade Organizations (WTO) „Agreement on technical barriers to trade” (TBT).

According to the Machinery Directive (98/37/EC; Art.1(5)), machines which mainly cause hazards on the basis of electricity come within the scope of the Low Voltage Directive (73/23/EEC). In order to decide whether the hazards brought about by the machine are primarily of an electrical nature, the manufacturer must, in accordance with the guide1 to the Low Voltage Directive (73/23/ EEC), carry out a risk assessment2. Assistance is provided by the relevant harmonized product standard for which a risk assessment was carried out and significant hazards identified during its preparation by the Technical committee.

German Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs: Directorate III c „Technical Occupational Health and Safety”

Occupational health and safety has no need for a management standard. This is still the position held by the KAN Management Board which discussed current developments in the field of OH&S management systems on 16 August 1999.

The systematization of standards for screen work (ISO 9241 series „Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals”) was discussed at international level at the last meetings of ISO/TC 159/SC 4 „Ergonomics of workersystem interaction”.

Employers must provide their workers with safe work equipment. In accordance with the „New Approach”, product requirements are regulated by the Single Market Directives based on Art. 95 of the EC Treaty (previously Art. 100a of the EC Treaty) and national implementing measures in support of these.

An increasing number of people are developing an allergy to latex protein. This is based on a hypersensitive reaction of the human organism to proteins from the milk of the tropical rubber tree (natural rubber latex). However, other components of latex products, e.g. thiurams, can also cause allergic reactions.

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