Basic documents and KAN position papers

As part of its Omnibus IV package, the European Commission proposes to introduce the instrument of common specifications into numerous other items of Single Market legislation. Common specifications are European implementing acts that are intended to serve as an exceptional fallback solution for the European Commission in cases where standardisation mandates have been issued but the European standardisation organisations fail to develop harmonised standards, fail to deliver them on time, or present standards that are inadequate.

The NLF is an element essential for the success of the European Single Market. Since its introduction, it has proved to be a viable legal framework for product safety and the role of standardisation in Europe. KAN therefore calls for the core of the proven NLF system to be retained, and the NLF only adapted to new challenges, such as the digital transformation. As stated in the 2022 evaluation of the NLF, it is of undeniable importance for the creation of coherence within the EU legal framework for products. From KAN’s perspective, it is therefore important to ensure that the system remains coherent and practicable in the future.

Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 forms the central framework for the development of European standards. These standards contribute significantly to the harmonisation of products, services and processes within Europe. They thus make a decisive contribution to the success of the Single Market and to strengthening the EU’s competitiveness.

KAN welcomes the European Commission’s study for surveying up-to-date anthropometric data. The data concerned is particularly relevant to occupational safety and health. Products and workplaces can be safe and competitive only if the anthropometric data against which they are designed correspond to the body measurements of the current population.

Agriculture is undergoing a process of change. New technologies such as highly automated, driverless mobile machinery are increasingly being used in farming. OSH experts view equipment of this kind as potentially beneficial to safety and health.

This paper is addressed to standards committees that develop documents of relevance to occupational safety and health and artificial intelligence (AI). It formulates key points that should be implemented in standards relevant to AI.

Common specifications are European implementing acts that are intended to ensure that the public interest, such as the protection of health and safety, is nevertheless satisfied in the case of non-existent or inadequate harmonized standards. They are technical specifications that aim to harmonize product requirements in the same way as standards.

KAN has published this position paper on this instrument.

The essential principles of standardization apply only in part to standardization documents such as DIN SPECs, VDE SPECs, VDE rules of application, CWAs and IWAs. The Commission for Occupational Health and Safety and Standardization (KAN) therefore considers such documents inherently unsuitable for governing occupational safety and health issues.

"CEN/CENELEC Workshop Agreements"

Standards are an important element in prevention activity for safe and healthy workplaces. Elaborated at European and increasingly also at international level, they set out technical requirements for products and define measurement methods for emissions such as noise, vibration, radiation, and harmful substances. At the same time, standards increasingly impact upon non-technical areas such as the harmonization of management systems, services, health care, and qualification. Against this background, the signatories have agreed upon a set of joint positions on their standardization policy.

The non-visual effects of artificial lighting are a topic with a bearing upon the safety and health of workers at work. If standardization activity in this area is planned, the German government's policy document concerning the role of standardization in the safety and health of workers at work requires consideration first to be given to what extent such standardization is permissible.

The Guide to the implementation of directives based on the New Approach and the Global Approach (the ‘Blue Guide’) was published in 2000. Since then, it has become one of the main reference documents explaining how to implement the legislation based on the New Approach, now covered by the New Legislative Framework.

The act is a regulation pursuant to Article 16 and Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Article 16 TFEU concerns the right to protection of personal data. Article 114 TFEU governs implementation of the Single Market. In derogation from the practice of the New Legislative Framework to date, the proposal combines the elimination of barriers to trade with obligations directly addressed to users (in particular Article 29 of the proposal) and far-reaching fundamental right concerns. KAN's position is that a number of issues must therefore be clarified (for example by the European Commission) before the regulation is ratified.

The policy paper was drawn up by the working group on “Standardization in the health and safety of workers at work”. The working group was set up by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and consisted of representatives of the federal states’ supreme labour protection authorities, the Federal Agency for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), the Secretariat of the Commission for Occupational Health and Safety and Standardization (KAN), the umbrella associations of the social accident insurance institu­tions, the social partners, DIN (German Institute for Standardization) and of VDE (Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies).

The policy paper was first published in 2015 and revised in February 2021. In particular, the update clarifies that the Policy paper now formally and completely replaces the German Consensus Statement.

Since November 2016, a process description has underpinned the policy paper (see "11/2016 Description of the process..." in this list). The process description expands on the policy paper where the latter relates to new or ongoing standardization work items with reference to the health and safety of workers at work. It describes the functions of the various parties involved, the procedural processes and supports the objective of incorporating the expertise of all OSH stakeholders into KAN's position in an appropriate and timely manner.

Edition 2.2 - October 2019 (Update of 2^nd Edition)

setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance relating to the marketing of products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 339/93 (9 July 2008)

PART I - <link file:2477 download "Öffnet eine Datei">Role of the Commission's Standardisation requests to the European standardisation organisations</link>

PART II  - <link file:2478 _blank download "Öffnet eine Datei">Preparation and adoption of the Commission’s standardisation requests to the European standardisation organisations</link>

PART III - <link file:2479 _blank download "Öffnet eine Datei">Guidelines for the execution of standardisation requests</link>

The safety of products in the health sector - from hospital beds to heart-lung machines – is assured by standards. Increasingly however, and to some extent with the support of the European Commission, standardization is addressing not only products but also services in the health sector, ranging from nursing to the electronic processing of patients' data.
The Commission for Occupational Health and Safety and Standardization (KAN) is taking a critical interest in this development as it could result in established, proven social security systems (especially those concerning health and safety) colliding with undesired parallel systems – to workers' detriment.

amending Council Directives 89/686/EEC and 93/15/EEC and Directives 94/9/EC, 94/25/EC, 95/16/EC, 97/23/EC, 98/34/EC, 2004/22/EC, 2007/23/EC, 2009/23/EC and 2009/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Decision 87/95/EEC and Decision No 1673/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

"Guidance document for the development of service standards"

Guidance for writing standards taking into account micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) needs

"Common policy guidance for addressing standardisation on qualification of professions and personnel"

Standardisation for Safe Products

on a common framework for the marketing of products, and repealing Council Decision 93/465/EEC

(Single Market / product safety)

(Safety and health of workers at work)

European Standardization is mandated to contribute to the competitiveness of Europe and to support the European economy in international trade. Manufacturers and importers of machinery (who have to construct or distribute their machinery in accordance with the EC Machinery Directive) as well as standards bodies developing product standards found that there is a certain lack of easily applicable generic standards in the field of ergonomics. As a result, specifications concerning ergonomic aspects are sometimes regulated several times in different standards and not necessarily in the same way. A clear structure for ergonomics standards and their contents will help to prevent possible uncertainties for the users. The present guide is intended to effectively support the core activities of the ergonomics standards committees in this sense.

Text of the CEN Resolution BT 22/1997, which was adopted unchanged by CENELEC at the BT meeting held from 30/09 to 2/10/1997

AGREEMENT ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE.