From Vision to Action

This policy brief, the third of three from EU-OSHA's fourth foresight cycle on climate change and occupational safety and health (OSH), sets out a shared vision for 2050 of a safe, healthy and sustainable working environment in Europe. The vision was synthesised by the research team from the desirable elements of the four scenarios presented in the second brief, then discussed and refined with stakeholders in a workshop, whose contributions were analysed to derive implications for different stakeholder groups.
The vision is of a world of work that is climate-resilient, inclusive and safe for all, in which OSH is integrated into climate action, technological innovation and economic planning. Its key elements are a just transition, coordinated action between OSH and climate strategies, safety by design in green technologies and practices, ongoing monitoring and evaluation of emerging risks, adaptive, pragmatic and inclusive regulation, a focus on affected groups, and human-centred innovation. The brief also identifies the tensions and trade-offs on the way, including short-term crises that divert attention from long-term goals, financial pressures on businesses, resistance to behavioural change, global emissions and supply chains beyond Europe's reach, technologies deployed faster than safety frameworks can adapt, and the need for transparency and public engagement to keep policies legitimate.
Implications are outlined for governments and policymakers, employers and their representatives, workers and their representatives, intermediary bodies such as social partners and civil society organisations, and researchers and innovators. They range from aligning OSH and climate policies across departments and levels of governance, embedding OSH in corporate sustainability strategies and engaging workers in early-warning systems, to sector-specific roadmaps for safe and equitable green transitions and interdisciplinary research on new risks. The brief concludes that climate change is a profound social and economic disruptor, and that the green transition is much more likely to succeed with safe, healthy and supported workers.
Reference
Maistrello, G., Sykes, K., Xu, L., Adams, A., Silfversten, E., & Könnölä, T. (2026). From vision to action: Climate-driven developments influencing future occupational safety and health and their implications for stakeholders [Policy brief]. European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/vision-action-climate-driven-developments-influencing-future-occupational-safety-and-health-and-their-implications-stakeholders