By Henrietta Billings - 7th September 2005
MEPs have voted to exclude sunlight from new EU optical radiation workplace health and safety legislation in a major victory for employers.
The European Parliament on Wednesday backed centre-right amendments allowing national governments to decide if sunlight rules are necessary by 397 votes for, 269 against and nine abstentions.
Under the original proposals, bosses would have been forced to protect outdoor workers such as builders and farm labourers from over-exposure to the sun.
The vote result was attacked by Green MEPs who had campaigned for Europe-wide laws to assess the dangers of UV radiation to employees.
"Today's vote is a blow to workers across Europe. Skin cancer is the same regardless of whether you catch it from artificial or natural radiation," said Green MEP Jean Lambert.
"By voting to exclude natural radiation from the directive, the conservatives and liberals have tried to undermine European health and safety regulations.”
The vote has received wide coverage in British and German papers with reporters warning that Bavarian bar maids in traditional dress and builders on construction sites would have to cover up in the sun.
European Business groups greeted the vote overturning EU 'tan bans' as a "victory for common sense".
“Today’s vote is a victory for common sense. Imposing EU-level obligations to regulate exposure to sunlight would be unrealistic, unnecessary and would further damage the credibility of EU legislation," said UEAPME Secretary General Hans-Werner Müller.
"No small construction firm or café has the time, the resources or the scientific know-how to make a daily analysis of the risks of UV conditions and to determine and distribute the necessary protective equipment on the basis of this."
This view was echoed by centre-right MEP Ria Oomen Ruijten who also welcomed the result.
"This directive is a classic example of overregulation by the Council. It is foolish to make European laws on the protection of workers against overexposure to sunshine."
"The situation in Greece is totally different than in Finland. It is for ths reason that we changed this aspect of the directive."
The European Commission estimates that people who work outdoors are exposed annually to doses of UV radiation 6-8 times higher than the doses received by office workers.
The laws are designed to protect employees from exposure to artificial and natural forms of radiation that can damage eyes and skin.
Brussels and national governments have stated that they would reject amendments excluded sunlight from the rules, so the directive will now go into a three way, MEP, commission and member state compromise negotiations.
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