In 2006, one of the important spearheads of the Dutch cabinet was the improvement of occupational health and safety on the work floor through a more effective policy in the area of working conditions. Greater customisation, fewer regulations, individual responsibility on the part of both employers and employees and a facilitating role on the part of the government were all central to the cabinet’s new approach. This new approach to working conditions took the form of a number of policy trajectories, including the programme ‘Improving Occupational Safety’ (Versterking Arbeidsveiligheid). The programme Improving Occupational Safety was launched in June 2003.

 

The policy aim of the programme was to reduce the number of occupational accidents in companies and sectors in the