The Commission of the European Communities (Commission) brought an action against the United Kingdom for a declaration that provisions of section 2(1) of the UK Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Act), read in conjunction with sections 33 and 47 of that Act, permitted the United Kingdom to negate its obligations under Article …Read more

A group of employees brought an action in negligence for damages against their employer, Chemical & Insulating Co, for exposure to asbestos in the course of their employment. The employees had been negligently exposed to asbestos and had as a consequence developed pleural plaques. This was the thickening of a layer of fibers on the …Read more

This case was brought as a test case to examine the scope of an exception in tort law causation rules. In Fairchild v. Glenhaven Funeral Services Ltd [2002] UKHL 22 (Fairchild), the House of Lords created an exception in to the normal law of causation in torts for workers who had been exposed to asbestos dust …Read more

The region of Wallonia brought a claim before the Court challenging a 1996 Royal Decree limiting the stocking of inflammable and combustible products in the workplace. The Decree created a law to address safety concerns in stocking such products and protect the well-being of all workers in the worksite. The applicant challenged the jurisdictional validity …Read more

Mrs. X was an employee of the Sochata Snecma company, which is a part of Snecma services, on the site of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Mrs X was laid off on account of a disruption of the service following numerous work stoppages.  The Rambouillet employee claims court reversed her dismissal and ordered her reinstatement within the Snecma services …Read more

The plaintiff alleges that Greece failed to comply with its obligation to protect public health against air pollution of the  European Social Charter by allowing the operate of lignite mines and power stations without taking all necessary steps to reduce this impact. The MFHR bases its claim on studies of particulate matter that show that …Read more

A 29-year-old construction worker fell 10 meters from veneer roof while at work, rendering him permanently and totally disabled. No safety devices were provided by the employer, including a net or other protection mechanism to protect workers from falls.  The worker brought an action challenging the constitutionality of Article 39(1) of the Occupational Risks Law …Read more

The Petitioner, Seenath Beevi, was the head nurse at a government hospital in Kerala. She worked 14 hours a day, six days a week because shift duties were not available at the hospital. The government had introduced a “3 shift system” in some hospitals with the aim of limiting working hours to 8 hours per …Read more

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) alleged that a large number of children work illegally in many economic sectors in Portugal. It further stated that the poor working conditions these children are subjected to have a serious impact on their health. The ICJ produced several documents and relied particularly on a report which stated that …Read more

German applicants filed a claim alleging violation of Article 6 § 1 (right to fair trial) of the Convention by the German courts when the case their mother commenced regarding her asbestos dust-related lung disease was not heard within a reasonable amount of time. The husband of the original plaintiff, Mrs. Gretel Janssen, worked as …Read more