EU: The European Parliament has narrowly avoided introducing a directive which would have made employers liable for workers' over-exposure to sunshine.
The "sunshine directive", as it became known, was part of a package of measures addressing health and safety issues at work and would have made employers liable for a range of illness from sunburn to skin cancer and eye damage. It was proposed by the European Commission and backed by the Council of Ministers from member states.
The parliament decided to leave it up to national governments to decide on the level of protection for workers.
During a lively debate some MEPs denounced the provision as an example of the "nanny super-state" and complained that employers of builders, farm labourers, road workers and even bar staff working outdoors could be ruined.
Irish MEP Avril Doyle (FG East) said: "Are we asking employers to line up their employees on a Monday morning and check their skin types and whether they have been overexposed at the weekend, and then say, 'Sorry, you can't go in the sun at all this week?' If ultimately I get skin cancer through irresponsible choices despite all the health warnings, should my employers be left to carry the can?"
However, the Socialists and Greens argued that EU legislation was vital to cut skin cancer rates among outdoor workers, but the right denounced it as an example of the nanny state running amok.