As our ongoing campaign for improved occupational health and safety measures within the sector has shown, those working in battery production face some of the harshest working conditions across the continent.

Working in zero-humidity rooms and exposed to hazardous substances, battery workers are placed under enormous strain. This dangerous environment is made significantly worse by the widespread use of high-speed machinery.

Much of this equipment is imported from outside Europe and is essential to the battery production process. However, without proper safeguards in place, it puts workers at serious risk of accidents, life-changing injuries, and even death.

Workers have reported crushed hands, severe burns, electric shocks, and fatal incidents. But despite this troubling reality, too many employers appear more focused on protecting their equipment than on protecting the people who make that output possible.

That is why we are calling on employers across the sector to take immediate and meaningful action to ensure safe working conditions around high-speed machinery. Workers deserve safe equipment, not broken bones.

In our latest campaign leaflet, we have set out the following demands for employers regarding the use of high-speed machinery in battery production:

• Maintain machines through regular servicing and timely safety upgrades.
• Provide thorough training on controls so that workers can safely operate every machine.
• Install emergency stops on all machines to ensure workers have immediate means of protection.
• Inspect and improve by conducting regular safety checks and addressing hazards without delay.