EU-OSHA EDITORIAL STYLE GUIDE
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................. 1 1 Exceptions to the Interinstitutional style guide ............................................................................... 2 2 Spelling (in alphabetical order) ...................................................................................................... 2 3 Capitals ......................................................................................................................................... 6 4 Monetary values ............................................................................................................................ 6 5 Numbers ........................................................................................................................................ 7 6 URLs ............................................................................................................................................. 8 7 Acronyms ...................................................................................................................................... 8 8 Punctuation.................................................................................................................................... 8 Santiago de Compostela 12, 5th floor - 48003 Bilbao  Spain
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Although EU-OSHA adheres to the Interinstitutional style guide by the Publications Office, this
document presents some exceptions and contains specific terminology related to occupational safety
and health issues.
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Exceptions to the Interinstitutional style guide
The Agency (when referring to EU-OSHA) always has a capital letter.
ESENER, the acronym for the ‘European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks’ is
always written in capital letters (not Esener)
For English only: For numbers with more than three digits, separate each group of three digits
with a comma (for example 1,000 and 1,300,000) and not a protected (fixed or non-breaking)
space as advised in the Interinstitutional style guide).
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Spelling (in alphabetical order)
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Make sure you replace American English with UK English (unless it’s an American title citation):
centre not center, kilometre not kilometer, organisation not organization.
Use ‘s’ instead of ‘z’, e.g. organise not organize.
Acceding countries
Write acceding countries not accession countries.
Awareness-raising, raise awareness of
Awareness-raising is hyphenated if you are using it to describe a campaign or a poster or an exercise,
as for example: ‘The largest annual awareness-raising campaign.’
To raise awareness always takes the preposition ‘of’ as in, ‘the campaign was to raise awareness of a
healthier, safer and more productive workplace.’
Candidate countries
We would write candidate countries not applicant countries
Data
‘data’ is plural i.e. ‘data are ...’ not ‘data is ...’.
Director
Director as in Agency Director is written with an initial capital.
Et al.
et al. not et.al. or et al
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
This must be written out in full the first time it is used with the abbreviation EU-OSHA in brackets
afterwards. The abbreviation is always the same whatever language the title is written in. It is then
referred to as the Agency or EU-OSHA.
European Risk Observatory (ERO)
This name has initial capitals on all words. It must be written out in full the first time it is used, with the
abbreviation ERO in brackets afterwards. It should then be referred to as the observatory or ERO.
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European Week for Safety and Health at Work
The European Week for Safety and Health at Work has all capital letters as a title but then needs
referring to as the week.
Eurostat
Eurostat is written in lower case, but takes a capital E.
ESENER -- European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks
This must be written out in full to begin with, with the abbreviation ESENER in brackets afterwards, and
then referred to as the survey or ESENER.
EWCS
This is an abbreviation for the European Working Conditions Survey. It is not ESWC – European Survey
on Working Conditions.
Focal point(s)
This is lower case in text, for example: ‘the Agency’s focal point network’.
Good Practice Award
The European Good Practice Award (GPA) has initial capitals on all words. If you are describing the
GPA ceremony, then ceremony is all lower case.
Head of unit
Head of unit is written in lower case, but with initial capitals when referring to a specific job title, for
example, Head of the Communication and Promotion Unit.
Healthy Workplaces Campaign (HWC)
On first mention this title takes initial capitals on all words, with the abbreviation following directly
afterwards. If you then refer to it, use (in lower case) the campaign, campaign material.
Healthy Workplaces Film Award
On first mention this title takes initial capitals on all words. If you then refer to it, use (in lower case) the
award or the film award.
Horeca
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Horeca is an acronym for the hotel, restaurant and catering trade. It may be clearer to write this
out in full, as not everyone knows what it means. Bear in mind also that there are companies with
this name.
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It is written in lower case with initial capital
Institutions
If a body, for example an international organisation, has an official name in English, always use that, for
example: World Organisation for Animal Health rather than Organisation Mondiale de la Santé Animale.
If a body’s name is essentially a description of what it does, for example the name of a ministry, you
should translate it, preferably with a commonly accepted or previously used term.
The following solutions are all possible, depending on the type of document and/or the importance of
the body in the document:
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Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (Federal Ministry of Health) – formal (for example, where the
document is about this body);
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Federal Ministry of Health (Bundesministerium für Gesundheit) – for example, where this body plays
a significant role in the document;
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Federal Ministry of Health – for example, when part of a long list of ministries or mentioned just in
passing;
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the German health ministry – informal (for example, text on a web page).
After the first mention, the name given in brackets may be dropped. The full name may also be shortened
if there is no risk of confusion, for example: ‘the Bundesministerium/Ministry replied that ...’.
Where a body is referred to in the original language by an abbreviation, do not translate that abbreviation
with an improvised English abbreviation. Instead, give the English name followed by the original
abbreviation (transliterating if necessary) in brackets (or vice versa) on first mention and include the
original name as well if it is given, for example: the German Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Macedonia
The European Commission uses the full provisional reference under which the country was admitted to
the United Nations (UNSCR 817/93), i.e. "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (with small
"f and small "o" and the article only capitalised at the beginning of a sentence). The name "Republic of
Macedonia" or "Macedonia" is not to be used by the Commission, notwithstanding the fact that this is
the denomination used by the country itself.
The acronym "fYRoM" and its variants "FYROM" or "FYR Macedonia" should not be used in contacts
with the country or in public documents. In order to avoid possible problems, it is advised not to use the
acronym at all.
Member States
Member States has an initial capital on both words (not member states).
Ministry
Note the difference: Ministry of… but Minister for…
Musculoskeletal
Musculoskeletal not musculo-skeletal or musculo skeletal. It is one word and all lower case (unless it
appears at the beginning of a sentence).
Napo
Napo is a humorous character who appears in animated short films about health and safety. As such
the initial letter of his name is a capital but not the whole word.
Nordic countries
These are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories. Please note
that though the Faroe Islands and Greenland are part the Danish Kingdom, they are not part of the
EU.Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL)
This must be written out in full to begin with and then referred to (in lower case) as the limit or OEL. On
first mention this title takes initial capitals, with the abbreviation following directly afterwards.
Official campaign partner
The term ‘official campaign partner’ is written in lower case.
Online interactive Risk Assessment Tool (OiRA)
This must be written out in full to begin with and then referred to (in lower case) as the tool or OiRA. On
first mention this title takes initial capitals, with the abbreviation following directly afterwards.
Note that OiRA takes a lower case ‘i’.
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OSH
OSH (standing for occupational health and safety) does not translate well into many languages and the
word OSH can have an entirely different meaning in another language. If your text is going to be
translated use the word OSH with care or simply spell it out.
Policies and Directives
These titles of policies and directives have capital letters when used as titles, but use lower case when
referring to them as ‘the strategy’ or ‘the directive’, for example:
EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2014-2020
EU-OSHA Multi-annual Strategic Programme 2014-2020
Policy-makers
Write policy-makers with a hyphen and not policy makers or policymakers.
Scandinavian countries
Scandinavia is a historical cultural-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three
kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Sectoral
Write sectoral not sectorial.
Transnational
Transnational is written in one word, without a hyphen.
United Kingdom
Be careful when referring to the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom = Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Britain or Great Britain = England, Wales, Scotland and islands governed from the mainland (but not the
Isle of Man or the Channel Islands)
British Isles = United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands
User-friendly
We would write: 'It's a user-friendly manual' but 'the manual is user friendly'.
It's exactly the same with well recognised.
Website
website is written as one word.
Worldwide
Worldwide is written as one word.
Workforce
Workforce is written as one word.
Workplace
It is workplace not work place.
Workplace health promotion
This must be written out in full to begin with and then referred to as WHP.
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Work-related
Work-related is written with a hyphen.
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Capitals
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Framework Directive, Member States, the Commission (if talking about the EU Commission) and
the European Parliament also always have a capital letter.
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The full titles of EU-OSHA campaigns have capital letters on all substantive words but lower case
is used when subsequently referring to the campaign. For example, the Healthy Workplaces for
All Ages uses initial capitals, but if referring to it later on, use the lower case and say the campaign.
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An official campaign partner, the campaign launch, the campaign summit and the closing event
are all lower case.
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Healthy Workplaces Summit is written in capitals and then referred to as the summit.
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Similarly, use capitals when referring to the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at
Work 2014-2020 and thereafter refer to it as the EU strategic framework.
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The European Week for Safety and Health at Work is all capitals as a title, but should be referred
to as the week.
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This also applies when any of the Agency’s information projects are mentioned. ‘Mainstreaming
OSH into Education’ has capital letters as it is the title of a project. If you want to then refer to it,
you could say, for example, the project or the initiative or the scheme.
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When referring to an activity sector, use capitals for a specific title but lower case in general. For
example: ‘Agriculture in the EU: Statistical Information’ has capital letters in the text because it is
the title of a report. However, agriculture in text is lower case.

The EU-OSHA Photo Competition 2011 has capitals if it is a specific title of a particular
competition, but if it is a reference to an unspecified contest, it would be in lower case. For
example: ‘EU-OSHA has organised two photo competitions so far.’
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The same applies to an OSH opinion poll. The OSH Opinion Poll 2009 has capital letters because
it is a title, but an OSH opinion poll is lower case.
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Monetary values
When to use the name
When a monetary unit is referred to generally but an amount is not included, it is spelt out in letters, for
example: an amount in euros, a sum in pounds sterling. Tables are an exception.
When to use the ISO code
Text
When the monetary unit is accompanied by an amount, use the ISO code ‘EUR’ followed by a fixed
space and the amount in figures (compulsory in all legal texts), for example: the amount required is
EUR 12 500.
Tables
When indicating the main unit for a whole table, the ISO code and any multiplier appear in parentheses
above the table, ranged to the right. Italic type is used: (EUR), (million EUR).
Use numbers for most monetary values, for example: ‘€6,000’ not ‘€6 thousand‘ or ‘€6k’.
For round sums of a million or over, use €1 million. A billion is a thousand million – just write, for example,
€6 billion.
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When to use the euro sign (€)
The euro sign is reserved for use in graphics. However, its use is also permitted in popular works and
promotional publications (for example, sales catalogues).
In tables, use €000 for thousands (note that there is no ‘s’ and no space after the sign).
Use words, not hyphens, to show a range of monetary values. For example: ‘In two years, the amount
of money awarded rose from €5,000 to €6,000’ or ‘It is estimated that the amount awarded will be
between €5,000 and €6,000’.
Try not to start a sentence with a number, including a monetary value, but if you do, write it out in full.
More information on currencies is available online at:
http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-370300.htm
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Numbers
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In text, spell out numbers one to nine, use digits thereafter.
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Where numbers in the same sentence fall above and below this limit use figures for both: ‘9 to
11’, not ‘nine to 11’.
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When a sentence begins with a number it should always be spelt out in full. For example: ‘Twentyfive people were given safety awards last month’.
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Avoid beginning a sentence with a year, for example: instead of ‘1992 ...’ use ‘In 1992 ...’ or ‘From
1992 ...’.
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Figures are to be used in a series of stated quantities and always before an abbreviation: 6 kg, 7
years old, 11 metres, 28 000 tonnes.
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Numerals are always used in percentages (for example 2%) and for page references.
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Percentages: 15 % (preferably use the symbol, preceded by a thin space) in words write ‘per cent’
(two words, no point).
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Million and billion should be written out in full, for example: ‘£60 million’ except in charts and tables
where they can be abbreviated, for example: ‘£60 m, £1 bn.’
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Use billion to mean 1 000 million. To avoid ambiguity with former usage, define this in an
abbreviations list or at first mention (by putting 1 000 million in brackets).
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For numbers with more than three digits, separate each group of three digits with a comma (for
example 1,000 and 1,300,000) and not a protected (fixed or non-breaking) space as advised in
the interinstitutional style guide).
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Use a full point on the line in decimals, for example: 10.57
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Use a hyphen in number range and not a dash (for example, pp. 7-13). Use ‘to’ in case of
ambiguity and write either ‘from 50 to 100’ or ‘50-100’ but not ‘from 50-100’.
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If the first word in a sentence is a chemical compound that starts with a number, the first letter is
capitalised, for example: ‘2-Pentanone is a compound obtainable from propionic acid’.
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Use hyphens to link numbers to letters in the names of chemical compounds (on both sides if the
number is an infix). If there are several numbers in sequence, they are separated by commas.
Examples are: 2-pentanone; 1,2-dichloroethane; 2,2,3 3-tetrabromobutane.
More information on numbers is available online at http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en4100500en.htm
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URLs
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Retain the transfer protocol (http://, https://, ftp://...), particularly for ensuring the correct
configuration of links when downloading Internet pages.
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Make sure the link is are not broken or takes you to the home page of the organisation instead of
the specific link you want to include.
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Avoid using a full stop or other punctuation at the end of a URL to allow for easier copying and
pasting into an Internet browser. One option is to adapt the text to put the URL inside round
brackets.
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Acronyms

The first referral to an acronym in running text should include the full explanation of the name,
followed by the acronym in parentheses, e.g. human resources (HR).

EU-28 not EU 28 or EU28 (same for EU-10, EU-12, EU-15, NMS-10, NMS-12, etc.)
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ESENER not Esener or esener
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Punctuation
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The full stop is normally deleted from headings.
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‘Etc.’ only needs one full stop if it ends a sentence.
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Do not put two spaces after a full stop before starting a new sentence. Only one space should be
used.
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Abbreviations are followed by a point unless the last letter of the word is included (a contraction),
for example, Dr, Mrs, Ltd, but Co., Art., Chap.
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‘No’ as in ‘No 1’ (a contraction of ‘numero’, not an abbreviation) is never followed by a point.

Solidus: The solidus, also known variously as an oblique stroke, a slash or a shilling stroke, is
used for alternatives (and/or), to mean ‘per’ (km/day) and fractions (19/100). Do not use spaces
before and after.

No apostrophe is necessary in abbreviations such as MEPs, UFOs, 1920s.
For more information, consult the Interinstitutional styleguide at:
http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-000100.htm
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Tel. +34 944 358 400  Fax +34 944 358 401
[email protected]  http://osha.europa.eu
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