A month after launching its 2016 – 2017 occupational health and safety campaign, the European Commission has moved into top gear and on 13 May it presented occupational exposure limits (OELs) for a number of cancer-causing chemical agents, including crystalline silica and ceramic fibers, a subject on which the European social partners have divided opinions.
Each year 100,000 occupational cancer-linked deaths occur in the EU. Directive 2004/37/EC requires employers to protect workers from risks linked with exposure to carcinogens and mutagens. Specifically, they are tasked with removing or substituting any carcinogen or mutagen by a less dangerous substance and failing that to ensure that any reliance on the offending substance occurs in a closed system. The 2004 Directive sets OELs for three such: Benzene, Vinyl chloride monomer, and Hardwood dust
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