EU countries and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on new workplace safety rules designed to reduce workers’ exposure to hazardous substances linked to illnesses including cancer and asthma.
The deal was struck under Cyprus’s presidency of the Council of the EU and would update the EU’s carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances directive (CMRD) — legislation covering substances that can cause cancer, genetic mutations or harm reproduction, the Council announced on Tuesday.
The revision is expected to prevent around 1,700 lung cancer cases and 19,000 other illnesses over the next 40 years.
The agreement keeps the Commission’s proposed limits on workplace exposure to cobalt and its inorganic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and 1,4-dioxane, and adds welding fumes to the directive’s list of substances, mixtures and processes.
What changes are included
The scope of the directive would also be expanded to introduce an occupational exposure limit for isoprene — a chemical used in industrial processes — under the provisional deal, the Council said.
A transitional period for applying the new exposure limit for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons would be extended to seven years, with the transition applying to all carbon and graphite manufacturers.
The agreement would introduce a requirement for regular breaks for workers wearing personal protective equipment, and would clarify how existing rules on such equipment apply.
Definitions of “carcinogen”, “mutagen” and “reprotoxic substance” would be updated, reflecting the inclusion of welding fumes in the directive for the first time.
The proposed changes still need to be endorsed by both the Council and the European Parliament before being formally adopted following a legal and language check.
