In May 2016, six organisations, including EU-OSHA, the European Commission and
the European social partners signed a Covenant agreeing to participate in a new
Roadmap for a scheme to reduce exposures to carcinogens in the workplace. The
initiative starts with the Netherlands EU Presidency in 2016 and is supported
by the Austrian EU Presidency in 2019.

Cancer is estimated to cause more than half of all work-related deaths in
Europe, and the new scheme proposes to raise awareness of the risks and of the
importance of the EU limit values as an element to prevent exposures. It also
aims to achieve more widespread and efficient exchange of the many good
practices that already exist in this area.

Some of the activities to be developed and implemented during the three years
of the scheme are:

• Providing employers with information about limit values and raising the awareness of employers and employees about the risks of exposure to carcinogens, in particular in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)


• Providing employers with information about risk assessment methods and possible risk-management measures


• Influencing behaviour and culture on the shop floor


• Collecting, describing and making accessible a number of specific, cost-efficient good practices, feasible for SMEs, in relation to particular carcinogenic substances


• Member States and organisations will be encouraged to offer to take on a mentoring or partnership role by leading on a specific part of the action scheme, for example around a specific group of carcinogens or a particular sector.

Smaller businesses with limited experience of good practices, in particular,
are likely to benefit from the scheme. It is also hoped that greater awareness
will lead to innovations in production processes, resulting in the carcinogenic
substances being replaced with safer alternatives.

More info

AplusA-online.de - Source: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work