Directive (EU) 2019/130 (Text with EEA relevance.)

What it is

to make technical amendments to Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work. PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: according to latest statistics, cancer is the first cause of work-related deaths in the EU (annually, 53 % of occupational deaths are attributed to cancer, notably caused by exposure to carcinogenic substances at work). It is estimated that every hour in EU, between 7-12 people die of cancer because of past exposure to carcinogenic substances at work. The Commission took a first step to address these issues by adopting on 13 May 2016 a legislative proposal to amend Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work with a view to revise or to introduce exposure limit values for 13 chemical agents. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the report by Claude ROLIN (EPP, BE) on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work. The committee recommended that the European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission proposal as follows: Diesel engine exhaust : Members proposed including in Annex I work involving exposure to such exhaust gases and setting an occupational exposure limit value in Annex III of 50µg/m³ (0.05 mg/m³) calculated on the basis of elemental carbon. They recommended considering emissions from all diesel engines, without distinguishing between them. By 30 June 2019, the Commission shall, after consulting the Member States and the social partners, assess the need to modify the limit values for diesel engine exhaust emissions. The Commission shall propose, where appropriate, necessary amendments related to that process. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons : in the forthcoming evaluation of the implementation of the Directive, the Commission shall also examine the possibility of extending entry 2 in the Annex I to cover work involving burning processes and high temperature combustion processes and to set a limit value for benzo[a]pyrene in order better to protect workers from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons mixtures. Members proposed to extend the ‘skin notation’ to all polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures. Social partners' agreements : the Commission shall encourage the social partners to conclude social dialogue agreements providing guidance and tools to support the effective implementation of the employers' obligations laid down in this Directive. Those agreements shall be listed in Annex IVa. That list shall be regularly updated. In addition, Members proposed that Member States shall communicate to the Commission the national law and practices that ensure that their competent authorities have a sufficient number of…

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