Limits on exposure to carcinogens and mutagens at work

The European Commission proposes to amend Directive 2004/37/EC by expanding its scope and by including and/or revising occupational exposure limit values for a number of cancer-causing chemical agents. According to the Commission, this would improve workers' health protection, increase the effectiveness of the EU framework and promote clarity for economic operators. The proposal has received a broad welcome from stakeholders. Trade unions nonetheless regret that certain substances are not included, and some on the employers' side oppose the limit value for respirable crystalline silica. The Council reached an agreement on a general approach on the proposal on 13 October 2016. The EMPL Committee is expected to consider a draft report in late November, with the Committee vote scheduled for February 2017. A more recent edition of this document is available. Find it by searching by the document title at this address: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/home.html