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 Parliaments 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 trained staff and other resources necessary to carry out their tasks related to proper and effective implementation of this Directive.
Long-term process: the amended text stressed that this Directive, which amends Directive 2004/37/EC, is a further step in a longer process to update that Directive.
Further amendments to that Directive shall address the issue of exposure of workers to carcinogenic or mutagenic substances resulting from the preparation, administration or disposal of hazardous drugs, including cytotoxic drugs, and work involving exposure to carcinogenic or mutagenic substances in cleaning, transport, laundry and waste disposal of hazardous drugs of materials contaminated by hazardous drugs and in personal care for patients under treatment of hazardous drugs.