Questionnaire for occupational health & safety experts
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This questionnaire is for occupational health and safety (OSH) professionals working with companies to reduce workers’ exposure to the relevant chemical agents. As an OSH expert, we hope that you will help us to understand the risk management measures required to implement OELs and STELs and thus assess their technical and economic feasibility.
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A consortium comprising RPA Risk & Policy Analysts (United Kingdom), FoBiG Forschungs- und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe (Germany), COWI (Denmark), and EPRD Office for Economic Policy and Regional Development (Poland) has been contracted by the European Commission (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) to carry out a study to support a possible amendment of Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work (hereinafter the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive or CMD).
The objective of the study is to assess the impact of establishing Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) and, where relevant, Short-term Exposure Limits (STELs) for the following chemical agents[1]:
- cadmium and its inorganic compounds
- beryllium and its inorganic compounds
- inorganic arsenic compounds including arsenic acid and its salts
- formaldehyde
- 4,4'-Methylene-bis(2-chloroaniline) (MOCA) (includes consideration of a skin notation)
For each agent, a range of potential limit values is being assessed reaching from the lowest to the highest values resulting from Scientific Committee on OELs (SCOEL) recommendations, Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) opinions and OELs established in EU Member States.
The deadline for completion of the questionnaire is 3 November 2017.
All responses to this questionnaire will be treated in strict confidence and will only be used for the purposes of this study. In preparing our reports for the Commission (which, subsequently, may be published), care will be taken to ensure that specific responses cannot be linked to individual companies.
If you have any questions about this study, please contact Daniel Vencovsky (daniel.vencovsky@rpaltd.co.uk or +44 (0)1508 528 465).
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Definitions and acronyms
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CMD
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Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive 2004/37/EC
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MOCA
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4,4'-Methylene-bis(2-chloroaniline)
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OSH
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Occupational Health & Safety
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RAC
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The Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) is a scientific committee of ECHA that prepares the opinions related to the risks of substances to human health and the environment. It also assisted DG Employment with the evaluation of MOCA and inorganic arsenic compounds.
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RMM
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Risk Management Measure
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SCOEL
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The Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL) assists the Commission, in particular, in evaluating scientific data and recommending OELs.
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Skin notation
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An indication that the dermal route of exposure is scientifically considered to be relevant (in addition to the inhalation route)
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STEL
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A Short-term Exposure Limit (STEL) is a limit of the concentration in the air within the breathing zone of a worker, measured or calculated in relation to a reference period of fifteen minutes.
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TWA
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Time-weighted average
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[1] The study is also assessing the impacts of an OEL of 5 µg/m3 for ‘chromium (VI) compounds in welding or plasma cutting processes or similar work processes that generate fume’ which will enter into force 5 years after the transposition date of the compromise recently reached by Council and the European Parliament on the Commission proposal COM(2016)248 final.