Holistic public role osh chemical eu acm 280909

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China International Symposium on Work Safety and Sustainable

Development of Chemical Industry , Shenzhen Oct. 2009

A. Cerdá Micó

Holistic Public Role on Occupational Safety and Health at Chemical

Industry. EU Models

Alberto Cerdá MicóLabour and Social Security Inspector (Spain)

Expert on Social and Economic Cohesion

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OSH Chemical Industry & Public Authorities role EU Models

• Dangerous substances found in many workplaces (farms to hospitals)

• 22% EU workers exposed to toxic vapours for a quarter of their working time

• 16% handle dangerous substances as part of daily work. Effects ranging from skin irritations to chronic lung disorders & cancer

• OSH: is not only a matter of laws & regulations. Need combine compulsary enforcement with other instruments:

- - social dialogue; - good practices; - awareness raising; - corporate social responsibility

- economic incentives and public support

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Symposium on Work Safety and Sustainable Development of Chemical Industry . A. Cerdá

OSH Chemical Industry & Public Authorities role EU Models

• EU countries´s governments implement a wide range of public sector roles to encourage implementation of OSH:

- Mandating: Set standards through laws and regulations

- Facilitating: Non-binding guidance and support, like production of guidelines and training on OSH

- Partnering: Stakeholder engagement and social dialogue

- Endorsing: Highlighting best OSH practices and OSH awards

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EU OSH Legal and Institutional Model

• European OSH Strategy run from 2007-2012 with an objective to reduce 25% of occupational accidents.

• Set out actions in the following main areas: 1. improving and simplifying existing legislation

through non-binding instruments: - technical guidelines - dissemination - training - information etc 2. defining and implementing national strategies

adjusted to the specific context of each Member State

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EU OSH Legal and Institutional Model

3. linking health and safety within other policy areas: - education (progresive introduction of OSH culture at schools and universities)

- public health (links with heath authorities and programs) - research 4. better identifying and assessing potential new risks

through more research, exchange of knowledge and practical application of results.

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EU OSH Legal and Institutional Model I DISSEMINATION AND TRAINING

The European Agency for Safety and Health (EU -OSHA), placed in Bilbao, is the central provider of OSH information: relevant to every user, regardless of size ofenterprise or sector of activity

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I DISSEMINATION AND TRAINING

• analyse new scientific research and statistics on workplace risks

• anticipate new and emerging risks through European Risk Obserbatory

• identify and share information & good practices with a wide audience

• Main awareness-raising activity is the Healthy Workplaces campaign: different theme every 2 years

• Identifies OSH information & make accessible to safety representatives, managers, employers and workers, trade unions and policy-makers.

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and Sustainable Development of Chemical Industry . A. Cerdá


Agency has run an annual European Campaign since 2000: more than 30 countries participating & 4 million information materials distributed in all official community languages

Campaign 2008-2009:

Others:

9Symposium on Work Safety

and Sustainable Development of Chemical Industry . A. Cerdá


Aim of 08-09 campaign: promote an integrated management approach that takes into account the different steps of risk assessment.

Duration: two-year to underline that risk assessment is a

systematic examination of all aspects of the work undertaken to consider:- - what can cause injury or harm, - - whether the hazards can be eliminated and,

- if not, what preventive or protective measures are, or should be, in place to control the risks.

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- Where: 2003 Campaign: run in all 15 EU Member States, the candidate countries, and beyond

- When: Week campaign October 2003, each country deciding which week is designated. However, the campaign run throughout 2003

- WHY does Europe need to tackle the problem of dangerous substances at work?: harm people’s health & loss of productivity

- WHAT can be done?

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Development of Chemical Industry . A. Cerdá


OSH GUIDELINES AND STANDARDSEmployers have to ensure that workers are informed -

trained on hazardous properties of the agents manipulated & appropriate precautions

To facilitate the understanding of regulations & standards in practical terms on how the OSH legal requirements apply at enterprise level for each work place

Guidelines are prepared, published and disseminated by EU and member states & OSH Focal points, mostly free of charge.

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I DISSEMINATION AND TRAINING Typical OSH GUIDELINE on the production o use of harmful chemical substances will include: - What is a Chemical Hazard and what is Risk Assessment- What it is not harmful- Scope and Application (economic sectors and work places included in the guideline) - Assessment Strategy - The Substances: Physical and chemical properties- Harmful and adverse health effects - Description of Activities with chemical products - Risk Assessment (including description of methodologies and technical processes

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I DISSEMINATION AND TRAINING Criteria for determining excessive personal exposure Exposures judged excessive by severity of effect Criteria for excessive risk of fire or explosion Unstable substances. Incompatible substances Frequency or duration of unsafe condition People who may be at risk from the work activity Conclusions about risk. Preventive measures Monitoring Personal Exposure. Health tests OSH organizations within the company providingOSH health control and follow upEmergency Measures Review of the Assessment

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Other tools for OSH promotion: - EU best practices on chemical risks - Publications - Reports - Literature Reviews - OSH-Mail - Evaluation Reports on OSH performance - Linking with other relevant organizations and

strategies. OSH Focal Points - Training: very often free of charge or with public

support

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EU OSH Legal and Institutional Model II MONITOR IMPLEMENTATION OF REGULATIONS

a) The OSH Framework Directive, 89/391/EEC, applies to all risks

• The Directive set up as main obligation for the employers:

- Determine whether any hazardous chemical agents are present in the workplace

- Assess any risk to the S&H of workers arising from their use

- Ensure that the risk is eliminated or reduced to a minimum

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There are 5 OSH downstream directives related to dangerous substances:

– Chemical Agents Directive 98/24/EC – Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive 2004/37/EC – Safety Signs Directive 92/58/EEC – Pregnant Workers Directive 92/85/EEC – Young People at Work Directive 94/33/EEC

II MONITOR IMPLEMENTATION OF REGULATIONS

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b) Labour Inspectorate & OSH Preventive Services

• Labour inspectorates play a central role in promoting safety and health at work

• First hand information from labour inspectorates has to be taken into consideration by public authorities

• Labour inspectorates are complemented in EU countries by the role played by OSH Preventive services

• Framework Directive 1989: companies will set up protective and preventive services

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b) Labour Inspectorate & OSH Preventive Services

• the external services and/or designated persons and workers must have the necessary aptitudes, personal and professional means

• the designated workers and/or the external services must be sufficient in number to deal with the organization of protective and preventive measures taking into account all work places and risks derivated witht the existance of dangerous substances.

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c) Health Surveillance

• Needed when there are hazardous substances at work place• The public authorities have to monitor that companies

comply with the following principles: - For each worker individual health and exposure records are

made and kept up-to-date - Health and exposure records shall contain a summary of the

results -The individual worker should have access to the health and

exposure records relating to him

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II MONITOR IMPLEMENTATION OF REGULATIONSc) Health Surveillance

• As a result of health surveillance if a worker is found to have an identifiable disease effect considered by a doctor the employer should:

- review the risk assessment - review the measures provided to eliminate or reduce

risks, - take into account the advice of the the competent

authority in implementing any measures required to eliminate or reduce risk


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II MONITOR IMPLEMENTATION OF REGULATIONS d) Principles for Control of Exposure to

Substances Hazardous to Health Exposure to hazardous substances must be prevented or

controlled by: 1 the design and use of appropriate work processes,

systems, engineering controls 2. use of suitable work equipment and materials 3. control of exposure at source 4. as a last resort where adequate control cannot be

achieved by other means, in addition to the above, use personal protective equipment


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d) Principles for Control of Exposure to Substances Hazardous to Health

• The measures referred to above include: - safe handling, storage and transport -suitable maintenance procedures -reducing to the minimum number of employees exposed -restricting level and duration of exposure, and

quantity of substances -appropriate hygiene measures


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• risk must be either eliminated or reduced SFARP • preference should be given to risk reduction by

substitution• Otherwise: -use controls including, in order of priority: 1. the reduction of quantities to a minimum 2. avoidance or minimizing of release 3. control of the release at source


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4. prevention of the formation of an explosive atmosphere, 5. avoidance of

(i) ignition sources (ii) adverse conditions 6. segregation of incompatible dangerous

substances 7. mitigate effects of fire/explosion or dangerous substances




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Holistic Public Role on Occupational Safety and Health at Chemical

Industry. EU Models.

Thank you for your attentionAlberto Cerdá Micó

Contact: [email protected] www.frameeurope.es


Development of Chemical Industry . Shenzhen 2009

Holistic public role osh chemical eu acm 280909

Presentations & Public Speaking

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