Chemicals at the workplace: REACH and OSH in practice

3 October 2012 | ECHA, Helsinki

During this workshop participants discussed how the REACH Regulation and occupational safety and health (OSH) regulatory practices can reinforce each other to adequately control the risks from chemicals at the workplace. The first experiences with REACH are available and allow for an outlook on the usability for control, of risks of chemicals in the workplace.

The workshop contributed to a further dialogue on the practices, synergies and tensions of both regulatory regimes. It allowed industry and trade unions to bring forward their views and needs when dealing with both regulatory regimes.

There is a long standing experience in the safe handling of chemicals at the workplace which has led to improved knowledge on effective control practices. In addition, REACH generates further information on the properties of the substances, risk management measures and operational conditions required to control the exposures of workers. With REACH, new risk management measures like the authorisation procedure are available to promote the substitution of hazardous chemicals or to identify measures for worker protection. 

Programme

Workshop: Chemicals at the workplace: REACH and OSH in practice

Presentations

• How REACH supports OSH Legislation Bjorn Gaarn Hansen
• The burden of occupational ill-health related to dangerous substances – an EU-OSHA erspective Elke Schneider,
• The Interface between REACH and CAD/CMD Robin Foster
• Experiences from Registration Dossiers Andrew Phillips
• Remarrks on usefulness and compatibility of CSRs / SDSs for workers protection requirements P Levy
• A comparison of safety margins - DNELs and IOELVs Gunnar Johanson
• New insights on exposure limits – DNELs / DMELs and OELs / BOELVs Henning Wriedt
• Maximising benefits Reach for workers Marcel Wilders
• Experiences with CSR and (e)SDS, impact on SMEs, how to deal in practice with the REACH  and OSH regimes, future needs and who may be acting on these M. Viñas
• REACH and OSH: ensuring effective worker protection from chemical risks Judith Kirton-Darling
• Identifying critical issues for future development on enforcement Karen Clayton