Occupational safety and health: risks related to chemical agents (14th particular Directive, Directive 89/391/EEC)

This proposal for a Directive, which was an individual Directive within the meaning of Directive 89/391/EEC, laid down the minimum requirements for the protection of the health and safety of workers exposed to chemical agents present in the workplace. It consolidated, updated and adapted existing provisions in the light of present knowledge. It incorporated a number of measures envisaged in the texts of Directive 82/605/EEC (exposure to metallic lead) and Directive 88/364/EEC (banning of exposure to certain agents and certain work activities) and provided new, additional provisions designed to limit the risks of exposure. It improved the basis on which workers were supplied with information and ensured that all preventive measures adopted in the workplace were based on a correct assessment of the risks associated with the manner in which chemical agents were used and that such measures took due account of the characteristics of the workplace, the nature of work, the circumstances and any specific risk. Thus, the measures adopted must correctly reflect hazard levels, appropriate precautions and the size of the undertaking without imposing any unnecessary burden on employers. The Directive was intended to be more explicitly consistent with ILO Conventions Nos 170 and 177 on chemical products in the workplace and provided that the Directive on carcinogenic agents should remain in force since the latter was more favourable. The Member States must comply with this Directive no later than 30 June 1996. �