Safety and health at work: exposure of workers to optical radiations

 The Conciliation Committee reached agreement on a joint text for the directive on exposure of workers to optical radiation:

- the main issue at stake had been the distinction drawn by the Council between protection from radiation from artificial sources and protection from radiation from natural sources (e.g. sunlight or natural fires). The Council finally agreed with Parliament to exclude from the text of the proposal any reference to natural optical radiation, thus limiting the scope of the directive to artificial optical radiation;

- the provisions on the purpose of health surveillance had also proved another sticking-point. However, Parliament and Council finally agreed that the objectives of health surveillance would include the "timely detection of adverse health effects";

-the agreement reached on the implementation of health surveillance stipulates that, where exposure above the limit values is detected, a medical examination shall be made available to the worker(s) concerned in accordance with national law and practice. The same shall apply in the event that, as a result of health surveillance, a worker is found to have an identifiable disease or adverse health effect which is the  result of exposure to artificial optical radiation.