The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) launched its 2018-19 EU-wide campaign, Healthy Workplaces Manage Dangerous Substances, on April 24. 

The launch marks the start of two years of events and activities aimed at drawing attention to the issue and promoting the best ways of tackling the risks that dangerous substances pose to workers. 

 

Contrary to popular belief, the use of dangerous substances is not decreasing in the EU, and the need to manage the risks they pose is as pressing as ever. Some of the substances that workers are most commonly exposed to include carcinogens (the European Commission has recently proposed to limit workers’ exposure to another five cancer-causing substances). 

 

The new campaign aims to promote techniques for the proper management of dangerous substances in the workplace by disseminating practical tools and case studies. It also focuses on groups of workers who are at particular risk. The campaign brings together a wide range of partners, which help to spread the campaign’s messages to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.  

 

EU-OSHA is also a partner of the Roadmap on Carcinogens. This action scheme aims to raise awareness of carcinogens in the workplace and to provide practical information on risk assessment and good practice examples for eliminating or managing risks.