Activities of Georges BACH related to 2012/2065(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on asbestos related occupational health threats and prospects for abolishing all existing asbestos PDF (227 KB) DOC (144 KB)
Amendments (29)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
- having regard to the Council Resolution of 29 June 1978 on an action programme of the European Communities on safety and health at work, in particular article 41 __________________ 1 4. Develop a preventive and protective action for substances recognized as being carcinogenic, by fixing exposure limits, sampling requirements and measuring methods, and satisfactory conditions of hygiene at the work place, and by specifying prohibitions where necessary.
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the directive 1999/77/EC states that "no threshold level of exposure has yet been identified below which chrysotile asbestos does not pose carcinogenic risks" and that "an effective way of protecting human health is to prohibit the use of chrysotile asbestos fibres and products containing them";
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas, despite the ban on the use of asbestos, it is still found in many ships, trains, machinery and especially in buildings, including many public buildings;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas many workers are exposed to asbestos during their work activities, particularly in the maintenance and decontamination sectors;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas in many Member States which have long-standing asbestos bans, younger workers and construction workers do not necessarily recognise asbestos in buildings when performing refurbishment or demolition work;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the success of asbestos regulations in the Member States is limited by a lack of knowledge of the existing of ACMs and a lack of vocational training and qualification of construction and maintenance workers, including construction professionals who are working incidentally with asbestos;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas local communities lack expertise and have serious shortcomings in the execution of prevention, surveillance and enforcement tasks, which are often too fragmented;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the location of ACMs is often hiddeunknown and knowledge about these locations is sharply decreasing over time;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)
Recital N a (new)
Na. whereas, in line with Directive 92/57/EEC1, in dangerous situations facilities must be provided to enable working clothes to be kept in a place separate from workers' own clothes and personal effects __________________ 1 Directive 92/57/EEC: Annex IV PART A GENERAL MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ON-SITE WORKPLACES 14.1.2 If circumstances so require (e.g. ►C1 dangerous substances ◄, humidity, dirt), facilities must be provided to enable working clothes to be kept in a place separate from workers' own clothes and personal effects.
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T
Recital T
T. whereas asbestos exposure is a threat to the general population and causes diseases to a recognised extent1; __________________ 1 A parliamentary committee concluded in 1978 after an 18-month investigatory period that asbestos presented ‘a danger both to workers in the asbestos industry and to those exposed in other situations’ (European Parliament 1978)
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges the EU to develop models for monitoring existing asbestos in private and public buildings including residential and non-residential housing, land, infrastructure, logistics and piping;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Secretaries General of the EU institutions to provide a complete register – which should be open to the public – of ACMs in EU buildings; Calls on the EU institutions to lead by example by establishing public asbestos registers;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission to propose a specific directive with minimum requirements for the vocational training of construction and maintenance workers and management, including construction professionals who are working incidentally with asbestos;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. UrEncourages the EU to start action plans for asbestos removal at European, national and regional levels, which are to include: legislation; education and information; training for public employees; national and international training; awareness-raising activities related to the removal of asbestos and products containing asbestos from buildings, public amenities and sites of former asbestos factories; cleaning premises, building landfills and installations for the destruction of asbestos and asbestos- containing debris; monitoring of the implementation of regulations, exposure assessments of at-risk personnel, and health protection;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on Member States to move forward with phasing out asbestos in the shortest possible timeframe;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to include a coordinated strategy on asbestos in the upcoming Community Strategy for Health and Safety 2014-20 and to supply the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work with effective tools to improve the collection and dissemination of technical, scientific and economic information in the Member States and to facilitate the formulation and the implementation of national policies designed to protect the safety and health of workers;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls for offenders to be prosecuted and punished, and therefore for any obstacles to such action which may be contained in national criminal law to be surveyed and abolished;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the Commission to urgently put forward a proposal to amend Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to carcinogens and mutagens at work, ensuring that the health of workers at risk of being exposed to carcinogens be protected and safeguarded through the promotion and exchange of best practices in prevention and diagnosis;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls for recognition procedures to be simplified and facilitated;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the EU to ensure that all asbestos-related occupational diseases are recognised and compensated fors an occupational disease;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the Commission to create binding minimum guidelines for national procedures for the recognition and compensation of asbestos- related diseases;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Commission to assistsupport conferences which provide asbestos victims' groups in accessing to professional advice and providing practical support for their members;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls on the Commission to establish and support an EU network of asbestos victims; takes the view that victims' groups should play a major role in devising responsive, appropriate and cost- effective ways of addressing victims' needs;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Calls, more generally, for the concept of health and safety of employees to be taken into account by national law and to constitute a performance obligation for employers with reference to Framework Directive 89/931/EC;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls on the EU to address the unacceptable dumping of asbestos on developing countries at forums where trade agreements are being discussed, in particular at the WTO, and to exert diplomatic and financial pressure on asbestos-exporting countries to shut down asbestos mining industries and to stop the illegal and unethical practice of exporting end-of-life ships containing asbestos;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Condemns European financial investment in global asbestos industries;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)
Paragraph 35 b (new)
35b. Calls on the Commission to ensure that vessels carrying asbestos as cargo in transit can neither dock nor use port facilities or temporary storage within the EU;