Next event: Draft final act 2024/03/13 more...
- Act adopted by Council after Parliament's 1st reading 2024/02/26
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading 2024/02/07
- Debate in Parliament 2024/02/06
- Approval in committee of the text agreed at 1st reading interinstitutional negotiations 2024/01/11
- Committee decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations confirmed by plenary (Rule 71) 2023/09/13
- Committee decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations announced in plenary (Rule 71) 2023/09/11
- Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading 2023/09/08
- Vote in committee, 1st reading 2023/09/07
- Committee decision to open interinstitutional negotiations with report adopted in committee 2023/09/07
- Amendments tabled in committee 2023/06/08
- Committee draft report 2023/05/08
- Contribution 2023/04/27
- Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report 2023/03/22
Progress: Awaiting signature of act
Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
---|---|---|---|
Lead | EMPL | VILLUMSEN Nikolaj ( GUE/NGL) | FRANSSEN Cindy ( EPP), DE BASSO Ilan ( S&D), AMALRIC Catherine ( Renew), MATTHIEU Sara ( Verts/ALE), ZAMBELLI Stefania ( ID), RAFALSKA Elżbieta ( ECR) |
Committee Opinion | ENVI |
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
TFEU 153-p1, TFEU 153-p2
Legal Basis:
TFEU 153-p1, TFEU 153-p2Events
The European Parliament adopted by 589 votes to 10, with 40 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 98/24/EC and Directive 2004/37/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the limit values for lead and its inorganic compounds and diisocyanates.
Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:
Limit values for lead
The proposed directive lays down a revised biological limit value of 15 µg Pb/100 ml blood, accompanied by a revised occupational exposure limit value of 0,03 mg/m3 as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA).
A substantial reduction of the biological limit value to 15 µg Pb/100 ml blood may be difficult to comply with in the short term, due to the time needed to implement risk-management measures and the costly adaptation of production processes. Therefore, a transitional period until 31 December 2028 should be introduced during which a biological limit value of 30 µg Pb/100 ml blood applies.
The Commission should, no later than five years from the date of entry into force of this amending Directive, assess the occupational limit values for lead and its inorganic compounds. Where appropriate, the Commission should submit a legislative proposal to amend those limit values.
A notation as ‘non-threshold reprotoxic substance’ should therefore be introduced for lead and its inorganic compounds and employers should ensure that the occupational exposure of workers to lead and its inorganic compounds is reduced to as low a level as is technically possible.
No later than two years from the date of entry into force of this amending Directive, the Commission should initiate the procedure to obtain a scientific assessment of endocrine disruptors that can affect the health and safety of workers, with a view to evaluating the appropriateness of including them within the scope of this Directive in order to better protect the health and safety of workers.
Limit values are set for diisocyanates
The new directive sets the occupational exposure limit for diisocyanates at 6 µg NCO/m3 (the maximum concentration that a worker can be exposed to during an eight-hour working day) and at 12 µg NCO/m3 for short-term exposure (i.e., a period of 15 minutes).
A limit value of 10 µg NCO/m3 in relation to a reference period of 8 hours and a short-term exposure limit value of 20 µg NCO/m3 should apply until 31 December 2028.
The Commission will review these limits by 2029.
Medical surveillance
Lead accumulates in the bones and is released slowly into the circulatory system. The blood lead level could thus remain high for a long time after exposure to lead and its inorganic compounds has been reduced. Regular medical surveillance should therefore be carried out for workers whose blood lead level exceeds the biological limit value in force due to exposure which occurred before two years from the date of entry into force of this amending Directive.
Medical surveillance is carried out if exposure to a concentration of lead in air is greater than 0.015 mg/m3, calculated as a time-weighted average over 40 hours per week, or a blood lead level greater than 9 μg Pb/100 ml blood is measured in individual workers. Medical surveillance is also carried out with regard to female workers of childbearing age whose blood lead level exceeds 4.5 µg Pb/100 ml blood or the national reference value of the general population not occupationally exposed to lead, if such a value exists.
No later than two years from the date of entry into force of this amending Directive, the Commission should draw up Union guidelines for health surveillance, including biological monitoring. Those guidelines shall include advice on the implementation of provisions regarding blood lead level, taking into account the slow removal of lead from the body and the special protection of female workers of childbearing age.
The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the report by Nikolaj VILLUMSEN (GUE/NGL, DK) on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 98/24/EC and Directive 2004/37/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards limit values for lead, its inorganic compounds and diisocyanates.
The proposal aims to revise the existing limit values for lead and to introduce limit values for diisocyanates for the first time, thereby helping to achieve a high level of protection for the health and safety of workers.
The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission's proposal.
Regarding the limit values for lead , the report supports the Commission's proposal to lower the exposure limit value (ELV) from 0.15 milligrams per cubic metre (0.15 mg/m³) to 0.03 mg/m³ and to lower the biological limit value (BLV) from 70 micrograms per 100 millilitres of blood (70µg/100ml) to 15µg/100ml.
With regard to diisocyanates, it is proposed to establish an occupational exposure limit value of 6 µg NCO/m³ and a short-term exposure limit value of 12 µg NCO/m³ for this group of chemical agents.
The report introduces a review mechanism guaranteeing regular revisions in the future to ensure that these limit values are regularly updated, taking into account the latest scientific data.
In particular, the Commission should:
- no later than 31 December 2029, launch a process to review the occupational exposure limit and short-term occupational exposure limit values for diisocyanates;
- draw up Union guidelines on how to adapt the implementation of limit values in the event of exposure to a combination of substances acting by the same mode of action or on the same target cell or tissue;
- no later than 31 December 2023, present a legislative proposal to introduce a limit value for cobalt and inorganic cobalt compounds;
- no later than 12 months after the date of entry into force of the amending Directive, review the implementation of the Directive and, as part of this review, determine whether any further amendments to the Directive are necessary, assess the possibility of including endocrine disrupters within the scope of the Directive and, if appropriate, submit a legislative proposal to the European Parliament and the Council;
- no later than five years after the date of entry into force of the amending Directive and every five years thereafter, review the Occupational Exposure Limit Value and the Biological Limit Values including the limit value for historical exposure and the guidance value for female workers of childbearing age , taking into account the negative impacts on the reproductive capacity of female workers of childbearing age as well as on foetal development in order to ensure equal protection for all workers regardless of their gender as well as taking into account up-to-date scientific data and the classification of lead as a non-threshold reprotoxic;
- twelve months after the date of entry into force of the amending Directive, develop a definition of ‘carcinogenic occupations’ and assess the appropriateness to include such occupations in the scope of this Directive;
- no later than twelve months after the date of entry into force of the amending Directive, develop guidelines as regards historical occupational exposure to lead with a view to increasing the protection and reduction of the exposure of workers whose blood-lead levels are above the biological limit value as well as to further protect female workers of childbearing age;
- no later than one year after the directive comes into force, update its action plan aimed at defining occupational exposure limits for at least 5 substances or groups of substances or substances produced by additional processes. These include lithium and its compounds, methyl hydrazine, 1,3-propanesultone, welding fumes and leather dust;
- no later than twelve months after the date of entry into force of the amending directive, to consider, in consultation with the social partners, consider targeted and limited exemptions for cultural and heritage-related work activities to existing Occupational Exposure Limit Values and Biological Limit Values, and take appropriate action;
- no later than 1 January 2028, assess the feasibility of further reducing the limit value for benzene and present, if appropriate, the necessary legislative amendments to this Directive no later than 1 January 2030.
Documents
- Draft final act: 00081/2023/LEX
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading: T9-0066/2024
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Approval in committee of the text agreed at 1st reading interinstitutional negotiations: PE757.939
- Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading: A9-0263/2023
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE749.282
- Committee draft report: PE746.964
- Contribution: COM(2023)0071
- Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report: CES1367/2023
- Legislative proposal: EUR-Lex
- Legislative proposal: COM(2023)0071
- Document attached to the procedure: SEC(2023)0067
- Document attached to the procedure: EUR-Lex
- Document attached to the procedure: SWD(2023)0034
- Document attached to the procedure: EUR-Lex
- Document attached to the procedure: SWD(2023)0035
- Document attached to the procedure: EUR-Lex
- Document attached to the procedure: SWD(2023)0036
- Legislative proposal published: EUR-Lex
- Legislative proposal published: COM(2023)0071
- Legislative proposal: EUR-Lex COM(2023)0071
- Document attached to the procedure: SEC(2023)0067
- Document attached to the procedure: EUR-Lex SWD(2023)0034
- Document attached to the procedure: EUR-Lex SWD(2023)0035
- Document attached to the procedure: EUR-Lex SWD(2023)0036
- Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report: CES1367/2023
- Committee draft report: PE746.964
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE749.282
- Draft final act: 00081/2023/LEX
- Contribution: COM(2023)0071
Activities
- Dominique BILDE
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Seán KELLY
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Evelyn REGNER
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Nikolaj VILLUMSEN
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Elżbieta RAFALSKA
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Stefania ZAMBELLI
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Cindy FRANSSEN
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Sara MATTHIEU
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Ilan DE BASSO
Plenary Speeches (0)
- Catherine AMALRIC
Plenary Speeches (0)
History
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