In its letter of intent for the year 2022, which was published on Wednesday 15 September in the wake of the State of the Union speech, the European Commission confirms the presentation of a legislative proposal on the protection of workers from the risks related to asbestos exposure.
The initiative was not directly mentioned by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, but is listed under the heading of ‘An Economy that Works for People’ - a title that corresponds to the portfolio of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis.
The announcement had already been made in the context of the recent presentation of the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work for the period 2021-2027 (see EUROPE 12750/2). The European Parliament is preparing an own-initiative report led by Nikolaj Villumsen (The Left, Denmark), which introduces an exposure limit (see EUROPE 12782/25).
It proposes that employers should ensure that no worker is exposed to an airborne concentration of asbestos greater than 0.001 fibres per cm3 (1000 fibres per m²) at any time during the work process.
Controversy over the threshold
The rapporteur’s position was strongly criticised by the European Commission, which sent a letter to the chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) and the rapporteur on Tuesday 14 September, as seen by EUROPE. The Commission considers that it would be counterproductive for parliamentarians to propose a “concrete” exposure limit and that the autonomy of the social partners currently consulted should be respected.
The European Commission has indicated that it relies on the data of the Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work (a committee responsible for assisting the European Commission in the preparation and implementation of measures concerning occupational health and safety), while the European Parliament refers to the work of ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency.
The EMPL Committee will vote on the report on Monday 27 September. Amendments submitted by the EPP and the CRE aim to remove the fixing of a precise threshold limit.
See the State of the Union address: https://bit.ly/3ltHxvq
See the Commission’s letter of intent for 2022: https://bit.ly/2YQFl9E (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)