Brussels, 22/03/2004 (Agence Europe) - The EP's Employment and Social Affairs Committee has approved (codecision, second reading) the draft recommendation on the common Council position for adopting the directive setting out the minimum health and safety rules for workers exposed to physical agents (electromagnetic fields and waves). MEPs adopted five amendments in the Council's common position, which the latter is expected to agree to: if the plenary follows the parliamentary committee's recommendation, the directive could be adopted very shortly. Once adopted, Member States would have four years to transpose it into national law. The rapporteur is Manuel Pérez Alvarez (EPP-ED-Spain).
Through these amendments, MEPs are requesting: 1) increased medical surveillance of workers "when there is reason to believe that a worker's exposure has exceeded the limit values, the worker must have the right to a medical examination". MEPs stress that this important because internal lesions resulting from over-exposure of which the worker is not aware, can only be detected by a health professional; 2) appropriate penalties if national legislation on the directive is breached. These penalties must be "effective, proportionate and dissuasive"; 3) the Commission must inform Parliament every five years of any steps needed in the light of new scientific knowledge, particularly in connection with exposure to static magnetic fields, for which the directive lays down no exposure limits.
The Employment and Social Policies Council of the EU on 20 October in Luxembourg reached a political agreement on this proposal (EUROPE 21 October p 8). The directive sets out maximum values for exposure to magnetic fields to protect workers from all short term harmful effects. It also establishes reference values above which employers must take preventive measures and includes provisions to ensure that workers are given information and training. Categories of workers affected are those in heavy industry, steel and other metal industries; those working long hours near TV and radio broadcasting equipment, radar equipment and mobile phone pasts.