Asbestos fibres, solvents, crystalline silica dust, industrial chemicals. These are just some of the known agents that can cause cancer and which must be the subject of action to improve the health and safety at work of employee.
The fight against cancer is a major public health issue. At European level, occupational cancer is recognized as the leading cause for death : 100,000 deaths and 120,000 diagnoses every year.
The fight against cancer is therefore also a major challenge in terms of health and safety in the workplace.
Actions to combat carcinogenic substances at work
The European Union is committed to this. Since 2016, various European partners have set up a voluntary action program.
This program, known as the “Roadmap on Carcinogens”, aims to:
- Raise awareness of the risks of carcinogenic substances in the workplace
- Exchange best practices, strategies, solutions and preventive measures
- Encourage voluntary action to limit or eliminate exposure.
StopCarcinogensAtWork.eu *
This site is part of the European program’s action plan.
How to combat carcinogens and improve employee health and safety
The “STOP concept” sets the following priorities:
- S: Substitution: replace hazardous substances with less hazardous substances or processes;
- T: Technical measures: reduce exposure to carcinogenic substances;
- O: Organizational measures: provide additional protection;
- P: Personal protection: use as a last resort when substitution is impossible and technical and organizational measures are insufficient.
The latest phase in the program is the site redesign.
It offers improvements for the user, with easier access to more and more information:
- More practical: support for companies and employees likely to be exposed;
- Easier: identification of potential risks by sector, occupation or known substance;
- More accurate: information and solutions on the carcinogenic substance or exposure as soon as it is identified.
Employers and employees: are you affected, or do you think you might be? These resources will help you to understand and work on prevention.
Omag Consulting can assist in the management of employees’ occupational health.
* Source: https://stopcarcinogensatwork.eu/
