Www.istas.ccoo.es Right to a healthy workplace 03/11/2013 Tatiana Santos.

transcript

www.istas.ccoo.es

Right to a healthy workplace

04/10/23

Tatiana Santos

(Union Institute of Work, Environment and Health) is a non-profit, self-managed trade union’s technical

foundation wich main aim is to promote the improvement of working conditions, occupational health and safety and environmental protection.

Chemical risk dimension

•30 million of chemical substances in the world

•Chemicals global production: 1930: 1 million Tn 2007: 400 million Tn

•2006 world chemical sales: 1641 billion €

http://www.cefic.org/

European market:

•103.800 chemicals•30.000 chemicals usually used in the workplace

Deaths caused by dangerous substances

International Labour Organization (ILO);

2 million people die from occupational accidents or work-related diseases.

160 million cases of occupational disease

440.000 deaths caused by dangerous substances in the workplace

26,217 deaths caused by dangerous substances (EU-15)

The latest information from year 2000

10% of cancer deaths are due to occupational expositions.

Trade Unions strategy Action principles

Act with an integrated viewPrecautionary principleRight of information and participation

To eliminate is the most effective actionMore actions and less evaluations

Guarantee pollution controlRecognice the differences

Trade Unions intervention in enterprises

•Know our rights

•Know what we are using

•Inform to your workmates

•Risk elimination or control

•Health and environment vigilance

•Guarantee participation

TRADE UNION INTERVENTIONKnowing our righs

Health

Enviroment

Participation

Information

Training

TRADE UNION INTERVENTION Knowing what we use

“There is a general lack of knowledge about the properties and the uses of existing

substances.”

White Paper-Commission Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy. COM (2001) 88 final, 27 February 2001.

100.000 substances in the EU

~75.000 a few (or non) toxicity data

~25.000 limited toxicity data

2500 HPVC (>1000 tn/year)

Very high concern substances:

1500 carcinogens and mutagens

1500 toxics for reproduction

3000 sensitazers

1300 neurotoxics

1500 endocrine disrupters

400 PBT and/or POP

TRADE UNION INTERVENTION Eliminating the risk

To avoid the risk is an employer obligation

•Council Directive 89/391/EEC on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work.

•Council Directive 98/24/EC on the protection of the health and safety of workers from the risks related to chemical agents at work.

•Council Directive 90/394/EEC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens at work (Sixth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16 (1) of Directive 89/391/EEC)

TRADE UNION INTERVENTION Recognizing the differences

•Biologic differences

•Specific patologies

•Maternity

•Gender uniquality in public health

•Habits

•Double exposition: work + home

•Social, cultural and psicological differences

ISTAS WORK: Online Tools: Risctox

The data base allows to do consultations introducing the substance name or anyone of its identification numbers (CAS, CE/EINECS) in a general finder, or consulting the listings of risks or norm that is included.

• Substance identification and classification

• Specific risks

ISTAS WORK: Online Tools: Alternatives

ISTAS WORK: Online Tools: Assess and compare what you

useInsert your product:

useEvaluate your product;

useChoose between two products to compare;

ISTAS WORK: Promoting substitution

Substitution of trichloroethylene:

• Trichloroethylene is commonly use in asphalt quality control laboratories as a solvent.

• It is an irritant, carcinogen, mutagen, endocrine disruptor and neurotoxic substance.

• PBT, POP, air and water pollutant, climate change precursor, ozone depleyer, creator of troposferic ozone and hazardous for aquatic organisms.

Substitution of trichloroethylene:

• ISTAS proposed the use of an incineration oven to avoid the use of trichloroethylene.

• The success of this alternative made possible the substitution of trichloethylene in several spanish laboratories.

Improvements with the substitution of trichloroethylene:

• Avoid the solvents use• Avoid the workers exposition• Reduction of the essays time• Elimination of residues management costs• Avoid the need of protection masks and gloves• Improvement in the workers security and health• Normative compliment• Reduction of risks costs• Growthin the enterprise image and labour relationship

REACH, for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals.

Thank you!!!!

Tatiana SantosISTAS-CCOO

Www.istas.ccoo.es Right to a healthy workplace 03/11/2013 Tatiana Santos.

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