1. Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2018-19
Manage dangerous substances in the workplace
The Healthy Workplaces Manage Dangerous Substances campaign is co-ordinated by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).
The campaign is run in more than 30 countries, and is supported by a network of partners:
National focal points
Official campaign partners
European social partners
Media partners
Enterprise Europe Network
EU institutions
Other EU agencies

2. Key objectives
Raise awareness of the risks posed by dangerous substances in the workplace
Promote a culture of prevention to eliminate or effectively manage risks
Improve understanding of the risks associated with carcinogens
Target workers with specific needs and vulnerabilities
Provide information on policy developments and
relevant legislation
IOSH is a campaign partner to Healthy Workplaces
These are the key objectives of the EU-OSHA campaign – which we share widely.
As occupational safety & health (OSH) professionals we know the importance of the risks posed by dangerous substances.
IOSH has achieved campaign partner status, based upon cascading the campaign throughout its membership. This presentation is to encourage you to go look at the campaign material available for FREE at

3. What is the issue?
Chemical or biological substances are present in 38 % of enterprises according to EU-OSHA’s enterprise survey1
Large companies often use more than 1,000 different chemical products
A single worker can come into contact with hundreds of different chemical substances
17 % of EU workers report handling or being in skin contact with chemical products or substances for at least 25 % of their working time2 and 15% breathing in smoke, fumes (such as welding or exhaust fumes), powder or dust (such as wood dust or mineral dust)
New risks are emerging all the time
1) Summary — Second European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER-2), EU-OSHA, 2015, p. 5. Available at:
2) Sixth European Working Conditions Survey, Overview Report, Eurofound, 2016, p. 43. Available at:
Sectors with high prevalence of dangerous substances include agriculture (62 %), manufacturing (52 %) and construction (51 %)1
In many sectors, the use of chemicals has grown as chemical-based technologies have replaced traditional ways of working (pesticides, plastics, insulation etc.)
3.7 tonnes of dangerous substances were used per citizen in Sweden in 2014
1) ESENER-2 — Overview Report: Managing Safety and Health at Work, EU-OSHA, 2016, p. 18. Available at:

4. What are dangerous substances?
Any substance (gas, liquid or solid) that poses a risk to workers’ safety and health:
chemicals, e.g. in paints, glues, disinfectants, cleaning products or pesticides
process-generated contaminants, e.g. welding fumes, silica dust or combustion products like diesel exhausts
materials of natural origin such as grain dust, asbestos or crude oil and its constituents
Dangerous substances are likely to be present in almost all workplaces
Harm can arise from both short- and long-term exposures and long-term accumulation in the body
Definitions of dangerous substances vary worldwide.
In the UK and Ireland, hazardous substances and dangerous substances are defined separately with hazardous substances being substances with health-related effects and dangerous substances being substances due to their physio-chemical properties that cause fire, explosion or corrosion of metal.
Definitions from the Chemical Agents Directive:
‘Chemical agent’ means any chemical element or compound, on its own or admixed, as it occurs in the natural state or as produced, used or released, including release as waste, by any work activity, whether or not produced intentionally and whether or not placed on the market;
(b) ‘Hazardous chemical agent’ means:
(i) any chemical agent which meets the criteria for classification as hazardous within any physical and/or health hazard classes laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008l, … whether or not that chemical agent is classified under that Regulation;
(iii) any chemical agent which, whilst not meeting the criteria for classification as hazardous…… may, because of its physio-chemical, chemical or toxicological properties and the way it is used or is present in the workplace, present a risk to the safety and health of workers, including any chemical agent that is assigned an occupational exposure limit value under Article 3.
‘Activity involving chemical agents’ means any work in which chemical agents are used, or are intended to be used, in any process, including production, handling, storage, transport or disposal and treatment, or which result from such work.

5. How to manage dangerous substances?
Creating a prevention culture and raising awareness is key
Legislation on dangerous substances is already in place in the EU — employers must be aware of their legal obligations
Risk assessment is essential for effective prevention
Putting in place effective preventive and protective measures
Workers should be kept informed about
the findings of risk assessment
the hazards they are exposed to and how they may be affected
what they have to do to keep themselves and others safe
what to do in case of an accident or when things go wrong
Practical tools and guidance can help businesses manage the risks and ensure safe and healthy workplaces
The employer is legally responsible for ensuring workplace safety and health
Occupational safety and health regulation, including
Directive 89/391/EEC (the OSH Framework Directive)
Directive 98/24/EC (the Chemical Agents Directive, CAD)
Directive 2004/37/EC (the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive, CMD)
Complete overview on relevant OSH legislation:
Some useful information from the chemicals legislation:
Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH Regulation)
Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP Regulation)
Practical tools and guidance
Dangerous substance e-tool

6. Carcinogens
Carcinogens cause the majority of fatal occupational diseases in the EU
Every year, occupational exposure to carcinogens causes:
Range between 91, ,500 people to develop cancer
Range between 57, ,500 deaths (RIVM, 2016)
Many cases of occupational cancer are preventable
Stricter measures apply to carcinogens than to other dangerous substances, e.g. working in a closed system, restricting workers‘ access and record-keeping
The Roadmap on Carcinogens aims to support policy, and help share information and good practices
Cancer is estimated to be the leading cause of work-related deaths in the EU. It is clear that more can be done to reduce the number of cases of occupational cancer, and that’s why, on 25 May 2016, six European organisations signed a covenant committing them to a voluntary action scheme to raise awareness of the risks arising from exposures to carcinogens in the workplace and exchange good practices.
The partners are:
The Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection 
BUSINESSEUROPE  (European employers)
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)
The European Commission 
The European Trade Union Confederation 
The Netherlands Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment 
The signatories to the Covenant have drawn up a Roadmap for the scheme.
Member States, social partners, companies, research organisations and other organisations across Europe (and even beyond) are encouraged to participate.

7. Campaign resources that can help you manage dangerous substances
You might want to spend some time on this slide and show the website ( if internet is available?
Dangerous substances E-Tool
About the e-tool
This dangerous substances e-tool will give you an overview of the safety and health hazards associated with dangerous substances and chemical products in the workplaces of your company. Based on your input, you will get tailored, company-specific advice on how to apply good practices and measures, and on how to follow the relevant rules and regulations. If you take the recommended action, you will effectively reduce the risks caused by dangerous substances and chemical products in your workplace.
Publications
EU-OSHA’s website offers access to more than a hundred publications on dangerous substances, ranging from factsheets on basic topics to comprehensive reports (e.g. on reprotoxic substances and carcinogens) and encyclopaedic OSHwiki articles, which can be found in the section ‘Dangerous substances’.
During the Healthy Workplaces Campaign on dangerous substances many of these publications are being updated and amended, and new publications and new formats are being added.
Campaign info sheets inform the user about basic and priority actions for managing dangerous substances. Infographics are used to bring the most important facts and figures to life. Updated and new OSHwiki articles enlarge and improve the coverage provided by the OSHwiki section on dangerous substances.
Practical tools and guidance
A number of tools and guidance documents have been developed by Member States, European institutions, business associations, social partners and other actors to help enterprises to carry out comprehensive and effective risk assessments. These tools represent a broad variety of approaches to managing dangerous substance effectively. Often they cover specific work operations, such as filling and pumping liquids or welding processes. Other sources give a comprehensive overview of a certain group of substances, such as sensitisers, or they highlight typical risks in certain sectors.
Case studies
The practical application of prevention measures at workplace level is well described in many case studies published by enterprises themselves, public institutions and authorities, industrial associations and trade unions. These institutions have gathered together such case studies and published them in varying levels of detail and formats. Some are short success stories, others cover in detail aspects of risk reduction, as well as technological and financial aspects of the practical solutions in question. Even life cycle considerations are described (i.e. addressing the risks posed by dangerous substances during their whole life cycle, from raw material to waste). Formats vary from easy-to-read two-page information sheets to extensive technical descriptions. Supporting videos are an emerging format, and increasingly publications are available in more than one language.
Napo films
Napo is the cartoon hero of a series of awareness-raising films about workplace safety and health. These films are an ideal way to spread the basic principles of occupational safety and health (OSH) in an engaging and informal way. All the films in the series are language free, so can be understood by anyone. Lungs at Work, Protect your Skin and Danger: Chemicals!

8. Getting involved
Organisations of all sizes and sectors, as well as individuals, can get involved by:
disseminating and publicising campaign materials
taking part in or organising events and activities
using and promoting dangerous substances
management tools
keeping up to date via social media
enter the Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Awards
IOSH is a campaign partner, so we would encourage members to get involved in their workplaces and communities promoting the EU-OSHA material.

9. Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Awards
Recognition of innovative safety and health practices in the workplace
Organisations are rewarded for successful and sustainable initiatives to managing dangerous substances in the workplace
Open to organisations in:
EU Member States
candidate countries
potential candidate countries
European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries
Winners are announced at an awards ceremony
How to participate?
EU-OSHA welcomes entries from all interested organisations and individuals across Europe, and also from intermediaries such as social partners, safety and health practitioners and professionals, and advisers on OSH at the workplace level.
For more information about the competition and deadlines for entry, please consult the Good Practice Award flyer.
Download the application form (
All entries are first judged at national level through a tripartite network. A selection of national winners are then nominated to take part in the pan-European competition.

10. Key dates Campaign launch: April 2018
Good Practice Awards Competition in Member States and at European level: and 2019
Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Exchange event: 2nd quarter 2019
European Week for Safety and Health at Work:
October 2018 and 2019
Healthy Workplaces Summit and Good Practice Awards Ceremony:
November 2019
European Week for Safety and Health at Work
With the end of October arrives another peak of the Healthy Workplaces Campaign, the celebration of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work. Starting on 22 October, you have the opportunity to participate in several activities to be held across Europe: awareness-raising conferences, networking and good practice events, press conferences and much more! Follow the events schedule on the campaign website to stay updated.
Healthy Workplaces Summit and Good Practice Awards Ceremony
Taking part in the Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Awards is an excellent way of getting involved in the campaign. The competition can also serve as a great source of motivation when working towards improving workplace safety and health.
The awards recognise outstanding and innovative approaches to the issues associated with an ageing workforce, strong management commitment and a participative approach to workplace safety and health. They aim to demonstrate the benefits of adopting occupational safety and health (OSH) practices that promote a sustainable working life. Winners will be announced at the Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Awards Ceremony in The ceremony is an opportunity to promote healthy work for all ages, share good practice and celebrate the achievements of all those who took part.

11. Further information Learn more at the campaign website:
Subscribe to our campaign newsletter:
Keep up to date with activities and events through social media:
Find out about events in your country from your focal point:

12. Campaign film
This films provides an overview on the campaign.

13. IOSH resources www.notimetolose.org.uk www.iosh.co.uk IOSH resources
You can also use the free resources from IOSH’s No Time to Lose campaign which aims to raise of awareness of occupational cancer and help businesses take action by providing free practical resources. You can download resources on diesel engine exhaust emissions, solar radiation, silica dust and asbestos. No Time to Lose has also been showcased as a good practice case study as part of the EU-OSHA campaign.
IOSH also has guides and resources on managing occupational health at work on the IOSH website.