1. Risk management of Reproductive hazards Helena Taskinen FIOH

2. EU directive 92/85/EEC on pregnant, recently delivered and breast feeding women’s work safety v Forbids for pregnant women  work in hyperbaric pressure cabins and diving under water  work with exposure to Toxoplasma gondi and rubella (if not vaccinated)  exposure to lead and to lead compounds  underground mining

3. EU directive forbids for breast feeding mothers v Exposure to lead and to lead compounds v Underground mining v Work in night shift cannot be demanded

4. Employer has to assess the risk to the pregnancy at work with exposure v to physical agents regarded as harmful to the fetus/ affecting placenta’s attachment –a) shocks, vibration or movement –b) heavy lifting with risks to the back –c) noise –d) ionising radiation –e) non-ionising radiation –f) extreme cold or heat

5. Employer has to assess the risk to the pregnancy at work with exposure, 2 –g) movements and positions, moving inside or outside of the enterprise –psychological and physical tiredness and other physical strain v Exposure to biological agents, which are known/ therapy of which is known riskful to the health of the pregnant women or unborn children

6. Employer has to assess the risk to the pregnancy at work with exposure, 3 v Chemicals marked with: u R40 danger of permanent damages u R45 carcinogen u R46 may cause heritable damages of the genome (mutagenic) u R49 may cause cancer from inhalation u R61 dangerous to the fetus u R63 can be dangerous to the fetus u R64 may be harmful to breastfed children

7. Employer has to assess the risk to the pregnancy at work with exposure, 4 v Chemicals: –benzene –vinylchlorodimonomer –mercury and its compounds –mitose toxicants –carbon monoxide –chemical agents known to be dangerous and which can be absorbed through the skin

8. The Announcement of the Commission of the European Community v For assessment of industrial processes regarded as harmful to pregnant, recently delivered and breast feeding women’s work safety and health v guidelines for practice v http://europa.eu.int/eur- lex/fi/com/cnc/2000/com2000_0466fi02. pdf

9. What is risk management? v systematic work to ensure continuity and secure safety of personnel v actions to reduce or eliminate risks in companies

10. What is risk management in practice? v risk elimination: chemical substitution or change in work methods v risk limitation: enclosures, machine protection v action efficiency; programs, situations after improvements

11. Follow-up v Continuity! v Up-dating of chemical lists v Regular visit to work place v Follow-up of the actions according to the recommndations v New measurements, if needed

12. In Finland v Regulations on special maternity leave in Finland from 1991 v Occupational health physicians assess the risks and the need of the leave v National Sickness Insurance Company pays the special maternity leave benefit

13. Options in the law v safe materials to prevent reprotoxic effects - change of the chemical v restriction of the work tasks v transfer to a safe job v special maternity leave and benefits, if a transfer is not possible v paid by the National Insurance Institution

14. Policy for protection of reproductive health v Modern legislation covers both men and women v Classification and labelling by the type of suspected reproductive hazard (EU) v Reproductive toxicity should be marked if critical effect in TLVs, MACs or OELs

15. Reference Taskinen H, Chia S-E, Lindbohm M-L, Ching- Ye Hong, Sallmén M, Myint Thein: Risks to the reproductive health of working women Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland 1999.