OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS - A REVIEW OF LIMITS IN EUROPE

HSE press release E222:03 - 4 November 2003

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today published a report on the role of Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) in the health and safety systems in the European Union.

The report, written by Professor David Walters, shows that the problems of setting, understanding and using OELs across the EU to be similar to those in the UK.

John Thompson, Head of the HSE's Chemical & Flammables Policy Division and Secretary to the Health & Safety Commission's Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances, said: "Professor Walters' report provides a valuable insight into the role of Occupational Exposure Limits in Europe and supports the proposals made in the HSC consultative document published on 1 October."

The study was requested by the OEL subgroup of HSC's Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances as part of its review into how the OEL system in Great Britain could be improved. HSC's proposal to introduce a new OEL framework, published in a Consultative Document on 1 October (see press notice C049:03), has a closing date of 31 December for comments and can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd189.htm

The full text of 'The role of occupational exposure levels in the health and safety systems of EU member states', RR172, can be viewed or downloaded on the HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm

Notes to editors

1. Professor Walters wrote this report when he was at South Bank University. In January 2003, he took up the first ever-TUC sponsored university post as Chair of the Working Environment at Cardiff University.

2. This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health & Safety Executive on behalf of the HSC. Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSC or HSE policy.

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