On 14 October 2020, the European Commission published its Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, one of the cornerstones of the European Green Deal. Its aim is to boost innovation for safe and sustainable chemicals and increase protection of human health and the environment against hazardous... Find out more

On 3 August 2020, SATSE (Sindicato de Engermería), a Spanish nursing union, lodged a case with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for the annulment of Directive 2020/739 of 3 June 2020 which classifies SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19, as a risk group 3 human pathogen, and not... Find out more

At the end of August, the occupational exposure limit (OEL) for crystalline silica was modified in Quebec's occupational safety and health law. It has been lowered from 0.1 mg/m³ to 0.05 mg/m³, thereby better protecting workers exposed to this carcinogenic substance in many industrial sectors... Find out more

On 10 September 2020, the European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors (EFFAT) tabled ten demands for action to reform the meat processing sector at European level. For many years now, EFFAT has been slating the deplorable working conditions among meat workers in... Find out more

On 8 September 2020, the French Ministry of Employment published the results of the psychosocial strand of its “SUMER” survey conducted in 2016-2017. Originally set up in 1994, the aim of this regular survey is to track the development of occupational risks and assess the effect of prevention... Find out more

Each year, thousands of tonnes of pesticides banned in Europe are being exported to poorer countries. This is revealed by a recent Greenpeace study analysing the export notifications submitted by Member States to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). In 2018 alone, more than 81,000 tonnes of... Find out more

Ever since the end of the French lockdown in May 2020, French public health authorities have been tracking new Covid-19 clusters. A cluster is determined when, within a community, at least three confirmed or probable infections are registered within a 7-day period. The latest weekly report of the... Find out more

The revision of the European directive on the protection of workers exposed to carcinogens has resulted in diesel engine exhaust emissions coming under its scope (Directive 2019/130 of 16 January 2019). Diesel engine exhaust emissions are made up of a cocktail of hazardous chemical agents, with... Find out more

The European Commission (EC) will soon launch the legislative process for the fourth revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMD). The ETUI, as a supporter of the Stop Cancer at Work campaign, has prepared a briefing note to highlight the importance of including Reprotoxic substances... Find out more

In September 2020, the European Commission (EC) should launch the legislative process for the fourth revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMD). The ETUI, as a supporter of the Stop Cancer at Work campaign, has prepared a briefing note in order to highlight the importance of including... Find out more