What to do
- Map where your workers are exposed to these agents.
- Check when you last measured exposure and whether current levels would meet the new limits.
- Plan engineering controls, such as local exhaust ventilation for welding, before the national deadline.
What changes
- Cobalt and its inorganic compounds get binding limits of 0.01 mg/m³ (inhalable fraction) and 0.0025 mg/m³ (respirable fraction), with a notation for skin and respiratory sensitisation. Higher transitional limits of 0.02 and 0.0042 mg/m³ apply for six years after entry into force.
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures, measured as benzo[a]pyrene, get a limit of 0.00007 mg/m³ with a skin notation. In some listed sectors, a transitional limit of 0.00014 mg/m³ applies for seven years.
- 1,4-dioxane gets limits of 7.3 mg/m³ (2 ppm) over 8 hours and 73 mg/m³ (20 ppm) short-term, with a skin notation and a binding biological limit in urine.
- Isoprene gets a limit of 8.5 mg/m³ (3 ppm) over 8 hours.
- Work involving exposure to welding fumes is added to the directive's list of processes. There is no separate limit for welding fumes; the limits for the substances in the fumes apply.
- Workers who have to wear protective equipment get regular breaks.
- The directive enters into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal. EU countries then have two years to put it into national law.
- These values come from the text the Council approved. The binding version is the one that will be published in the Official Journal.
Who it affects
Employers whose workers are exposed to cobalt, PAHs, 1,4-dioxane, isoprene or welding fumes, for example in metalworking, welding, battery production, chemicals and rubber.
Key dates
- Parliament approves the text
- Council adopts the directive
Official sources
This summary simplifies the law. The text published in the Official Journal of the European Union is binding. For directives, check your national law.