Endocrine disruptors at the workplace

The handling of chemicals, some of which may contain endocrine disruptors (ED), at the workplace often involves risk. A major challenge for companies is thus to ensure that the health of their employees is protected when handling chemical products.

Duties of employers when chemicals are handled at the workplace
Duties of employees handling chemical products at the workplace
Other federal aids for employers and employees
Links

Duties of employers when chemicals are handled at the workplace

Employment law provides the basis for employers’ duties, which may be summarised as follows:

In Switzerland, employers are legally obliged to protect the health of their employees.
The employer must give all the instructions and take all the measures necessary to maintain and improve health protection.

These rules are also applicable for the use of endocrine disruptors.

Employers’ duties are comprehensively defined in labour law. The relevant articles and other information on the management of chemicals in the workplace can be found on the SECO website: www.chematwork.ch (available in French/German/Italian).

Management system for the handling of chemicals in the workplace

A company where chemicals are used should have an appropriate management system in place. This system provides the basis for adequate health protection when chemicals are used.

SECO has published guidance and a booklet including checklists, describing in detail the elements required for the establishment of such a system.

The title of this overview is "Requirements and principles for handling chemicals in the workplace". In the first column under the title "Organisation" it says "Establish general organisation" and "Create emergency organisation and clarify occupational accidents". The second column under the heading "Documentation" reads "Observe and store safety data sheets", "Create operating instructions", "Obtain declarations of conformity and operating instructions" and "Archive documents". In the third column, under the heading "Special provisions", it says "Implement requirements for maternal and child labour protection" and "Implement requirements for substances of very high concern". — Management system for the use of chemicals in the workplace

Duty of care for the handling of chemicals in the workplace

For each chemical product and each position, employers should develop specific operating instructions based on the steps described above. They must provide training for employees on the handling of each chemical product and for each workplace, thus ensuring health protection.

In order to meet this duty of care, each company must therefore consider various points before chemical products are first used:

Which chemical products are actually used and what hazards are associated with each of them (list of chemical products). Are one or more of these substances endocrine disruptors?
Do the activities carried out with the chemical products (list of activities) place employees in contact with the products (exposure analysis)? And could such contact have an influence on their health (risk analysis)?
What technical, operational and personnel protection measures need to be taken by the employer to reduce to a minimum the exposure of employees to chemical products, so as not to endanger their health? Here, it needs to be borne in mind that in the case of endocrine disruptors, even very small quantities can have harmful effects.

Specific regulations are applicable at the workplace for the most vulnerable employees (in accordance with the Ordinances on Maternity and young people at work), such as

women of reproductive age,
pregnant or breastfeeding women, and
young employees.

For these susceptible groups, it is particularly important to ensure appropriate handling of endocrine disruptors.

Where can employers find support?

The guidance and the booklet including checklists published by SECO describe in detail the specific procedures to be followed by employers.
The evaluation of risks for workplaces involving the handling of chemical products often needs to be carried out by occupational health and safety specialists (occupational physicians, occupational hygienists, safety experts, safety engineers).
«Industry and corporate group solutions» are available in numerous areas. These provide companies with an industry-specific health and safety system (manual) and sector-specific checklists. They also offer training and other support services. Each company is, however, responsible for the implementation and development of specific measures.

This overview is entitled "Handling chemicals in the workplace". The following points are listed in the left-hand column under the heading "Duty of care and health protection": Draw up a list of chemicals, substitute hazardous chemical products, recognise hazards, know exposure and risks, define protective measures, inform, train and instruct employees and monitor implementation. The right-hand column contains the following under the heading "Storage, transport and disposal": Store properly, transport properly and dispose of properly. — Specific health protection measures for the handling of chemicals

Identification of endocrine disruptors prior to use

The new EU hazard (H) phrases are designed to help employers protect their employees against endocrine disruptors. In future, the following H phrases will be used to describe such chemical products:

EUH380: May cause endocrine disruption in humans
EUH381: Suspected of causing endocrine disruption in humans

These phrases will appear on the product label and in section 3 of the safety data sheet. This information must be taken into account by employers as part of their duty of care and must be incorporated in the work instructions.

You can find more information on the following page: Regulatory measures and legislation.

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Duties of employees handling chemical products at the workplace

The workers law provides the basis for the duties of employees. These duties are limited in scope and can be summarised as follows:

Employees must comply with the employer’s instructions concerning health protection and follow the generally recognised rules.
They must use personal protective equipment and must not impair the effectiveness of safety devices.
They must immediately remedy any defects observed in health protection equipment or report them to the employer.

Where can employees find support?

The first and principal point of contact for health protection questions is the employer.
Employees may also contact the cantonal labour inspectorate for any health protection questions.
As regards the prevention of occupational diseases and accidents, they may contact SUVA (Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund).

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Other federal aids for employers and employees

As the topic of health protection in relation to the use of chemical products represents a major challenge for companies, SECO offers a number of aids:

Various publications on the handling of chemical products are available on the SECO website (checklists, examples and overviews). In particular, the SECO Guidance on compliance contains a comprehensive list of currently available sources of information (pp. 158–165).
The online tool SICHEM (safe use of chemicals) can help companies to implement precautionary management of chemicals. It enables users to create lists of chemical products, lists of activities, and work instructions for specific products on the basis of updated data. In particular, it makes it possible to view the health risks associated with the use of chemical products.

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Links

Links are available either in French/German/Italian/English