Fuente: © European Parliament
http://www.europarl.eu.int/

EU: Protection of workers from optical radiation: deal approved

/noticias.info/ - An EU directive designed to protect workers from exposure to optical radiation was approved by Parliament and Council at Tuesday's meeting of the Conciliation Committee. The Council has accepted Parliament's key demand that the legislation should cover only artificial sources of optical radiation and not natural sources such as the sun. The often heard name "sunshine directive" is thus now completely inappropriate.


The directive lays down minimum standards for the prevention and early diagnosis of damage to the eyes and skin from optical radiation, and for the prevention of long-term health dangers. It sets exposure limit values and requires employers to carry out risk assessments. It also includes provisions on workers' rights to information, training, consultation and health checks.

Optical radiation within the meaning of the directive is any electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range between 100 nm and 1 nm. The spectrum of optical radiation is divided into ultraviolet radiation, visible radiation and infrared radiation. The directive does not cover ionising radiation like x-rays or gamma rays, nor electromagnetic fields such as microwaves and radio frequencies.

Agreement was reached on most aspects of the directive at an early stage but there was one major sticking point at second reading: unlike the Council, MEPs believed national authorities - rather than the EU - should lay down the rules on whether and how employers should assess dangers to the eyes and the skin of natural radiation from the sun, and how they must respond to such risks. The Council wanted to require employers not only to assess the risks but also to set up an action plan if a risk is identified.

The deal approved yesterday by the two delegations excludes any reference to natural optical radiation from the directive and thus limits its scope to artificial optical radiation. If the full Parliament endorses the agreement - the vote is planned for February - Member States will have four years to implement the directive at national level.

As to the sources of artificial radiation concerned, such as lasers and infrared lamps, the directive details the measures the employer must take to protect employees. These include adapting working methods to reduce the risks from optical radiation; limiting the duration and level of any exposure; the design and layout of workplaces and workstations; using appropriate personal protective equipment. Parliament agreed in second reading with these points. But MEPs successfully pushed the Council to accept that the Commission should produce a practical guide to help employers, especially smaller firms, to understand the technical aspects of the directive.

Background

This directive is the last of a series of four designed to protect workers from the dangers of various "physical agents". Previous directives have dealt with vibrations, noise and electromagnetic fields.

The full text of the agreement will be available on the homepage of the Conciliation Committee: http://www.europarl.eu.int/code/concluded_procedures/default_en.htm notas_de_prensa_archivo