Risk management of Reproductive hazards

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Risk management of Reproductive hazards

• Helena Taskinen
• FIOH

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EU directive 92/85/EEC on pregnant, recently
delivered and breast feeding womens work safety

• Forbids for pregnant women
• work in hyperbaric pressure cabins and diving
  under water
• work with exposure to Toxoplasma gondi and
  rubella (if not vaccinated)
• exposure to lead and to lead compounds
• underground mining

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EU directive forbids for breast feeding mothers

• Exposure to lead and to lead compounds
• Underground mining
• Work in night shift cannot be demanded

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Employer has to assess the risk to the pregnancy
at work with exposure

• to physical agents regarded as harmful to the
  fetus/ affecting placentas attachment
• a) shocks, vibration or movement
• b) heavy lifting with risks to the back
• c) noise
• d) ionising radiation
• e) non-ionising radiation
• f) extreme cold or heat

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Employer has to assess the risk to the pregnancy
at work with exposure, 2

• g) movements and positions, moving inside or
  outside of the enterprise
• psychological and physical tiredness and other
  physical strain
• Exposure to biological agents, which are known/
  therapy of which is known riskful to the health
  of the pregnant women or unborn children

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Employer has to assess the risk to the pregnancy
at work with exposure, 3

• Chemicals marked with
• R40 danger of permanent damages
• R45 carcinogen
• R46 may cause heritable damages of the genome
  (mutagenic)
• R49 may cause cancer from inhalation
• R61 dangerous to the fetus
• R63 can be dangerous to the fetus
• R64 may be harmful to breastfed children

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Employer has to assess the risk to the pregnancy
at work with exposure, 4

• Chemicals
• benzene
• vinylchlorodimonomer
• mercury and its compounds
• mitose toxicants
• carbon monoxide
• chemical agents known to be dangerous and which
  can be absorbed through the skin

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The Announcement of the Commission of the
European Community

• For assessment of industrial processes regarded
  as harmful to pregnant, recently delivered and
  breast feeding womens work safety and health
• guidelines for practice
• http//europa.eu.int/eur-lex/fi/com/cnc/2000/com20
  00_0466fi02.pdf

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What is risk management?

• systematic work to ensure continuity and secure
  safety of personnel
• actions to reduce or eliminate risks in companies

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What is risk management in practice?

• risk elimination chemical substitution or change
  in work methods
• risk limitation enclosures, machine protection
• action efficiency programs, situations after
  improvements

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Follow-up

• Continuity!
• Up-dating of chemical lists
• Regular visit to work place
• Follow-up of the actions according to the
  recommndations
• New measurements, if needed

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In Finland

• Regulations on special maternity leave in Finland
  from 1991
• Occupational health physicians assess the risks
  and the need of the leave
• National Sickness Insurance Company pays the
  special maternity leave benefit

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Options in the law

• safe materials to prevent reprotoxic effects -
  change of the chemical
• restriction of the work tasks
• transfer to a safe job
• special maternity leave and benefits, if a
  transfer is not possible
• paid by the National Insurance Institution

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Policy for protection of reproductive health

• Modern legislation covers both men and women
• Classification and labelling by the type of
  suspected reproductive hazard (EU)
• Reproductive toxicity should be marked if
  critical effect in TLVs, MACs or OELs

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Reference

• Taskinen H, Chia S-E, Lindbohm M-L, Ching-Ye
  Hong, Sallmén M, Myint Thein Risks to the
  reproductive health of working women Finnish
  Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki,
  Finland 1999.