345 Protecting workers from chemical hazards in Europe now and in the future

Abstract Exposure to chemical hazards in the workplace has been and remains a key concern of the European Union (EU) and Member State (MS) authorities. As workers are exposed to ever increasing numbers of chemical substances and mixtures as well as existing and new hazards associated with these, ensuring our regulatory framework in Europe can address and meet these challenges is a constant focus. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is an EU Agency that has a role in the implementation of a wide range of chemical specific legislation together with the EU Commission and the Member States. The presentation will focus on two specific regulations, namely, the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation and the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CL) Regulation. We will show how our work on chemical safety under these regulations can protect workers from chemical hazards and exposures. We will also discuss ECHA’s role in providing scientific opinions on occupational exposure limits. Finally, an outline of how new legislation and efforts arising from the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability will contribute to the protection of workers from chemical hazards in the future, will be presented.