Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-04-10-Speech-3-210"
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"en.20020410.7.3-210"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I should first like to thank Mrs Damião very much for her work on such a sensitive aspect of health in the workplace. Discussion on improvements in the labour market and on a better quality of work within the culture in which stable work was an underlying principle of labour law usually focuses more on what is now termed health in the workplace and used to be referred to as health and safety in the workplace. There is a tendency to overlook a fundamental issue. Work always entails a risk. No situation is free from risk. Worse, that risk is sometimes hidden, not immediately obvious, does not strike us at once, and is difficult to detect.
This, I believe, is the situation in which those who work with asbestos find themselves. Working with asbestos can be dangerous. It can result in very serious illnesses such as lung fibrosis, pleural fibrosis or mesothelioma. A number of doubts and unanswered questions still surround the use of this substance. These concern for example the effect of inhaling small doses on the risk of cancer, the limits below which one can be certain that cancer will not arise and the carcinogenic properties of various types of amphibolic asbestos or chrysothile asbestos. Then there are the many jobs in which asbestos is or has been used, jobs undertaken by small and medium-sized enterprises with inadequate personal safety equipment. Further, the equipment is often incomplete or is incorrectly used. I refer to jobs such as maintenance, repair, overhaul or refurbishment of buildings, and also to the repair or scrapping of vessels, motor vehicles or industrial equipment.
Another equally significant uncertainty relates to the length of time it takes for the disease to manifest itself. This has a bearing on establishing responsibility for it, and on the need for preliminary or regular medical examinations for workers at risk from asbestos. As was stated previously, preventive measures are also needed for those who happen to live in the vicinity and may be indirectly affected. I have to say in this regard that we do not agree at all with the rapporteur that the directive should cover more than the protection of workers. I should like to be very clear. I mean all types of workers at risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases. This is because in our view a different legal basis is called for.
We do not believe either that the onus of proof should be reversed automatically in cases where the cause of the pathology is in doubt.
On the other hand, we do totally agree with the rapporteur on the need to change the culture on risk prevention in the workplace in general and on prevention of risks related to asbestos in particular.
We agree on the need to raise awareness at all levels that is, at state level and amongst employers and workers. We also agree that more training and information would be useful and indeed necessary. In short, we do feel it is time for a change of culture. I appeal to the Commissioner on this. The change should be set in train and promoted by the Commission and the Council.
We agree too on the importance of social dialogue as a way of achieving an effective policy on health in the workplace. We would also encourage administrations to collaborate amongst themselves. We would possibly ascribe less importance to a third interlocutor, namely the state. This is because the state clearly has a great many other concerns, and a large number of new regulations are not what is needed in this case, unless new risks become apparent. Action at a non-regulatory level will prove much more important. In conclusion Commissioner, I feel the Commission could make a significant contribution in this area."@en1
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