The Stop Cancer at Work coalition welcomes the overwhelming vote today in the Employment Committee of the European Parliament for better protection for workers and healthcare professionals from potentially life-threatening hazardous medicinal products (HMPs). The campaign urges the European Commission and the European Council to formally adopt and implement the amendments in the trilogue on the Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic Substances Directive (CMRD) later this year.
The committee has approved the legal definition of HMPs to be included in the main body and Annex of the CMRD, underlining their classification as category 1A or 1B carcinogens, mutagens or reprotoxic substances. This definition was already included in the new EU guidance on handling HMPs published by the Commission and European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) earlier this year.
Similarly, the Commission should also adopt and use the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) list to indicate which HMPs fall under the legislative scope of the EU. The European Commission has started to prepare and publish the indicative list of HMPs required by the CMRD but it should also be published sooner rather than later and does not need to wait until April 2025 which is the final legal deadline.
Stop Cancer at Work release can be viewed here.
