Abstract

Companies producing or using chemicals have to comply with legislation that safeguards their workers, the local residents and the environment. In the Netherlands, government supervision of occupational safety is generally executed separately from the supervision of environmental health. This supervision could be improved if bodies such as inspectorates and environmental agencies collaborate more closely and share more information on chemicals. RIVM provides recommendations for that purpose.

By sharing knowledge on so-called CMR substances, for example, it becomes clearer for inspectorates and environmental agencies which companies they should focus on. These CMR substances may cause either cancer or DNA-alterations or may adversely affect reproduction. Supervising authorities need ample knowledge of these chemicals to execute their tasks properly. They also have to know which companies use CMR substances and if these companies discharge these chemicals to the water or the air. This information is currently not centrally available and therefore fragmented.

A collective approach also prevents measures from being taken that are favourable to workers but harmful to the environment or vice versa. The common policy goal for both workplace safety and environmental safety is to minimize the use of hazardous substances and to replace them by safer alternatives. However, both frameworks differ in their approach, in particular with regard to how and when a company should investigate safer alternatives or how they can prevent exposure to hazardous substances. Closer collaboration within the framework of such studies will increase the chance of success.