Background information
Dresden Declaration 2003 on the protection of workers against asbestos
In 2000 an Asbestos Session initiated by the Senior Labour Inspectors' Committee
(SLIC) on the hazards caused by handling of asbestos at work, was held in Sweden,
Spain, the UK and France.
The report of this Session initiated the Asbestos Conference 2003 in Dresden.
Also in 2003 the revised European Union (EU) Asbestos Directive was adopted.
Over 160 participants from all EU states and all accession states, and from countries outside Europe (Brazil, Thailand and Japan), as well as representatives from the European Commission and ILO attended the Conference. Participants came from the national authorities, including the national inspectorates, from the social partners, from academic and scientific institutions, and from accident-insurance organisations.
Amongst others, the Conference called upon the member and accession states and their social partners to:
- make protection of employees against asbestos exposure at the workplace a priority;
- increase the co-ordination of national labour inspectorates' activities and those of other national departments or authorities, in relation to asbestos protection;
- ensure effective monitoring of and advice for companies involved with asbestos;
- pay special attention to the training of labour inspectors both in relation to the protection of workers and to the health of the inspectors themselves;
- ensure that workers dealing with asbestos are competent and appropriately trained;
- ensure the necessary infrastructure, services and competence of physicians in relation to asbestos hazards and associated health surveillance, diagnosis and where appropriate, treatment of occupational disease;
- undertake and support all measures intended to eliminate asbestos and asbestos products from the economic cycle and to replace asbestos with less harmful products.
The European Conference on Asbestos 2003 expressed its conviction that the ultimate goal is a worldwide ban on asbestos production and use.
The Member States’ Labour Inspectorates agreed on the following measures:
- Guidelines of good practice
- Share experience
- Disseminate information
- Initiate a European campaign
- Take action to stop export of contaminated waste
