Sweden: Protecting workers from potentially hazardous carbon nanotubes in the manufacturing sector

Nanomaterials are becoming more common in workplaces, as companies increasingly exploit their many beneficial properties. How exposure to these substances affects worker health is unclear.

The Swedish manufacturing company Atlas Copco Industrial Technique has taken a precautionary approach to managing worker exposure to carbon nanotubes, generated by work processes in its testing lab, by installing fume hoods and extraction facilities to ensure that workers do not inhale potentially hazardous dust.

Stakeholders at all levels — managers, safety representatives and testing engineers — were involved in the development and implementation of these preventive measures, and the company actively raises awareness of this good practice among its clients and other companies.