Stop carcinogens at work: understand the risks and take action

Stakeholders launching the new edition of the Roadmap on carcinogens.

photo by Nicolas Lobet

The Roadmap on Carcinogens is an EU initiative to tackle work-related cancer, which is the leading cause of occupational deaths in the EU. The goal is to help business to take action by:

  • Creating awareness about the risks of exposure to carcinogens at work
  • Offering tools and solutions for business and workers
  • Bringing people together to exchange good practices and promoting cooperation between national and EU partners 

The initiative aims to help protect workers from harm ─ today and in the future. It contributes to Europe's Beating Cancer Plan and is supported by the 2021-2027 EU OSH Strategic Framework.

Explore the S.T.O.P. carcinogens at work website to find practical help and advice for both workers and employers. Learn about the risks, find out how to take action, and discover what the partners are doing.

Who’s behind the initiative

Launched in 2016, the initiative brings together a wide range of partners: EU Member States, EU social partners, the European Commission, European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and EU-OSHA.

Employers, workers, labour inspectorates, researchers, unions, expert organisations, educational institutions and trainers are also invited to join the network to prevent carcinogen exposure.

How to get involved?

  • Share innovative solutions and best practices to reduce workplace exposure to carcinogens.
  • Support awareness campaigns that inform workers and employers about risks and prevention.
  • Use and promote the roadmap’s tools and knowledge to prevent exposure in your own organisation.

Strategy 2025-2027

Between 2016 and 2024, the initiative gathered a large pool of information and engaged with diverse stakeholders.

The current Roadmap on Carcinogens 3.0 - 2025-2027 strategy focusses on spreading evidence and tools for implementation of actions based on these commitments:

  • Sharing health impact knowledge with employers and workers.
  • Supporting employers and workers on the practical use of tools and knowledge.
  • Organising regular partner meetings to guarantee sustained cooperation and awareness of activities.
  • The initiative is voluntary and action driven. Partners agree on a core range of activities, but additional actions are welcome.
  • The initiative aims to leave a lasting legacy to prevent work-related exposure to carcinogens.

EU-OSHA helps promote the activities of the Roadmap and supports the partners in organising events to raise awareness and promote preventive measures.

OSHwiki featured articles

Occupational exposure limit values

Jolanta Skowroń Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute, Poland

Introduction

Occupational exposure limit values (OELs) are set to prevent occupational diseases or other adverse effects in workers exposed to hazardous chemicals in the workplace. OELs assume that exposed persons are healthy adult workers, although in some cases the OELs should also protect vulnerable groups – e.g. pregnant women or other more susceptible people. They are tools to help employers protect the health of workers who may be exposed to chemicals in the working environment. OELs are usually set for single substances, but sometimes they are also produced for common mixtures in the workplace, for example solvent mixes, oil mists, fumes from welding or…

Read full OSHwiki article

Process-generated contaminants

Martie van Tongeren Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh

Overview

There is not currently a formal and universally recognised definition of a process-generated substance. Process-generated contaminants can be generated as emissions from combustion processes, abrasion and/or other processes that physically or chemically degrade or otherwise modify the starting material(s), e.g. degradation/composting of organic materials. Such emissions are generally complex and variable mixtures of substances that are generated by processes or activities and are incidentally released (i.e. the substances are not supplied or intentionally produced). They can consist of gases, vapours, mists, fumes and/or particles (fibres and non-fibrous) with…

Read full OSHwiki article