European Chemical Regulation and Occupational Hygiene

Occupational hygienists and other health scientists should have little problem in accepting that approaches to the management of risk should be based on soundly constructed principles of risk assessment. Such thinking permeates many aspects of occupational health practice and is reflected in supporting legal frameworks, for example the Chemical Agents Directive (EC, 1998) and UK Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations (Department of Health, 1999). Yet within Europe, such approaches are now under discussion concerning their relevance to other aspects of chemicals management. Three areas in the current debate are most pertinent.