Occupational diseases, Europe's crackdown on workers exposed to hazardous substances

For polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are typically found 'in industries such as steel, iron and aluminium production and are also present in welding fumes', the proposed limit value is 0.00007 mg/m³. Also on the list of elements is 1,4-dioxane, the substance used as a solvent in chemical and textile production and in household detergents. The general limit proposed is 7.3 mg/m³ with a short-term exposure limit of 73 mg/m³. A biological limit is also suggested.

Particular attention should be paid to welding fumes that 'may contain harmful substances such as chromium, nickel and cadmium compounds, which are classified as carcinogenic'.

Within this framework there is the Italian case and thus the different types of situations in the world of work.

The data collected by INAIL, relating to the first five months of 2025, when compared with those for the same period in 2024, highlight one aspect: the number of reported accidents at work is falling (-2.2%) and fatal accidents are down (-3.2%). In the commuting component, there was a decrease in accident reports of 2.9 per cent, 'but against a significant increase in fatalities, which rose by 30.5 per cent'. There is one aspect that relates directly to the European Commission's initiative and that concerns the increase in occupational diseases, which in the first five months of 2025 reached 42,383 complaints, an increase of 9.0% over the same period last year and 54.8% over 2019. The growth concerns all sectors: Industry and services where the number of cases rose from 32,084 to 34,840 with a growth of +8.6%, agriculture with a growth of +11.6% and the number of cases rising from 6,475 to 7,225. As for the geographical distribution, the peak is in the South with +21.1%, followed by the North-West with +17.3%. Then the Centre with +5.7% and the North-East with +3.2%. On the decline are the Islands where the percentage marks -8.1%.

In terms of gender, there were 2,757 more complaints of occupational disease for workers, from 28,756 to 31,513 (+9.6%), and 758 more for female workers, from 10,112 to 10,870 (+7.5%). The increase concerned both the complaints of Italian workers, which went from 35,599 to 38,587 (+8.4%), and those of foreigners, from 3,269 to 3,796 (+16.1%).

Diseases of the osteo-muscular system and connective tissue, those of the nervous system and of the ear continue to represent, even in the first five months of 2025, the first three types of occupational diseases reported, followed by cancers and diseases of the respiratory system.

Then there is the game of compensation. In mid-July, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies published the decree on the revaluation, effective 1 July 2025, of economic benefits for biological damage paid by INAIL following an accident at work or occupational disease. The percentage increase, calculated on the ISTAT change in consumer price indexes for blue- and white-collar households, is 0.8%.

In Spain, according to the Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (INSST), exposure to a chemical agent is defined as the presence of the agent in the workplace resulting in contact with the worker, normally by inhalation or dermal absorption, but also, in some cases, by the digestive or parenteral route.

According to Article 4 of the Ley de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales (LPRL), occupational injuries include all illnesses, pathologies or injuries suffered due to or in the course of work activity. The Spanish regulatory framework identifies three situations in which these damages may occur: regular exposure to a hazardous agent present in the work environment; accidental exposure, for example as a result of splashes of corrosive products or toxic gas leaks; and finally, situations of indirect damage, such as fires or explosions related to the presence of flammable substances.

The regulations require that risk prevention training (PRL) be followed and that workers be provided with appropriate protective equipment. Also central is the use of the Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) code, which allows the risks associated with each chemical product to be clearly identified. This type of exposure affects not only the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, but also healthcare (hospitals, clinics and pharmacies), construction, mining, cleaning, catering, agriculture and even the beauty and hairdressing sectors.

Royal Decree 374/2001, of 6 April, obliges employers to identify the presence of hazardous chemical agents in the workplace and to assess the potential risks to the health and safety of employees, comprehensively analysing all factors that may affect their well-being.

Exposure limits are set annually by the INSST through the document on Occupational Exposure Limit Values for Chemical Agents. These values, generally in line with those indicated by the European Union, are in some cases stricter or include substances that are not yet regulated at EU level. However, Spanish experts and trade unions call for more frequent updates, pointing out that some thresholds still refer to outdated scientific studies.

To effectively manage risks from chemicals, Spanish authorities promote the application of the hierarchy of controls, which includes, where possible, eliminating the hazard at source. Among the most common technical measures are the installation of general ventilation and localised suction systems, the confinement of production processes to limit areas of exposure, the automation of operations to avoid direct contact with hazardous substances, the elimination of ignition sources, and the implementation of storage systems suited to the type and quantity of materials present.

Structured chemical risk management is, also in Spain, one of the fundamental tools to guarantee the health and safety of workers in different production contexts.

*This article is part of the European collaborative journalism project "Pulse" .