Dutch employers too lax: Over 1 million workers exposed to dangerous substances

The about 100,000 companies in the Netherlands that work with hazardous substances are too lax. The Labour Inspectorate has to remind them time and again of their responsibility to protect their over 1 million employees. Workers are often exposed to invisible or odorless substances without realizing it. Around 4,100 people die from occupational diseases every year, Trouw reports from a new report by the Labor Inspectorate.

Occupational diseases like lung cancer and COPD contracted at work can be reduced with relatively simple measures, the Inspectorate reports. Employers can set up a separate room for eating and changing clothes, cover barrels of toxic substances to prevent unnecessary exposure, ensure their pipes don’t leak, and clean with a vacuum cleaner instead of a broom.

The Labor Inspectorate considers these measures common sense but repeatedly finds that employers aren’t implementing them. In recent years, inspectors visited over 1,000 companies to see how they deal with substances like chromium-6, welding fumes, wood dust, and diesel engine emissions - toxins that can cause cancer, damage genes, or reduce fertility. Varying by sector, the number of companies that did not sufficiently protect their workers ranged between 55 and 87 percent.

In the sector that cleans tankers, the Inspectorate had to point out the dangers to almost every company. Chemical wholesalers and manufacturers of adhesives, resins, and sealants performed almost as badly. Three-quarters knew little about exposure to hazardous substances. “This while they are suppliers. They must pass on information to buyers about the risks,” the Inspectorate said.

Ultimately, the employer is responsible for making an assessment of the health risks caused by hazardous substances, Erwin Gorissen of the Dutch Association for Occupational and Company Diseases (NVAB) told Trouw. “But if an employer fails to do so, there is often no penalty.” That results in many companies not making risk analyses because it is simply cheaper to ignore the risks, he said.

According to Gorissen, companies can detect health risks earlier by checking their employees’ health preventively. “But the problem with that is that the employer determines what to check. An extensive check costs more money, so many companies only have their employees weighed or their blood pressure measured.” These limited checks do not pick up on diseases that can develop in the long term.

“Many occupational diseases only appear after 15 or 20 years, but employers only think in the short term,” Gorissen said. “Instead of anticipating occupational diseases, companies only take action when someone really gets sick.”