[Chemical agents and laboratory safety]

The Decree n(o) 25 of the 2nd of February 2002, according to the Directive 98/24/CE, predetermines the general criteria that the employer, operating in situation of production characterized by chemical risk, must conform to. This risk can derive from the effects of dangerous chemical agents present in the work-place itself or can be a result of working activities. This recent Decree is applied to all chemical agents--including cancerous agents--except for provisions of Title VII of Decree of law 626/1994; the substances and the preparations dangerous for the environment, chemical agents for which measures of radiological protection have come into force and the asbestos, for which a specific regulation subsists, are excluded. A particular attention, in the article, has been given to the activity of analysis and risk evaluation, first obligation for the employer. This obligation is very important in such a contest and moreover indispensable for the adoption of technical and procedural measures. One should emphasize that if the results of such an evaluation show a risk classifiable as moderate, (both as type and quantity of the dangerous chemical agents and as modalities and frequency of workers exposure), the employer is not bound either to assume specific measures of prevention and protection (as technical controls, measures of collective protection, the use of devices for individual protection, medical surveillance), or to comply with dispositions conceived in the case of accidents and emergency. In any case, if this risk is not moderate, the first intervention is the replacement, if possible, of dangerous chemical agent in question with others agents or processes showing no or less level of danger. In conclusion, it is important to emphasize that the recent Decree fixes that medical surveillance must be performed once a year, or following a different periodicity scheduled by the responsible physician.