REVIEW PAPER
Legal protection of employee health when working with nanoparticles. Comments on the appropriateness of introducing European legal regulations
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Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II / The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
(Wydział Prawa, Prawa Kanonicznego i Administracji, Katedra Prawa Pracy i Ubezpieczeń Społecznych / Faculty of Law,
Canon Law and Administration, Department of Labour and Social Insurance Law)
Online publication date: 2019-07-11
Corresponding author
Maciej Jarota
Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II,
Wydział Prawa, Prawa Kanonicznego i Administracji, Katedra Prawa Pracy i Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, al. Racławickie 14,
20-950 Lublin
Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2019;70(5):633-47
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ABSTRACT
The aim of this publication is to analyze legal regulations related to occupational health and safety in the context
of the development of nanomaterials technology. The author reflects on the possibility of introducing legal structures at the European
Union level to facilitate protecting employee health in the work environment related to nanoparticles. Employers, in the
scope of their duties, should take the necessary measures to ensure the safety and health of employees, including the prevention
of threats related to the performance of official duties, information and training, as well as providing the necessary organizational
framework and resources. Different organizations or research institutes are working on researching the numerical occupational
exposure limits for nanoparticles, but the right direction to protect workers’ health from exposure to nanoparticles is still at an
early stage of diagnosis. It seems important to study the extent to which current methods and tools for risk assessment are up to
date, and the elements that should be adapted to the characteristics of nanoparticles. The paper attempts to answer the question
of whether the current legal protection of employees, in the context of risks and threats posed by nanotechnology, is sufficient. Med Pr.
2019;70(5):633–47