Council Directive 98/24/EC of 7 April 1998 on the protection of the health and safety of workers from the risks related to chemical agents at work (fourteenth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC) (c. 24)

SECTION I U.K. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 2 U.K. Definitions

For the purpose of this Directive, the terms used shall have the following meanings:

(a)

‘Chemical agent’ means any chemical element or compound, on its own or admixed, as it occurs in the natural state or as produced, used or released, including release as waste, by any work activity, whether or not produced intentionally and whether or not placed on the market;

(b)

‘Hazardous chemical agent’ means:

(i)

any chemical agent which meets the criteria for classification as a dangerous substance according to the criteria in Annex VI to Directive 67/548/EEC, whether or not that substance is classified under that Directive, other than those substances which only meet the criteria for classification as dangerous for the environment;

(ii)

any chemical agent which meets the criteria for classification as a dangerous preparation within the meaning of Directive 88/379/EEC, whether or not that preparation is classified under that Directive, other than those preparations which only meet the criteria for classification as dangerous for the environment;

(iii)

any chemical agent which, whilst not meeting the criteria for classification as dangerous in accordance with (i) and (ii), may, because of its physico-chemical, chemical or toxicological properties and the way it is used or is present in the workplace, present a risk to the safety and health of workers, including any chemical agent assigned an occupational exposure limit value under Article 3.

(c)

‘Activity involving chemical agents’ means any work in which chemical agents are used, or are intended to be used, in any process, including production, handling, storage, transport or disposal and treatment, or which result from such work;

(d)

‘Occupational exposure limit value’ means, unless otherwise specified, the limit of the time-weighted average of the concentration of a chemical agent in the air within the breathing zone of a worker in relation to a specified reference period;

(e)

‘Biological limit value’ means the limit of the concentration in the appropriate biological medium of the relevant agent, its metabolite, or an indicator of effect;

(f)

‘Health surveillance’ means the assessment of an individual worker to determine the state of health of that individual, as related to exposure to specific chemical agents at work;

(g)

‘Hazard’ means the intrinsic property of a chemical agent with the potential to cause harm;

(h)

‘Risk’ means the likelihood that the potential for harm will be attained under the conditions of use and/or exposure.