{"id":98405,"date":"2021-07-29T09:15:37","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T07:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/obera.fr\/our-advice\/substances-cmr-risque-exposition-au-travail-quelle-reglementation-prevention\/"},"modified":"2025-05-07T09:39:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T07:39:38","slug":"substances-cmr-risque-exposition-au-travail-quelle-reglementation-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/obera.fr\/en\/our-tips\/substances-cmr-risque-exposition-au-travail-quelle-reglementation-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"CMR substances and the risk of exposure in the workplace: how can prevention be regulated?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Certain <strong>chemical substances<\/strong> can have <strong>health effects and risks<\/strong>. Alone or in mixtures, they can be<strong> carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to human reproduction<\/strong>. These are known as CMR substances. These substances are classified according to the hazard they represent. Only one of these categories has been covered by a European regulation since 2008 (n\u00b01272\/2008-Eur-Lex).      <\/p>\n\n<p>This is the <strong>&#8220;CLP&#8221;<\/strong> (Classification, Labeling and Packaging) <strong>regulation<\/strong>. French law has transposed this <strong>European regulation<\/strong>, notably in article R.4412-60 of the Labor Code. Indeed, article L4121-1 of the French Labor Code recognizes workers&#8217; health and safety. What are these regulations for <strong>CMR substances <\/strong>?   <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"substances-cmr-qu-est-ce-que-c-est\">CMR substances: what are they?<\/h2>\n\n<p><strong>CMR substances are substances or mixtures<\/strong> which produce harmful effects and present <strong>risks to health or the environment<\/strong>. These substances or mixtures may present risks through inhalation, ingestion or skin penetration: <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Carcinogenic<\/strong>: products that cause cancer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mutagenic<\/strong>: produce hereditary problems or increase their frequency tenfold.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reprotoxic<\/strong>: increase in non-hereditary harmful effects on children or impairment of human reproductive capacity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Different <strong>chemical agents <\/strong>are classified according to their CMR properties.<strong>INRS offers a list of chemical substances classified as CMR<\/strong>. It includes a main list of substances, a list of complex substances derived from petroleum and coal, a list of colorants and a table with classification thresholds for mixtures. Employers are responsible for <strong>employee health<\/strong>, and for maintaining a <strong>healthy working environment<\/strong>. They are therefore required to obtain information on these substances in the same way as for the <a href=\"https:\/\/obera.fr\/en\/our-tips\/reglementation-vlep-evaluation-risque-chimique-lieu-de-travail\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/obera.fr\/conseils\/reglementation-vlep-evaluation-risque-chimique-lieu-de-travail\/\">VLEP (Valeurs limites d&#8217;exposition professionnelle &#8211; Occupational Exposure Limit Values) regulations<\/a>.    <\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u00c0 Lire aussi : <a href=\"https:\/\/obera.fr\/en\/our-tips\/valeur-limite-exposition-professionnelle-ou-vlep\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1999\">What is an Occupational Exposure Limit?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"substances-cmr-quelles-sont-les-regles\">CMR substances: what are the rules?<\/h2>\n\n<p><strong>The regulation concerns only one of these CMR classifications<\/strong>. The <strong>CLP regulation<\/strong> (Eur-Lex n\u00b01272\/2008) aims to <strong>protect health and the environment<\/strong>, and promotes <strong>European uniformity<\/strong>. France has transposed this CMR classification into two categories. <strong>Category 1 concerns products presenting a carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic risk<\/strong>. Category 1 is divided into two sub-categories: 1A with a proven CMR hazard, and 1B with a presumed CMR risk. <strong>Category 2 covers products with suspected CMR risks<\/strong>.     <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"comment-reconnaitre-un-produit-classe-cmr\">How to recognize a product classified as CMR?<\/h3>\n\n<p>To identify products that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction, a <strong>single risk assessment document <\/strong>exists. This document lists all the <strong>risks associated with work activities<\/strong>. It comprises several sheets. CMR products and preparations can be identified on the<strong>label<\/strong>. They must contain the &#8220;toxic&#8221; symbol, with several risk warning phrases (a new European regulation n\u00b01182\/2020 has changed the rules, but is not yet applied in France).      <\/p>\n\n<p>The manufacturer of CMR products must provide a <strong>safety data sheet<\/strong>. Employees must have access to this sheet, which indicates the product&#8217;s composition for use. Finally, the employer must create an <strong>exposure sheet for each worker<\/strong>. These sheets record the context, duration and repetitiveness of activities exposed to hazardous chemical agents and CMRs.   <\/p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Further information: <a href=\"https:\/\/obera.fr\/en\/our-tips\/vlep-quels-risques-cas-de-non-respect-reglementation\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/obera.fr\/conseils\/vlep-quels-risques-cas-de-non-respect-reglementation\/\">What are the risks of not complying with VLEP?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"substances-cmr-quelle-est-la-prevention-au-travail\">CMR substances: what about prevention in the workplace?<\/h3>\n\n<p>The employer&#8217;s <strong>role is to prevent the use of CMR products and preparations<\/strong> and, more generally, chemical risks. It is mandatory for employers to replace hazardous substances and CMR agents with a non- or less harmful product (article R.4412-66 of the French Labor Code). The employer is obliged to <strong>look for a replacement<\/strong> for a Category 1A or 1B toxic product.  <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"les-obligations-de-l-employeur-en-presence-de-substances-cmr-au-travail\">Employers&#8217; obligations when CMR substances are present in the workplace<\/h3>\n\n<p><strong>Substitution is the employer&#8217;s obligation<\/strong>, and takes precedence over all other measures to reduce the danger of inhalation or ingestion of a CMR product. The company must justify the steps it has taken, whether successful or not. The <strong>single risk assessment document<\/strong> records the results of the research. Technical arguments may be used to justify the non-substitution of CMR agents or preparations. In this case, the employer must ensure that carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic agents are used in an enclosed area (article R.4412-68).    <\/p>\n\n<p>At Obera, we&#8217;re experts in air treatment for your workspaces. We can propose equipment adapted to the dangers of CMR substances. Please do not hesitate to contact us.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Certain chemical substances, alone or in mixtures, can be carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to human reproduction. These are known as CMR substances. These substances are classified on the basis of the danger they represent, and have been the subject of a European regulation since 2008 (n\u00b01272\/2008-Eur-Lex).     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":98277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"CMR substances, occupational exposure risk and regulations","_seopress_titles_desc":"Chemical substances can have health effects and risks. They may be carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to human reproduction. 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