The Labour Inspection Department informs all affected parties that on 20 February 2025, the European Commission adopted a Communication establishing an Indicative List of dangerous medicines to protect workers from the risks associated with exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work.
The main purpose of the publication of this Indicative List is to further improve the safety of workers exposed to dangerous medicinal products at work as well as to improve the quality of the risk assessment carried out in the workplace where such medicinal products are used and not to replace dangerous medicinal products with medicinal products that are not hazardous or are less hazardous to health. Drug substitution is rarely an option because the intrinsic properties of dangerous drugs are usually necessary for the treatment of the patient and their health should not be compromised by changing them.
The Indicative List of Dangerous Medicines provides useful information, including on certain cancer medicines used in the healthcare sector to treat a wide range of medical conditions, including cancer.
It should be noted that the issuance of an Indicative List of Dangerous Medicines cannot replace the mandatory chemical risk assessment of a specific workplace, which must take into account other available information, such as the concentration of a specific substance or more chemicals in the medicines. Therefore, the List can only be considered as an indicative, non-binding and complementary element of the above-mentioned risk assessment.
This Communication complements the Guidance for the safe management of hazardous medicinal products at work issued by the European Commission in 2023.
