Adjustment of occupational exposure limits in case of unusual work schedules

Pursuant to the widening of the scope for flexible working hours, the State Secretary of Social Affairs and Employment asked the Health Council for an advisory report about the consequences of flexible working hours for the determination of health-based recommended exposure limits and the resulting regulatory exposure limits. The State Secretary wishes to know whether and, if so, how variations in the duration and timing of exposure should be included in the limits. The phrase “variations in the duration and timing of exposure to compounds in the workplace” refers to changes in exposure as a result of a work schedule which differs from the ‘standard schedule’: 8 hours a day, daytime office hours, 5 days a week.

The President of the Health Council asked the Council’s Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Standards (DECOS) to answer the State Secretary’s question.