Health and safety in the workplace: prevention of hazards to reproductive health

Abstract

Occupational exposure figures are inexact, and environmental levels are even more difficult to document. Exposure usually involves chemical mixtures, and individuals may not be aware of all the chemicals with which they come into contact. Thus, the effect of individual chemicals is difficult to assess, and causeand-effect relationships are nearly impossible to establish. The action plan, which should be drawn up by every employer, should specifically take into account when assessing the hazards involved in carrying out a particular job in a specific working environment, the factors which can have a bearing on the ability of the individual to have children, making a distinction between hazards which can affect women, and those which can affect men. Objective risk assessment should be made more specific, taking into consideration both the characteristics of the job and the individual by whom the said job is done.