How does the new european regulation strengthen welder protection?

To enhance welder safety and reduce risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached an agreement on the sixth revision of the directive on carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances (CMRD).

This regulatory development confirms a clear trend: source capture and welding fume extraction are becoming essential levers for improving industrial air quality and ensuring long-term worker protection.

The sixth revision of the CMRD directive aims to align European legislation with the latest scientific advances in occupational health and safety.

More specifically, the agreement introduces new occupational exposure limits (OELs) for several substances used across various industrial sectors:

One of the key developments of this revision is the inclusion of welding fumes within the scope of the directive. The revision also introduces a new occupational exposure limit for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), compounds that may be present in certain industrial processes and welding fumes.

The objective of this regulation is therefore to “help create safer workplaces for millions of workers across Europe and to strengthen the prevention of occupational diseases."

According to estimates from the European Commission, these new measures could prevent nearly 1,700 cases of lung cancer and 19,000 other occupational diseases over the next forty years. As a result, approximately 20,700 welders and other workers could be protected from cancer and occupational diseases over the next forty years.

Savings for the European Union’s healthcare system could reach €1.16 billion.

Beyond exposure limits, the agreement also includes several additional measures:

These developments reinforce a fundamental principle of prevention: collective protective measures must take priority over personal protective equipment.

In this context, source capture and welding fume extraction systems effectively reduce contaminant concentrations directly at the source, limiting their spread throughout the workshop and sustainably improving industrial air quality.

At ENGMAR, we support industrial companies with welding fume extraction and ergonomic solutions designed to protect worker health, improve industrial air quality and help meet future regulatory requirements.