• Date 2025-02-04

Work-related cancer claims many thousand lives in the EU each year. This year’s World Cancer Day once again offers an opportunity to address the prevention of cancer at work and rethink protective measures. To counteract cancer related deaths, employees must be protected from exposure to carcinogenic substances. As the primary measure in the STOP principle, which describes the hierarchy of protective measures in occupational safety, substitution contributes greatly to protecting employees from work-related cancer. SUBSPORTplus supports this with, among other means, its step-by-step instructions for substitution and the database of successfully implemented case studies.

The STOP principle is a rule of thumb for simple, effective measures:

• 𝐒ubstitution: Replace hazardous substances with safe ones
• 𝐓echnical measures for better protection
• 𝐎rganization: Design safe work processes
• 𝐏ersonal protective measures

Consistent implementation requires the joint efforts of occupational health and safety authorities, politicians, employers and employees. The German Hazardous Substances Protection Award illustrates what this can look like in practice. It is conferred by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) every two years and organised by the Federal Agency for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), which conducts the business of the Committee on Hazardous Substances (AGS). With the title of "making the handling of hazardous substances safer, supporting innovation", the award has honoured exemplary and ground-breaking work surrounding protection against hazardous substances. 2024 the prize has been awarded for the 15th time in a row since 1994.

In 2024, the focus was on protection against carcinogenic hazardous substances: www.gefahrstoffschutzpreis.de

Further information:

• Winners of the 15th German Hazardous Substance Protection Award announced, SUBSPORTplus, News, 04.10.2024
• Roadmap on carcinogens, News, 04.02.2025, "World Cancer Day 2025: This could have been prevented” https://stopcarcinogensatwork.eu/world-cancer-day-2025-this-could-have-been-prevented/
• EU OSHA, Webpage "Roadmap on carcinogens" https://osha.europa.eu/en/themes/dangerous-substances/roadmap-to-carcinogens
• EU OSHA, Press release, 04.02.2025: Preventing workplace-related cancer on World Cancer Day https://osha.europa.eu/en/highlights/preventing-workplace-related-cancer-world-cancer-day