Ordinance No.1287, published in the Official Gazette on September 30, established a Special Committee to Discuss the Use of Asbestos (CEDUA) with the purpose of proposing control measures through technical studies to ensure the health of workers engaged in the market of asbestos tiles in Brazil.
It’s up to the committee to prepare and propose a schedule for the implementation of some measures that can protect the worker, setting deadline for submission of final report on the subject.
The implementation of Annex 12 of NR15, which defines the tolerance limit for respirable fibers (2.0 f/cm3), is one of the concerns of the Committee, as it is up to the MTE to set the tolerance limits for asbestos dust, a mineral fiber used in manufacturing roof tiles, in addition to establishing rules for employers dealing with unhealthy activities and the entire chain of production and marketing of such product.
The CEDUA will be structured in three benches, composed of seven representatives and three observers, who shall be appointed by the bench of government comprising the Ministeries of Labour and Employment, Health, Mining and Energy, Social Welfare, Environment, Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, and Civil House; the bench of Workers, with the representatives of The Only Workers Central (CUT – Central Única dos Trabalhadores), Union Force (FS – Força Sindical), General Union of Workers (NCST – União Geral dos Trabalhadores), Central Unions of Brazilians (CSB – Central dos Sindicatos dos Brasileiros), and the Confederation of Industry Workers (CNTI – Confederação dos Trabalhadores da Indústria); and the bench of the representatives of employers composed of the National Confederation of Industry (CNI – Confederaçao Nacional da Industria), National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC – Confederação Nacional do Comércio de Bens, Serviços e Turismo), National Association of Construction Material Traders (ANAMACO – Associação Nacional dos Comerciantes de Material de Construção); plus three technical advisors appointed by Jorge Duprat Figueiredo Foundation for Occupational Health and Safety (FUNDACENTRO), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) and the Brazilian Chrysotile Institute (IBC).
Source: MTE
