On 30 January 2024 Fórsa trade union and the European Biosafety Network (EBN) in association with the Hospital Pharmacy Association of Ireland (HPAI) and the National Association of Hospital Pharmacist Technicians (NAHPT), facilitated a summit on ‘Preventing Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Medicinal Products (HMPs)’.
The event was attended by representatives from the IPU, in addition to other members of the Irish healthcare and social care community, frontline staff, government agencies and regulators, trade unions, policymakers and academics.
The purpose of the summit was to raise awareness about the practical aspects of the management of HMPs and reduce the exposure of healthcare workers and professionals.
The EU Carcinogens, Mutagens, and Reprotoxic Substances Directive (CMRD) was amended in 2022 to include HMPs. In April 2023 the EU published a guidance for the safe management of HMPs at work through their lifecycle and disposal. The New EU legislation will come into force in Ireland on 5 April 2024.
Fórsa, the EBN, HPAI and NAHPT called on the HSE to urgently update their ‘Guideline on the Safe Handling of Cytotoxic Drugs’ published in February 2022, to include the updates of the new EU Directive.
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