References to occupational exposures Challenges faced by workers The Special Rapporteur is concerned that, rather than substituting hazardous pesticides with safer alternatives, it would seem that Bayer prefers mitigation strategies that carry greater risks for workers and communities, such as wearing protective personal clothing and improvements on labelling. The Special Rapporteur considers that typically the only effective mitigation strategy for hazardous pesticides is a concerted effort to develop and adopt safer alternatives. The Special Rapporteur also addressed the role of the German shipping industry in the abuses of human rights of workers in substandard shipbreaking facilities, particularly those in South Asia. German ship owners operate the world’s fourth largest merchant fleet in terms of vessels and have been linked to widespread contamination of the food, water and air of local communities, in addition to fatalities and toxic chemical exposure among workers, including child and migrant workers, who dismantle ships in hazardous and deadly conditions. According to assessments by civil society, but disputed by the Government, in 2014, German ship owners sold a record high of 95 per cent of their end-of-life tonnage for substandard breaking on the beaches of South Asia. Despite recent progress, the extremely poor working practices and environmental conditions prevailing in many ship-breaking yards continue to be the source of widespread concern in the international community. A major source of exposure to hazardous chemicals in Germany is in the workplace, and it is estimated that about 74,000 work-related deaths may be linked to workplace exposure to hazardous substances each year in the European Union – about 10 times more than workplace accidents. While identification and controls for carcinogens are well developed with a specific Directive for Carcinogens and Mutagens at work, there is a need to extend protection against reproductive hazards. The European Union regulation protecting pregnant women in the workplace includes a list of chemicals that is very old and not updated, which means that many chemicals of concern, like endocrine disrupting chemicals or nano-materials, are missing. According to a study by the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work, around 15 per cent of European workers report handling chemical products for a quarter of their working time and 19 per cent report breathing in dust, fumes and smoke at their workplaces. This study highlighted nanoparticles, ultrafine particles, man-made fibres, carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances, dermal exposures, exposures in waste management and the increasing use of allergenic and sensitizing substances as emerging risks. Specific occupations of emerging concerns include the growing waste management industry, construction and service activities such as cleaning or home nursing. In addition, there are a growing number of workers in small and medium-sized enterprises and subcontracted jobs, where • Monitoring and enforcement gaps • Exploitation of those most at risk • Informal economy • Deliberate efforts to delay or obstruct protection from toxic exposure • Opaque supply chains and the transfer of hazardous work • Inadequate standards of protection • Limited progress in prevention of exposure • Monitoring and enforcement gaps • Deliberate efforts to delay or obstruct protection from toxic exposure • Disconnected efforts on occupational and environmental A/HRC/39/48 48 Report