CAREX Canada, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Harbour Center Campus, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Anya Keefe Consulting, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Ann Work Expo Health. 2021 May 3;65(4):367-372. doi: 10.1093/annweh/wxaa110.
Due to the way occupational exposure limits (OELs) are set in Canada, workers across the country are not equally and adequately protected from harmful workplace exposures. This disparity is illustrated in the case of exposure to diesel engine exhaust (DEE). Based on the findings of a recent pan-Canadian and international scan of OELs for DEE, we recommend that Canada overcome these current disparities by moving towards harmonized, evidence-based OELs. To achieve this, Canada should adopt a centralized framework for setting OELs that considers the most recent scientific evidence as well as feasibility of implementation in the Canadian context. We assert that harmonizing OELs across Canada would allow for expertise and resources to be consolidated and is a crucial step to ensuring that all workers are consistently protected from harmful workplace exposures.
由于加拿大设定职业接触限值 (OEL) 的方式，全国各地的工人并没有得到平等和充分的保护，免受有害的工作场所接触。这种差异在接触柴油机废气 (DEE) 的情况下得到了体现。基于最近对加拿大和国际范围内 DEE 的 OEL 进行的全面扫描的结果，我们建议加拿大通过采用基于证据的统一 OEL 来克服这些当前的差距。为了实现这一目标，加拿大应该采用一种集中的 OEL 设置框架，该框架考虑了最新的科学证据以及在加拿大背景下实施的可行性。我们断言，在加拿大范围内协调 OEL 将允许整合专业知识和资源，是确保所有工人始终受到有害工作场所接触保护的关键步骤。
