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Alliance for a Competitive European Industry
Alliance of Energy Intensive Industries
Non-Energy Extractive Industries Panel
REACH consortium "flue dust from cement clinker production"
Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency
ZVC SR - (Association of Slovak Cement Producers )
Hungarian Cement Concrete & Lime Association
Heidelberg Materials Kunda AS-i
Heidelberg Materials Cement Sverige
Heidelberg Materials Sement Norge
France Ciment / Organisation professionnelle de l'industrie cimentière française
MPA – Minerals Products Association - Cement
VÖZ – Vereinigung der Österreichischen Zementindustrie / Association of the Austrian Cement Industry
BACI - Bulgarian Association of Cement Industry
Svaz výrobcu cementu CR / Czech Cement Association
VDZ– Verein Deutscher Zementwerke e.V.
PCA – Stowarzyszenie Producentów Cementu / The Polish Cement Association
ATIC – Associação Técnica da Indústria de Cimento / Technical Association of the Cement Industry
Cementa Industrija Srbije / Serbian Cement Industry Association
Oficemen – Agrupación de Fabricantes de Cemento de España / Association of Spanish Cement Producers
UKRCEMENT - Association of Cement Producers of Ukraine
Hellenic Cement Industry Association
Febelcem – Fédération de l’Industrie Cimentière Belge / Association of the Belgian Cement Industry
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In brief
Crystalline silica is an essential component in a wide range of materials used in industrial production and daily life. Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) refers to the fraction of crystalline silica dust that can be inhaled and may pose a hazard to workers.
In December 2017, the amended Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMD) set a limit value for RCS dust generated by work processes at 0.1 mg/m³. Member States have since implemented national laws, regulations, and administrative provisions to comply with this directive with some applying even stricter limits than the European threshold.
The limit value for RCS dust established in Annex III to Directive (EU) 2017/2398 is due for revision in light of recent scientific and technical data. The CMD specifies that the European Commission shall evaluate whether a modification of this limit is needed as part of its next assessment of the directive’s implementation.
Cement Europe is part of the NEPSI Social Dialogue Agreement, which aims to protect employees from occupational exposure to RCS in the workplace. Through this platform, sector-specific guidance and assessments have been developed to help companies meet their obligations on exposure minimisation complementing the general requirements of the directive. By following NEPSI guidance, signatories apply these requirements in an informed and practical way.
The NEPSI Social Partners recognise the role of the Good Practices of the Social Dialogue Agreement on Workers’ Health Protection through the Good Handling and Use of Crystalline Silica and Products Containing It (the NEPSI Agreement) in supporting implementation of the CMD. This agreement was formally acknowledged during the first revision of the directive (Directive (EU) 2017/2398) as a valuable and necessary instrument complementing regulatory requirements. It was further recognised under the second revision, Directive (EU) 2019/130, which specifies in Article 13a that social partners’ agreements concluded under this directive shall be listed on the EU-OSHA website.
The most recent NEPSI reporting year took place in 2024. Thanks to the efforts of its members, Cement Europe achieved 100% reporting of identified sites, and 98% of employees potentially exposed to RCS were covered by a risk assessment with progress recorded across all Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The next reporting year will take place in 2026 (15 January – 15 March), with preparation beginning in December 2025.
Cement Europe continues to play an active role in NEPSI activities and in shaping the future of the Social Dialogue Agreement on Workers’ Protection through the Good Handling and Use of Crystalline Silica and Products Containing It (the NEPSI SDA).
In 2019, a series of projects under the NEPSI 5-year roadmap (2018–2023) were launched to strengthen, expand, and modernise the Agreement. This joint effort resulted in:
In June 2025, the new EU project NEPSI in PROPAGATION (2025–2028) was launched. Planned activities include:
NEPSI will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026.
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