​​Safer Cancer Care’s mission is to improve end-to-end safety for all healthcare workers who handle or may be exposed to hazardous medicinal products, regardless of their role.

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Awareness of risks and implementation of appropriate precautionary measures must begin when hazardous medicinal products enter the healthcare setting and continue across all stages—through preparation, administration, and ultimately to safe disposal and incineration.

 

Healthcare professionals working with hazardous medicinal products (HMPs) — including substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) — face a significant, yet often under-recognised, occupational risk.

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These risks arise throughout the entire handling process, from preparation and administration to waste management and environmental contamination. According to EU-OSHA, HMPs are among the most hazardous chemical exposures in healthcare.

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From Awareness to Action

Despite increasing awareness and the availability of guidance, a gap remains between knowledge and everyday clinical practice.

Safer Cancer Care was created to help bridge this gap — translating evidence, policy and best practice into practical, real-world implementation.

Through collaboration between clinicians, industry and policymakers, we aim to:

• Unite industry stakeholders to drive meaningful progress

• Support clinical governance and frontline healthcare professionals

• Strengthen collaboration between pharmacy, nursing and wider healthcare teams

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At the same time, awareness and action are increasing. In recent years, important guidance and frameworks have been established, including:

• ISOPP Standards for the Safe Handling of Cytotoxics (2022) 

• ETUI List of Hazardous Medicinal Products (2022) 

• EU Commission Guidance on Safe Handling of HMPs (2023) 

In parallel, policy momentum continues to grow. The EU Strategic Framework on Health & Safety at Work and updates to the Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic Substances Directive (CMRD) are driving stronger focus on protecting healthcare workers.

National and European organizations — including the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the European Biosafety Network (EBN), and the European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) — are increasingly calling for consistent implementation of safety measures across healthcare systems.