A number of tools and guidance documents have been developed by Member States, European institutions, business associations, social partners and other actors to help enterprises to carry out comprehensive and effective risk assessments. These tools represent a broad variety of approaches to managing dangerous substance effectively. Often they cover specific work operations, such as filling and pumping liquids or welding processes. Other sources give a comprehensive overview of a certain group of substances, such as sensitisers, or they highlight typical risks in certain sectors.
Moreover, in addition to supporting high-quality risk assessment, most of these tools include good practical solutions, explaining how to reduce risks in common work situations involving exposure to dangerous substances. There are also tools to support specific actors, such as labour inspectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, and workers’ representatives, among many others. So it’s well worth exploring the site to find out about the help that is on offer.
The website provides a summary report and the presentations of a Workshop held in March 2009 on reprotoxic substances and endocrine disrupters at the workplace.
In the presentations, findings of a report by OSHA were presented and discussed and complemented with inputs from various exports of...
The aims of the guidance document are (1) to assist in the assessment of the risk of hepatitis B and C and HIV infection to healthcare workers and (2) to provide efficient prevention measures for and information on pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis, with particular emphasis on jobs at high risk.
Workers working in an automotive workshop are exposed to many dangerous substances. The 'Hazardous Substances Check' helps automotive workshops to carry out a risk assessment and to decide on the protective measurements required, depending on the potential hazard. The 'Hazardous Substances Check'...
The Nano-Portal 'Safe Handling of Nanomaterials' is the result of a project supported by German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) and aims to further the knowledge about occupational safety and health in the fields of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies. The portal focuses on:
The factsheet explains what respiratory sensitisers are, provides information on the workplaces where they may occur and introduce prevention measures at all levels of the control hierarchy. The factsheet was developed for the 2003 European Week for Safety and Health at Work as part of a series of...
For the 2003 European Week for Safety and Health at Work, EU-OSHA produced a series of factsheets containing information on occupational safety and health specifically in relation to dangerous substances. This factsheet contains information on skin sensitisers as well as preventive measures in...
This factsheet summarises a European Risk Observatory report on young workers, which aims to provide a review of the hazards that young workers are exposed to at work. It does this by analysing statistics and studies, and selected case studies of prevention. Many of the sectors and occupations that...
This factsheet outlines the risks of workers in educational establishments, including in laboratories.
This short factsheet provides an overview of the basic risk management related to dangerous substances at the workplace. It briefly describes legal obligations and outlines the process of risk assessment and implementation of preventive measures.
Workplace safety depends on risk awareness. Employers and workers need to know the dangerous substances that exist in the workplace and how to deal with them. This factsheet offers hints for successful communication in the workplace about dangerous substances, including the use of safety data sheets...
