Assessing the risk of exposure
Who is responsible?
Conducting a risk assessment and keeping a record for hazardous substances
Who is responsible?
Employers and self-employed persons must manage the risk from worker exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace to prevent serious illness or disease.
The following issues need to be considered to manage the risk when people are exposed to hazardous materials in the workplace:
- assessing the risk
- controlling the exposure
- reviewing health and exposure
- recording risks
- training workers.
Workers must:
- use personal protective equipment (PPE) where it has been supplied by the employer and in the correct manner
- follow instructions given to ensure health and safety
- not wilfully misuse anything provided by the employer to ensure health and safety.
If the workplace has a Workplace Health and Safety Committee, the committee can assist the employer to plan, implement and monitor measures to reduce the exposure to hazardous materials in the workplace. When a hazardous material is to be introduced into the workplace or any changes to the way work is done with a hazardous material, the employer must consult with the committee representative (WHSR).
If an employee is concerned about the way a hazardous material is used in the workplace, they can raise the matter with the committee or the WHSR.
Conducting a risk assessment and keeping a record for hazardous substances
To carry out a risk assessment associated with the use of hazardous materials, employers and self-employed persons need to consider the following:
- the identity of hazardous materials used at the workplace
- a review of the hazardous substance’s health effects from the MSDS and label
- how hazardous materials are used
- how people are exposed to hazardous materials
- how exposure to hazardous materials should be controlled
- whether the risk from the hazardous material is significant
- are monitoring or health surveillance required
- a written record of the risk assessment.
Employers can use a generic assessment prepared by an industry body rather than develop one. If an employer does use a generic risk assessment, it must be from a similar type of workplace e.g. a service station should use a generic risk assessment developed for service stations.
Last updated February 16, 2006