Chemical risk assessment is part of the employer's legal responsibilities

Avoiding chemicals is impossible in today's world and we are exposed to thousands of chemicals every day. Part of the chemical burden is the chemicals used in the workplace. There are so many chemicals that even identifying them can sometimes be a challenge. Depending on the workplace, the range of chemicals varies from non-hazardous chemicals used in food to hazardous chemicals, especially in industry.

Chemical safety is part of a company's overall occupational risk assessment. Employers have a duty to identify the hazards posed by chemical agents at work, to assess the health and safety risks to workers and to take the necessary preventive and monitoring measures based on the risk assessment. Before starting the risk assessment, all the necessary baseline data should be collected and made available. The risk assessment itself traditionally consists of two elements: consequences and probability. In chemical risk assessment, probability refers to the likelihood that a worker will be exposed to the adverse effects of a chemical. Why should this element, exposure, be considered an important part of risk assessment?

Exposure is a term used widely in different sectors. In chemical risk assessment, the term is used to refer to a target exposed to a chemical, which can be either a human being or the environment. In general, the importance of exposure monitoring increases with longer working careers in companies. Long-term exposure can lead to adverse health effects if the chemicals have known hazardous properties. This does not take away from the fact that some chemicals also cause adverse health effects as a result of single exposure. In assessing exposure, it is important to consider the properties of the chemical in combination with the process in which it is used. Therefore, the exposure assessment should always be targeted at the site where the assessment is carried out.

According to one definition, accountability begins where a legal requirement ends. Yet meeting legal requirements is part of the cornerstone of corporate responsibility.

The importance of exposure assessment increases as more research is done on chemicals and their potential adverse effects. At the same time, the responsibility of employers increases. As employers are responsible for ensuring that workers have safe working conditions and practices, an adequate quality of chemical exposure assessment has important implications for workers' health.

Exposure assessment requires professional skills and familiarity with both the chemicals themselves and the way they are used. In my case, my studies in toxicology and biomedicine form the basis for chemical safety assessment. My approach to risk assessment is to nurture the worker's ability to work and health. It is exposure assessment, in my experience, that is of paramount importance in managing chemical risks.

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