This article was written for the Norwegian Automobile Industry Association and published in the member magazine Bilbransjen.
An important part of your HSE work
Risk assessment of chemicals is an important part of HSE work, especially in the automotive industry where employees handle a wide range of chemicals every day.
Chemicals can have hazardous properties, especially those used in workshops and paint shops. If handled incorrectly, they may cause acute or long-term health issues, environmental pollution, or even explosive incidents. Carrying out thorough risk assessments enables you to identify the necessary control measures to ensure safe use and management of chemicals.
Risk assessments must be documented in writing
In Norway, the requirements for chemical risk assessment are regulated by the Working Environment Act and regulations such as the Regulations on the Performance of Work. Employers are obligated to identify and assess all chemical substances used in the workplace, and every risk assessment must be documented in writing.
“The risk assessment should always cover the entire work operation in which the chemicals are used”
The way of use guides the risk assessment and measures
A risk assessment must always be based on the specific use of the chemical in question.
The assessment should evaluate the entire work operation in which the chemical is used. If the same chemical is applied in different work operations, this must either be reflected within a single risk assessment or addresses through separate assessments.
Different applications may require different protective equipment and additional training. For example, the use of diisocyanates with a high degree of exposure will trigger mandatory additional training.
Conducting a risk assessment
There are several ways to conduct a chemical risk assessment. This following steps provide a general overview of the process:
An updated chemical inventory: The chemical inventory provides an overview of all chemicals and their safety data sheets (SDS). Always use the latest version of the SDS and verify key information about hazardous properties.
Assessment of hazard: Assess the inherent hazards of the chemical using information from the SDS.
Exposure assessment: Analyse how the chemical is used, quantities handled, routes of exposure (e.g. inhalation, skin contact, and ingestion), frequency and duration of work, and existing workplace control measures.
Characterisation of risk: Combine hazard and exposure information to estimate the overall risk.
Implementation of control measures: Based on the risk assessment, implement measures to reduce risk, such as improved ventilation, appropriate PPE, or substitution with safer alternatives. Integrate these measures into work instructions, checklists, and training routines.
Documentation and auditing: Document the process and review it regularly to ensure assessments remain up to date.
Control measures
Control measures may include the following:
Necessary ventilation
Training of employees
Use of protective equipment
For example, a risk assessment of car painting may include multiple chemicals. This may require isolation of the work area, local exhaust ventilation, training in the use of diisocyanates during spray application, establishing a designated processing zone, and use of protective equipment.
Work smart with user-friendly tools
Digital chemical management systems provide structured processes that make it easier to conduct and document risk assessments in line with regulatory requirements.
Use the expertise of the occupational health service
The occupational health service is a key advisor in risk assessment and employee training on safe chemical handling.
With in-depth knowledge of safe working practices and chemical handling, they can help ensure a safe workplace.
Remember: if the risk conditions warrant it, it is a legal requirement to be affiliated with an approved occupational health service, so make full use of this resource.
Written by Hans Kristian Brekken, chemist and product developer at Workplace Safety.
Diisocyanates are hazardous chemicals: New training requirements
Hans Kristian Brekken er kjemiker og produktutvikler Workplace Safety.
Diisocyanates are a group of hazardous chemicals used in paints, varnishes and adhesives. Workers can suffer serious damage to their health after being exposed to products containing these chemicals. The European chemicals regulation REACH has now introduced requirements for training in safe use.
Health challenges related to exposure
– “You can be exposed to diisocyanates through skin contact, inhalation or ingestion, and even small amounts can cause serious damage to your health,” explains Hans Kristian Brekken, a chemist with experience of laboratory work and HSE in the petroleum industry.
– What is dangerous about isocyanates is that they cannot be smelled until they are far above acceptable limit values. There is therefore a great risk of inhaling air containing the substance for a long time before you notice it yourself.
The most common symptoms of exposure are breathing problems, stuffy or runny nose, and irritating cough or nosebleeds. Some diisocyanates, such as TDI (Toulene diisocyanate), are also classified as carcinogenic.
– Exposure to diisocyanates is irritating and allergenic to the respiratory tract and can result in occupational asthma, which is one of the reasons why these chemicals have received so much attention. In Europe, many thousands of workers suffer from respiratory diseases every year because of this,” says Brekken.
New training requirements
Diisocyanates are found in a wide range of industrial products and the training requirement applies to several industries and occupational groups. By August 24, 2023, anyone using diisocyanates and diisocyanate-containing mixtures with a concentration of 0.1% (weight percentage) or more must have completed training in safe use. The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority has set a number of requirements for the training and it must be documented.
– To ensure that employees receive good training, you should familiarize yourself with the requirements of the Labour Inspection Authority and work with experts in the occupational health service to adapt the training to the company’s needs, Brekken recommends.
Brekken is a product developer for the digital chemical inventory Workplace Safety and emphasises the importance of having an updated chemical inventory where you can easily look up safety data sheets.
– The substance register is an important tool for collecting and finding information about products containing diisocyanates. The safety data sheet contains information about the product’s properties and what measures must be taken to handle the product safely,” explains Brekken.
Chapter 3 of the safety data sheet lists the components that make up the composition of the product, and here you can find out if the product contains diisocyanates, but this requires some expertise.
– It can be challenging to find out if the components in chapter 3 include diisocyanates. I therefore recommend searching for the hazard statement EUH 204 in the chemical inventory, which will bring up all the safety data sheets that contain this hazard statement. EUH 204 tells you whether the product contains diisocyanates,” says Brekken.
A safe working environment with diisocyanates
When working with chemicals, there is a requirement to consider the substitution of hazardous substances. This means replacing chemicals that are harmful to health with safer alternatives. This can be demanding for chemical products with diisocyanates, because there are currently not many satisfactory alternatives.
When the use of hazardous chemicals in the workplace cannot be avoided, it is therefore important that the employer implements good safety procedures and checklists with safety measures that minimize exposure. The employer must ensure that the correct personal protective equipment is used and that the premises have ventilation systems that minimize the presence of diisocyanates in the working atmosphere.
– There will always be a risk associated with working with hazardous chemicals. When you don’t know how to handle different chemicals, or how to protect yourself, this risk increases considerably.
– The fact that documented competence in the safe handling of diisocyanates is now required of both employers and employees will mean a lot for the occupational health of those who work with this,” concludes Brekken.
Diisocyanates
Diisocyanates are a group of chemical substances containing two isocyanates.
Risk of inhalation and direct skin contact
Diisocyanates are sensitizing to respiratory tract and direct skin contact.
In case of respiratory exposure, diisocyanates can cause breathing difficulties and asthma symptoms.
Skin contact can cause skin allergies.
Exposure
The most common ways to be exposed to diisocyanates:
The most common ways to be exposed to diisocyanates:
When heat treating polyurethane plastics that can release diisocyanates to the working atmosphere.
