Chemical Risk Assessment

PURPOSE

The chemical risk assessment is an exercise designed to clarify priorities in the control of environmental
risks and individual exposure to chemicals.

SCOPE

It provides information about carrying out chemical risk assessments, about sources of exposure and
about evidence of exposure.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Strategy for Risk Assessment 1

2 Managing a Chemical Risk Assessment Programme 1

3 Conducting a Chemical Risk Assessment 2

Appendix 1 Risk Assessment Strategy Flow Chart 3

Appendix 2 Protocol for Conducting a Chemical Risk Assessment 4

A2.1 Operations to be Assessed 4
A2.2 Information Relating to Substances Used 4
A2.3 Observation of Operations 5
A2.4 Identification of Sources of Exposure 6
A2.4.1 Exposure by Inhalation 6
A2.4.2 Exposure by Ingestion 6
A2.4.3 Exposure by Skin Absorption 6
A2.5 Evidence of Exposure 6
A2.5.1 Dust Deposits 6
A2.5.2 Odour 7
A2.5.3 Signs of Spillage 7
A2.6 Existing Control Measures 7
A2.7 Conclusions 8
A2.8 Recommendations 8
A2.9 Record Keeping 9
A2.10 Development of an Action Plan 9

Appendix 3 Chemical Risk Assessment Form 11

1 STRATEGY FOR RISK ASSESSMENT

Most National legislation specifies that facilities should assess the risks from workplace hazards.
The risk assessment process for chemical agents is summarised in the flow chart, which is
reproduced in Appendix 1.

A workplace risk assessment considers possible risks to the environment and health and safety in
the workplace and identifies initial priorities for controlling them. Where risks to health are identified
it will often be necessary to do a more detailed assessment. This document focuses on the
assessment of risks from chemicals.

A chemical risk assessment programme provides the basis for managing environmental and
occupational health risks from chemicals. It identifies requirements for improvements in
engineering control, training, maintenance, testing of controls, provision of Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE) etc.

2 MANAGING A CHEMICAL RISK ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME

Conducting risk assessments for all relevant operations is a substantial task. It is important that
senior management support the programme.

Management’s responsibilities are to ensure that:

 adequate resources have been allocated, including time;
 suitable and sufficient risk assessments have been completed and control measures are
in place, including safe working practices, to prevent potential adverse effects from exposure to
hazardous substances;
 priorities for risk assessment are developed that generally give priority to operations
where any of the following apply:
 high exposures are likely (eg respirators are already in use);
 potent or highly hazardous substances are being handled;
 adverse health effects have been reported;
 whoever carries out a risk assessment (preferably a team approach, led by line
management) is competent to do so;
 any necessary improvements are clearly assigned to nominated persons are carried out
promptly, according to the severity of the assessed risk;
 procedures are in place for the audit and review of assessments:
 to ensure that assessments are relevant;
 to ensure that assessments are reviewed if knowledge or circumstances change;
 at regular intervals.

In order to ensure that assessments are adequate, advice and support from specialists may be
required, including safety advisers or co-ordinators, occupational hygienists or occupational health
physicians.

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3 CONDUCTING A CHEMICAL RISK ASSESSMENT

A chemical risk assessment requires:

 definition of the operations to be assessed (the "assessment unit");
 collection of information on the substances used;
 information on the process operations and identification of possible sources of exposure;
 obtaining evidence that exposure actually occurs;
 checks that the existing control measures are functioning as intended;
 drawing conclusions about the level of risk and the effectiveness of control measures;
 identification of ways to reduce risk, if necessary;
 a written record of the assessment;
 development of an action plan to correct any deficiencies;
 review of progress in implementing the action plan.

An example of a detailed protocol is given in Appendix 2. The protocol does not require any
measurements to be taken initially. Decisions are made on the basis of observations and
questioning. In some cases, this will not prove sufficient for definitive conclusions to be drawn. It
may then be necessary to take measurements either:
 to evaluate the level of exposure received by employees;
 to test the performance of control measures.

Exposure measurement most commonly involves measuring levels of contaminant in the

atmosphere to assess how much material an employee might breathe in. In some circumstances it
may be necessary to measure levels on surfaces to assess the potential for skin contact.

Testing of control measures may involve direct tests of function (such as air movement into an
exhaust hood) or tests of effectiveness, for instance air samples or personal dose monitoring.

Before an air-sampling programme is undertaken, the following points should be considered:

 there should be a clear reason why the air sampling is needed; and an understanding of
how the results will contribute to that goal, eg against what exposure standard the results will be
interpreted;
 if absorption takes place by a route other than inhalation, air sampling will not give a
complete picture;
 there is no point in sampling if it is clear that an operation is clearly under good control, or
badly out of control – if an operation is clearly out of control, measures to correct obvious faults
should be implemented first, and only when these are in place (or when data are required to
help with the selection of respiratory protective equipment) should the need for air sampling be
reconsidered.

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APPENDIX 1RISK ASSESSMENT STRATEGY FLOW CHART

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APPENDIX 2PROTOCOL FOR CONDUCTING A CHEMICAL RISK ASSESSMENT

A2.1 OPERATIONS TO BE ASSESSED

It is important to clarify exactly what tasks, jobs or processes are to be considered, remembering
that the highest exposures may be associated with intermittent operations, such as cleaning down
a machine at the end of a shift, changing over product types or carrying out adjustments or
maintenance. Standard operating procedures can help to identify such tasks.

On the basis of this information, it is important to define an assessment unit. An assessment unit is
simply a manageable block of work; it may be a job, an individual task, a process, a department or
any other work unit that is convenient. Several assessment units may need to be created to cover
all the operations. Generally it is not feasible to do an individual risk assessment for every
substance that will be handled and some form of selection will be necessary. For example, controls
designed to control exposure to drug substances in a process will normally be adequate to control
the excipients. It would therefore be sensible to base the risk assessment on the control of the
drug substances, or perhaps a cross-sectional sample of them, in a multi-product area. However,
care needs to be exercised to ensure that all the key hazards and risks are addressed.

A2.2 INFORMATION RELATING TO SUBSTANCES USED

At this stage it is important to determine exactly which substances are used. It is helpful to have a
rough estimate of the quantities stored or consumed eg "one small bottle a year" or "3 tonnes a
day". For process materials this information should be readily available. For other substances,
information may be available from purchasing records or stores, but walking through the area,
talking to people and checking local inventories is often the more reliable approach.

The next step is to identify the hazards presented by the substances. Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)
or other acceptable reference information for each material should be obtained. In other cases, the
suppliers of the materials should be asked to provide safety data sheets and identify the hazards
that the substances pose. If necessary the accuracy of critical information in the data sheets can
be confirmed with reference sources, and information can be sought for any materials for which
SDSs are not available.

If the operations involve chemical reactions it may also be important to consider the hazards from
the products, any intermediates or by-products.

In evaluating the hazards it is important to remember that:

 Consideration needs to be given to whether the severity of the hazard merits close
attention; substances that present potentially serious, irreversible risks to health, eg carcinogens
or sensitisers, need careful consideration.
 Exposure to particular substances may have an adverse effect on the reproductive
systems of both men and women. The following points need to be taken into consideration:
 these effects can be on the reproductive organs or could potentially affect unborn children;
 women who are pregnant may be at increased risk, not only to themselves but also to their
unborn children, and this risk to the child may continue after birth via breast milk;
 agents that need particular care are those labelled as “carcinogenic”, “mutagenic”, “toxic to
reproduction” and “may cause irreversible effects”. It is important to identify these
substances and those employees, or their breast-feeding infants, who are potentially at risk
when conducting risk assessments;
 in most normal circumstances the workplace should be safe for all employees, whether
pregnant or not.

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 It is important to clarify the following:
 whether the harmful effects arise from short term or long term exposures or possibly both; short
exposures may sometimes be discounted if the only hazards are from chronic exposure;
 whether the hazards of different substances may reinforce each other, eg exposure to multiple
solvents;
 the routes by which absorption can take place, namely whether it can occur by ingestion,
inhalation or skin absorption.

A2.3 OBSERVATION OF OPERATIONS

Standard Operating Procedures can give basic information on working practices and potential
exposure patterns etc. However it is essential that direct observations are made and discussions
held with management and operators. Notes should be made on:
 The operating conditions. Are they normal, busy or quiet? Are all processes running? Is
overtime being worked?
 Who may be exposed? Is exposure restricted to those people carrying out the work, or
could it also affect supervisors, visitors, maintenance workers etc? Are there any groups of
people who may be particularly at risk, eg pregnant women, those with existing medical
conditions, young people etc.
 The pattern of exposure. Is it continuous or intermittent, frequent or occasional? Does it
occur at certain times, eg when loading a batch of raw material? Is exposure confined to short
periods? Can exposure exceed the normal 8-hour shift length? What is the potential for
accidental releases and how are such releases managed?
 The working practices. Small differences in working practices can make huge differences
to exposure. As examples:
 The working position. The working position of a person relative to the source of exposure
affects the amount of contaminant inhaled.
 The working procedures. The procedures used for handling powders have a major effect on
the amount of dust generated.
 Positioning of local exhaust ventilation. Incorrect positioning of local exhaust ventilation or
working outside its operating range can render it ineffective.
 Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The way that gloves, and other PPE, are
donned and removed can cause or prevent contamination of the inside surface leading to
skin absorption.
 Personal hygiene. Washing and changing at breaks can minimise ingestion of contamination
on the skin or clothing.
 Concerns about ill health. Are there any cases of occupational ill health recorded which
are associated with substance exposure or are there concerns among employees?

An assessment of exposure needs to take into account the reality of working practices. If workers
take short cuts for convenience, make "improvements" without fully appreciating the consequences
or reject protective clothing that is uncomfortable these points need to be noted. It is not a desk
exercise.

A2.4 IDENTIFICATION OF SOURCES OF EXPOSURE

Sources of exposure are operations or situations that create the opportunity for exposure.
Examples follow.

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A2.4.1 Exposure by Inhalation

Exposure by inhalation can occur where dusts, fumes, gases or vapours are released into the
workplace air, eg:
 in production or laboratories:
 dust from handling of powders or dusty materials during dispensing, weighing, milling,
blending, kegging etc;
 vapours from evaporation of liquids, eg solvents;
 gases from leaking supply lines or valves;
 gases formed by process reactions;
 in maintenance:
 dust from grinding, sawing or drilling solid materials;
 fumes from molten metals during welding;
 in laboratories:
 vapour from use of solvents or other volatiles;
 weighing on the open bench top.

A2.4.2 Exposure by Ingestion

Exposure by ingestion can occur where:

 there is contact with skin or clothing;
 eating, drinking or smoking is permitted in the workplace.

A2.4.3 Exposure by Skin Absorption

Exposure by skin absorption occurs where skin or clothing is in contact with substances that are
soluble in body fats.

By identifying situations such as these, the source of exposure can be tracked down even if the
contaminant itself is invisible. If there are no sources, then by definition there can be no risk. If
there are sources it is necessary to assess whether exposure actually occurs.

A2.5 EVIDENCE OF EXPOSURE

There are a number of signs that indicate possible exposure. Further information is given below.

A2.5.1 Dust Deposits

Dust deposits on horizontal surfaces indicate that the dust has been airborne at some time. The
depth of deposit depends on both the airborne concentration of material and the time since the
surface was last cleaned. At a concentration of 1 m gm-1 light film of dust would be expected on any
surfaces that are not cleaned frequently. Such situations often provoke complaints from employees
about nuisance from dusts, eg contamination of clothing, hands and hair. If these occur, then there
is also a likelihood of ingestion.

A2.5.2 Odour

Many organic solvents can be detected by smell, often at concentrations less than one-tenth of
their occupational exposure limits. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial
Hygienists (ACGIH) publishes a table of odour thresholds, however odour is generally an unreliable

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 indicator. Experts should be consulted if there is an intention to use odour as an exposure
indicator.

A2.5.3 Signs of Spillage

Signs of spillage, eg stains on the floor or on protective clothing, indicate that exposure may have
occurred at some point. Short-term exposures, as when cleaning up a spillage of powdered
materials or cleaning down a machine with a volatile solvent, can sometimes be very high.

These simple signs can be extremely helpful, especially for an experienced person. It is often
possible to assess the degree of risk on sight, without the need for any measurements. However,
this approach can hold dangers for the uninitiated. For example:
 the exposed person may be subjected to a much higher concentration of dust than that in the
general atmosphere and thus there may be over-exposure even when there are no deposits on
surfaces;
 some organic liquids cannot be smelled at levels that are dangerous and people’s sense of
smell is highly variable and a tolerance to smell can sometimes develop, eg exposure to
hydrogen sulphide may cause desensitisation of the nose and lethal levels may not be detected
by smell; odour should be used with great caution as an indicator of possible risk and should
never be the sole indicator of exposure.

Thus the signs should be interpreted circumspectly in the context of all the available information.

A search should be made for any past measurements of exposure or records of effects that might
assist the evaluation. They may include air sampling records, biological monitoring, and health
surveillance or illness records.

A2.6 EXISTING CONTROL MEASURES

Control measures that are in place to reduce exposure should be evaluated. They may include
such precautions as:
 exhaust ventilation to remove airborne contaminants;
 gloves to prevent skin contact;
 switches to limit process conditions such as temperature or pressure.

It is necessary to determine whether the measures are:

 effective, eg:
 do the gloves provide an effective barrier?
 does the exhaust ventilation actually capture the contaminant?
 is the trip switch properly set?
 reliable, eg:
 might the ventilation break down?
 might the trip switch fail?
 might the gloves tear?
 properly maintained, eg:
 does the ventilation pull as much air as it should?
 are flexible connectors in good condition with leak tight connections?
 are worn gloves replaced?
 are gauges regularly calibrated?

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 Controls should also include housekeeping and procedural measures.

A2.7 CONCLUSIONS

If possible, at this stage, a judgement should be made about the level of risk using all the
information gathered. The simplest method is to classify the risk as:
 High urgent action needed to reduce the risk;
 Medium action desirable when resource permits;
 Low no action needed.

A2.8 RECOMMENDATIONS
If it is not possible to make a judgement from the evidence available, further evaluation such as
measurements will be needed.

If action is necessary the assessor should specify to management exactly what issues need to be
addressed, and suggest solutions if possible.

The selection of appropriate control measures should use a hierarchy of controls as shown in
Figure 1.

Figure 1 Hierarchy of Controls

General ventilation, appropriate working procedures and cleaning regimes complement the above
hierarchy.

In addition to any requirements for improved control, other areas for potential improvement or
change should be considered. These include:
 provision of information, instruction and training for employees;
 hazard information from the SDS;
 conclusions from the risk assessment;
 any occupational hygiene measurement results;
 collective, anonymous results of any health surveillance programme;
 training in any procedures, safe working practices and use of control measures.

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A2.9 RECORD KEEPING

The findings of the assessment should be recorded. Electronic or manual methods may be used.
The report should contain enough information to enable someone else to understand how the
conclusions were reached. As a minimum it should include:
 a description of the assessment unit and personnel involved;
 a statement of the hazards - what substances could cause what effects and their
occupational exposure limits;
 an appraisal of the exposure including a summary of any existing occupational hygiene
results or the collective, anonymous results of any health surveillance;
 a summary of the control measures in place, including the existing provision of
information, instruction and training for staff;
 an outline of any ongoing occupational hygiene monitoring or health surveillance
programmes;
 any recommendations necessary to reduce the risk to an acceptable level;
 the name of the assessor.

A suitable form for a chemical risk assessment is included in Appendix 3.

A2.10DEVELOPMENT OF AN ACTION PLAN

The line manager concerned is responsible for acting on the results of an assessment. The
assessor may or may not have authority to initiate corrective action. In general any actions should
have a clear owner and a realistic completion date.

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APPENDIX 3CHEMICAL RISK ASSESSMENT FORM
Reference number:
Company Name Chemical Risk Assessment
Page 1 of 4

Assessment summary
Building Location Department/section
Process/activity assessed:

Conclusions/overall assessment Significant risk:  Insignificant risk: 

Summary of significant risks:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Actions required
Action Responsibility Priority Target date Completion date
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Authorisation Name Signature Date Review date

Assessor
Line manager

Reviewed by: Name Signature Date New ref. no.

Reviewer

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A. Details of process/activity assessed: Page 2 of 4

Brief description of process/activity Operating conditions

Number of individuals Duration/frequency/shift pattern

B. Substance information
Include all hazardous substances, by-products, waste materials and cleaning agents.
Physical Occupational exposure limits
Substance or mixture form SDS Hazard summary and nature of effects
(G,L or S) Level Units1 Ref. period2 Notation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1
Units: use parts per million (ppm) or micrograms per cubic metre (μg m-3).
2
Reference period: state 15-min (short-term OEL) or 8-hour (long-term OEL) or both.

C. Exposure data
Include all hazardous substances, by-products, waste materials and cleaning agents.
Results2
Sample No. of
Substance Operation/task Sampling Arithmetic % OEL
type1 samples Range
period3 mean

1
Sample type: personal (P) or static (S).
2
Units: use parts per million (ppm) or micrograms per cubic metre (μg m-3).
3
Sampling period in minutes.

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D. Occupational hygiene/health surveillance Page 3 of 4

Required
Activity Frequency Job titles included
(Y/N)
Occupational hygiene/routine monitoring
Health Surveillance

E. Exposure assessment
Include all potential sources of exposure

Operation Substance(s) present Approx Exposure potential

Engineering controls PPE or other Residual risk to personnel
(Briefly describe potential sources of (List substances present or amount to personnel
used at this step controls
exposure) released at this step) (kg, litres) Route 1
H/M/L 2
Freq3 Duration4 Risk5

1
Route of exposure: inhalation, skin absorption, etc.
2
Risk of exposure: high if exposure is very likely to be above the exposure limit; medium if exposure is likely, but not likely to exceed the exposure limit; low if
exposure is unlikely.
3
Anticipated number of exposures per day or shift.
4
Duration in hours and minutes of each anticipated exposure with all control measures in place.
5
Assessed risk to health (High, Medium, Low) with reference to any previous occupational hygiene monitoring data.

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 F. Examination and Testing of Control Systems Page 4 of 4

Implementation by
Type of Control Measure Type of Test, Inspection or Maintenance Check Required Frequency Records Kept
(Person or Role)
Engineering Controls:
Containment
Local exhaust ventilation
Administrative
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE)

G. Observations (existing conditions) Comments

Evidence of workplace contamination:

Engineering controls:
Containment
Local exhaust ventilation
Work practices:
Personal Protective Equipment and Respiratory
Protective Equipment (eg cleanliness,
appropriateness for tasks, proper wearing)
Storage of chemicals
Housekeeping
Hygiene facilities
Health surveillance
Emergency procedures
Procedures – routine operations
Cleaning procedures
Training
Relevant diagrams
Other (safety, noise, poor lighting, etc.)

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