Within Reach?: Managing Chemical Risks in Small Enterprises / Edition 1

by David Walters

Overview

Examines regulatory and other strategies for improving chemical risk management in small enterprises in the European Union. This book considers what'supports are necessary to secure the implementation of these strategies and is particularly concerned with the role of chemical product supply as envisaged by REACH.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780895033475
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/15/2007
Series:	Work, Health and Environment Series
Pages:	229
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

List of Tables

List of Boxes and Figures

Acknowledgements

Introduction: The Relevance of Approaches to Controlling Workplace Chemical Risks
You can read the Introduction for free right now, just click here.

Chapter 1: Chemicals, Health and Small Enterprises in the European Union

Chapter 2: The Regulatory Approach of the European Union to Chemical Risk Management in Small Enterprises

Chapter 3: National Regulatory Strategies on Chemical Risk Management

Chapter 4: Managing Chemical Risks: The Role of the Occupational Health and Safety System

Chapter 5: Tools to Improve Chemical Risk Management in Small Enterprises

Chapter 6: What Works? Evaluating the Evidence

Chapter 7: Implementing Inclusive Strategies for Improving the Management of Chemical Risks at Work

References

Index

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: John T. Pierce, MBBS (MD) PhD(Navy Environmental Health Center)
Description: This book addresses the thorny problem of controlling chemical risks in smaller workplaces. Even forward-thinking approaches to risk management currently have shown limited impact in the vastness of smaller workplaces. This book takes on why penetration of risk management efforts has been so limited, how one might go about addressing the shortfall, and how best to demonstrate preliminary improvement. Curious readers will note the use of the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals - REACH acronym in the title.
Purpose: The book was generated as an outgrowth of a six-country European study conducted during 2004-5. The study was concerned with accounting for social and economic contexts in which management of chemical risks would occur among smaller enterprises. If one considers that the European Union (EU) has the jump on such efforts, this book constitutes a type of sentinel notification.
Audience: It will have substantial readership among European health and safety professionals. In my opinion, it will be read by investigators, if not regulators, in the rest of the world. Its seriousness in terms of accounting for social and economic contexts may lead to extrapolation far beyond EU borders.
Features: Chapter 1 outlines what is known about the extent of chemical use at workplaces among EU countries. Chapters 2 and 3 deal with various regulatory approaches, and chapter 4 covers institutional infrastructures that support chemical risk management among smaller workplaces. A variety of experiences is described in chapter 5, while chapter 6 considers risk management in advanced market economies. Chapter 7 summarizes the main conclusions that can be drawn from the findings in the previous chapters and presents a discussion of their implications in terms of REACH.
Assessment: The central question is whether or not significant exposures occur in smaller enterprises. The study upon which this book is based frequently returns to this question. One could summarize the study's approach as one of examining primary data on chemically mediated injuries and illnesses along with the nature of the EU regulations. The author has done an exemplary job of realistically addressing a question that has to date been only partially articulated. This is a good book for people who want to pay attention to what is going on internationally in chemical risk management. While not everyone agrees with the provisions of REACH, few would doubt their importance. The book helps to understand what is going on in the context of changes in chemical risk assessment and management.

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