Documents hazard identification 104 results

"This project provides an initial overview of a group of PFASs, namely the per- and polyfluoroalkylether substances (PFAEs). The study shows that a large variety of PFAEs have been produced and used and their marketplace is complex. They have very diverse uses in a variety of industries and have a wide range of industrial and commercial applications including cosmetic products, food contact materials, lubricants, metal plating, paints and high-tech applications. PFAEs as a sub-group of PFASs merit further scrutiny, based on emerging evidence about the risks associated with some of the substances (such as GenX), their widespread use and their high persistence in the environment. Although many of these chemicals are produced/imported in small quantities in the EU, their combined impact may still present a significant risk to environment and health."

"The ‘climate crisis' describes human-caused global warming and climate change and its consequences. It conveys the sense of urgency surrounding humanity's failure to take sufficient action to slow down, stop and reverse global warming. The leading direct cause of the climate crisis is carbon dioxide (CO2) released as a by-product of burning fossil fuels,i which supply ~87% of the world's energy. The second most important cause of the climate crisis is deforestation to create more land for crops and livestock. The solutions have been stated as simply ‘leave the fossil carbon in the ground' and ‘end deforestation'. Rather than address fossil fuel supplies, climate policies focus almost exclusively on the demand side, blaming fossil fuel users for greenhouse gas emissions. The fundamental reason that we are not solving the climate crisis is not a lack of green energy solutions. It is that governments continue with energy strategies that prioritize fossil fuels. These entrenched energy policies subsidize the discovery, extraction, transport and sale of fossil fuels, with the aim of ensuring a cheap, plentiful, steady supply of fossil energy into the future. This paper compares the climate crisis to two other environmental crises: ozone depletion and the COVID-19 pandemic. Halting and reversing damage to the ozone layer is one of humanity's greatest environmental success stories. The world's response to COVID-19 demonstrates that it is possible for governments to take decisive action to avert an imminent crisis. The approach to solving both of these crises was the same: (1) identify the precise cause of the problem through expert scientific advice; (2) with support by the public, pass legislation focused on the cause of the problem; and (3) employ a robust feedback mechanism to assess progress and adjust the approach. This is not yet being done to solve the climate crisis, but working within the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement framework, it could be. Every nation can contribute to solving the climate crisis by: (1) changing their energy strategy to green energy sources instead of fossil fuels; and (2) critically reviewing every law, policy and trade agreement (including transport, food production, food sources and land use) that affects the climate crisis."

"Most in the Economic Community of West African States region are employed in the informal sector. While the informal sector plays a significant role in the region's economy, policymakers and the scientific community have long neglected it. To better understand informal-sector work conditions, the goal here is to bring together researchers to exchange findings and catalyze dialogue. The article showcases research studies on several economic systems, namely agriculture, resource extraction, transportation, and trade/commerce. Site-specific cases are provided concerning occupational health risks within artisanal and small-scale gold mining, aggregate mining, gasoline trade, farming and pesticide applications, and electronic waste recycling. These cases emphasize the vastness of the informal sector and that the majority of work activities across the region remain poorly documented, and thus no data or knowledge is available to help improve conditions and formulate policies and programs to promote and ensure decent work conditions."

"The Dutch ministry of Social Affairs and Employment aims to reduce worker exposure to carcinogens. So, it is important to identify carcinogens and work processes that may cause cancer as early as possible. Also at the European level there is much interest in so-called early warning systems, but countries use different systems. RIVM made an inventory in 51 European countries for identifying new and emerging risks for workers. Seven countries developed a signaling tool, sometimes in cooperation with another country. Using such a tool, physicians can report health effects, e.g. cancer, when they suspect a hitherto unknown causal relationship between substances or work processes and the reported health effect. Next, a group of experts in occupational disease and exposure will evaluate the possible causal relationship. Ten other countries reported systems which are not specifically designed to identify new and emerging risks of chemicals, but which may be used as such. Besides signaling tools, databases are available with information on exposure to hazardous substances and processes, and health effects. These databases can be used to identify possible carcinogens. Again, expert groups play a fundamental role in the evaluation. National centres that investigate work-related health effects of workers play an essential role in the evaluation of a possible causal relationship between exposure and health effect, according to experts in the field. According to most of the countries in this study, cases should be collected and evaluated preferably at an international level. Many suggestions were given; e.g. using an already existing international network of professionals who evaluate and discuss new and emerging risks for workers (MODERNET) or other international advisory committees. Once a new and emerging health risk has been established, action has to be taken to control the risk. This study gives an overview of possible actions."

"Increasingly, over the past decades, the health impact of the extractive industries has generated concern across the globe. This special edition of New Solutions on the extractive industries includes important contributions from different countries and across different continents. It presents a more consistent and much deeper insight into the varied “faces” of the extractive industries and compels us to look with fresh eyes for sustainable solutions in the context of the entire life cycle of these industries. The papers, reflecting different settings, approaches, and frames, delineate some of the major common risks of the extractive industries to human health, environment, sustainable economies, and livelihoods. The authors elaborate some of the responses applied and needed to address these challenges."

"Machines pose various types of hazards and exposure to these hazards can result in injury or death. Risks linked to machinery can be managed by controlling hazardous energies. Safety procedures are thus used to control hazardous energies on machinery when workers perform different tasks such as maintenance, unjamming, or repair work. These procedures are part of a safety management policy for hazardous energies. The policy is described in a document referred to as the lockout program, which includes activities and work targeted by lockout, audits, hazard identification, training, communication and so on. The objective of this paper is to understand how the lockout program is actually implemented. As such, seven lockout programs from eight sawmills were analyzed. Twenty-two interviews were conducted with machine operators, maintenance workers and managers to gain a better understanding of the actual application of lockout programs, identify weak points and propose improvements. Fifty-seven lockout procedures were also observed. It was found that (i) hazard identification was incomplete, (ii) lockout program signatures and dates were missing, (iii) actual lockout practices were better than the procedures described in the programs regarding lockout hardware, rules to observe when using lockout hardware (e.g. keeping keys in one's possession at all times) and machinery design for facilitating lockout, (iv) locks were applied to control systems during minor unjamming contrary to lockout principles, and (v) permits were issued as alternatives to lockout for troubleshooting without risk assessment. In actual fact, risk assessment is needed for both interventions requiring lockout and those without lockout."