Every employer is required to guarantee the welfare of his employees, as well as a moral obligation to care for both them and the environment. In particular, when contact with hazardous substances is suspected everything possible should be done to avoid exposure to such products.
As an industrial or professional user you receive information concerning the hazards of products, the risks when handling them and relevant safety measures through ‘Safety Data Sheets’ (SDS’es). As a result of the REACH regulation, so-called extended SDS’es containing use-specific exposure scenario’s (ES’es) are now circulating. These ES’es give information on the possible exposure to man and environment per use identified by the REACH registrants, and describe safe use of and responsible care for the product.
The REACH regulation stipulates that these exposure scenarios are evaluated and implemented within your organisation within 12 months after receiving the extended SDS. In case of deviation and where the supplier will not re-assess, you must guarantee safe use through your own Downstream User Chemical Safety Report (DU-CSR).
BIG can help you with the implementation of the exposure scenario or if you prefer, the compilation of your own Downstream User Chemical Safety Report (DU-CSR).
However, it might be more efficient to compile your own DU-CSR from the start when you deal with many substances and ES’es. Why?
When you compile your own DU-CSR you are independent of your supplier concerning availability of data. The data used to perform the chemical safety assessment will be specific to your identified use and scaled for your actual situation. In addition, when you receive updated ES’es, you won’t need to assess them again for applicability to your own situation.
Product Risk Advice module (PRA)
This module developed by BIG allows you to quickly and systematically assess the risks of substances present in your organisation. Based on the intrinsic hazards, the exposure limits, the physical properties and the identified use, the tool provides a fairly good idea on the risk potential and also gives precautionary measures for the user.
The module will allow you to create a priority list within the dynamic risk management plan containing the most high-risk substances. These need then be examined closer using other available tools like ECETOC TRA, ART,…
For further information, please do not hesitate to contact BIG at info@big.be
