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FAQs for risk assessment involving hazardous substances

Anyone who handles, uses or "only" stores hazardous substances cannot avoid them: the risk assessment. For 25 years it has been the central element in occupational health and safety. In our FAQs we have put together the answers to the most frequently asked questions on the subject of "Risk assessment involving hazardous substances".

Table of content

What is involved in risk assessment?
Why does a risk assessment have to be carried out?
Who is responsible for the risk assessment? Who is doing it?
How does risk assessment for hazardous substances work?
How often does a risk assessment have to be carried out for hazardous substances?

What is involved in risk assessment?

Risk assessment is the central element in occupational health and safety and forms the basis for systematic and successful safety management. Risk assessment is used to identify and evaluate potential dangers for employees at work and to derive suitable protective measures from this.

Why does a risk assessment have to be carried out?

If the risk assessment is missing

Risk assessments are too often neglected in many companies. A representative company survey as part of the Joint German Occupational Safety and Health Strategy (GDA) has shown almost half of German companies do not carry out any risk assessments at their workplaces. According to the information provided by the companies concerned, in almost 30% of the cases this was due to ignorance of the legal regulations. Above all, however, the non-implementation of risk assessments was justified by the fact that there were no significant hazards in the company or that safety deficits were recognised and reported or eliminated by the employees themselves.

Common reasons for not carrying out a risk assessment	Proportion of
Employees recognise security deficits themselves anyway and report or eliminate them	83,2%
There are no significant hazards	81,0%
The benefit is too little	40,4%
The regulations are not known	27,4%
The legal requirements are unclear	14,7%
There is a lack of help	13,8%

4 good reasons to carry out a risk assessment

So is the risk assessment an instrument that can be dispensed with with a clear conscience? This question can be answered with a clear "no" - because there are essential reasons that speak for the need for risk assessments:

A rigourous risk assessment methodology helps you to examine the individual processes in your company in a structured and precise manner. It helps you identify all foreseeable sources of danger. By carrying out a thorough risk assessment you ensure risk is reduced as much as possible.

The follow-up costs caused by accidents at work or occupational diseases are enormous. Based on an average inability to work of 16.7 days per employee, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Germany (BAuA) recently estimated the economic loss of production at a total of 76 billion euros (or 136 billion euros in gross value added). In addition to the downtime, there is a risk of costs for legal disputes, costs for damages and fines in the event of damage. With the help of risk assessments it is possible to minimise the risk of failure. In the event of damage, it can also serve to protect against claims for damages.

Employers are responsible for their employees. The subject of occupational health and safety is also a legally prescribed management task. It is certainly positive and desirable for employees to participate in security issues - but ultimately transferring responsibility to them is not permitted. Carrying out risk assessments, on the other hand, is a suitable means of meeting corporate responsibility.

An unsafe work environment quickly leads to uncertainty and demotivated employees. Safety deficiencies can also hinder employees in their work and thus slow down processes. If occupational safety is taken seriously in the company, this sends the right signal to the employees.

Who is responsible for the risk assessment? Who is doing it?

The employer is always responsible for the risk assessment. The practical implementation must be carried out by a competent person.

How does risk assessment for hazardous substances work?

The procedure for risk assessment for activities involving hazardous substances is described in detail in TRGS 400 and follows the following flow chart. The entire process of risk assessment must be documented.

Gather information

It is important to get a precise overview of which hazardous substances occur in which quantities and during which activities in the company. For example, are activities involving hazardous substances carried out or can hazardous substances arise or be released during activities? In what quantities are the hazardous substances produced? All of this information is to be recorded in a directory (register of hazardous substances). Then it is checked which specific dangers can arise from the properties of the substances. In the case of hazardous substances, inhalation (inhalation), dermal (skin contact), oral (swallowing) and physico-chemical hazards (e.g. risk of fire and explosion) must be taken into account. In addition to the type of hazard, a corresponding risk assessment must also be carried out. The level of risk depends, for example, on the extent and probability of occurrence of the damage to be expected. How often and for how long an activity is carried out with hazardous substances also plays a role.

Useful information for you to refer to:

A safety data sheet on each hazardous substance
Statutory regulations and technical rules
The identification labelling and technical data sheets
Rules and information from the accident insurers
Hazardous substance information and systems pertaining to the employer's liability insurance association
Databases of official bodies records or accident insurance carriers
Inspections of the workplace
Findings from preventive occupational health care
Advice from employees or employee representatives

Safety data sheet

A safety data sheet is a central source of information for your risk assessment when working with hazardous substances. It describes both the dangerous properties that emanate from the substance or mixture and the measures that can protect against these dangers. A safety data sheet must be checked for obviously incomplete, contradicting or incorrect information. If necessary, a correct safety data sheet must be requested from the supplier and supplied by them. If the employer does not receive the required information, they must obtain this information themselves or assume the hazards for which no information is available as existing and define the appropriate measures. Alternatively, it is recommended to only use substances or mixtures for which the supplier provides the necessary information. Even for substances and mixtures for which no safety data sheet is required due to the legal requirements, suppliers are obliged to provide the buyers with available and relevant information that is necessary so that suitable measures can be determined and applied. In-house manufactured substances or mixtures or intermediate products that are not placed on the market must be classified by the employer.

Derive protective measures, check for effectiveness and implement them permanently

Suitable protective measures are to be derived from the knowledge gained on the type and level of hazards. When selecting them, the so-called STOP principle applies:

S Substitution – T Technical measures – O Organizational measures – P Personal measures

The order of the measures is synonymous with their prioritization. A technical solution such as B. a pollutant workplace, personal measures such as wearing personal protective equipment are preferable. The effectiveness of the implemented protective measures must be checked regularly. Important information can be obtained, for example, from workplace measurements, information on the state of the art, preventive occupational health care or ("almost") accidents and disruptions in operational processes. The protective measures are to be implemented permanently and consistently (through operating instructions, regular training, role model function of superiors and adequate measures in the event of non-compliance with the operating instructions).