SME SafetyIrish Health and Safety - SME Safety - Ireland

Chemicals

Chemicals present in every workplace have the potential to cause harm and ill-health to persons at work.

Employees can be exposed to these hazardous substances if working with everyday products such as inks, toners, paints and cleaning products.

The use of chemicals in the workplace is covered by a number of acts and regulations, including:

Where chemicals are used within your workplace, you are required to:

Identify what chemicals are present in your workplace
Complete an appropriate risk assessment for each chemical identified
Prevent and control the exposure in order to eliminate or reduce the risk of harm and ill-health occurring to employees or persons entering your workplace
Ensure adequate information and training is provided to employees regarding the hazards and risks associated in working with these chemicals
Provide arrangements for accident and incident reporting
Provide the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure the safety and health of your employees

Employees also have duties, you need to:

Co-operate with your employers health and safety rules and procedures
Ensure you are not under the influence of any intoxicant which may cause danger to yourself or others
Use the control measures your employer have provided to eliminate or reduce your risk of exposure to chemicals
Report any defects in your workplace equipment or machinery
Report any accidents or incidents to your employer immediately

Do not engage in any unsafe behaviour that may put yourself or others at risk!

Page updated: 12/05/2015

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