Chemical risk assessment at Research Institutions

Abstract

In 2014, the Japanese government amended the Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA) in order to enhance chemical safety by making the assessment of 640 hazardous chemicals or chemical groups compulsory in all workplaces. The government also provided guidelines for chemical risk assessment in order to enhance compliance. However, guidelines provided by the government were conceptualized with regard to industrial workplaces, such as chemical factories, where a small number of chemicals are handled in large quantities. Research institutions, with small quantities of an extremely diverse array of chemical reagents present a very different challenge and require a different system for assessment. Here we propose a systematic chemical risk assessment system conceptualized for research institutions. It utilizes a computerized chemical management system, adopting information from the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals,and from Japanese regulations, with unique thresholds for physical and health hazards. This method allows researchers to easily and efficiently document and implement chemical risk assessment in compliance with the amended Industrial Safety and Health Act, and to concentrate on safety measures for hazardous chemicals that require special care.