2025 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 57-68
The purposes of this study were to collect information on the understanding of the contents (4 question items) and the implementation (22 obligatory items) of the revised law and regulations on autonomous chemicals management among chemical handlers working in small-scale companies (less than 100 employees), and to collect examples of actual preparations for “autonomous chemicals management” being implemented in small-scale companies immediately prior to the implementation of the revised law. A questionnaire survey was conducted on the Internet, targeting approximately 500 respondents. Descriptive statistical analysis, logistic regression analysis, and qualitative text mining analysis were conducted. The results indicated that as the size of the company decreased, the percentage of respondents who understood and implemented the revised laws decreased. The results showed that about 17% of the respondents had started autonomous chemical management. The common needs for implementation were training on the hazards of chemicals (64%), in-house human resources (54%), support from chemical management specialists and working environment measurement experts (31%), and external public support (30%). Among the 22 obligatory items required by the revised law and regulations, the percentage of implementation of guidance on the wearing of protective equipment was about 60%, while the percentages for the other items were 24–45%. The following were identified as examples of preparations in place: wearing dust-proof masks and safety glasses, thorough labeling of hazards, wearing protective gloves when handling chemicals, periodic training sessions with lecturers, work improvement, and measures to prevent injuries and other problems. Although a small number of the cases of preparedness were simple in content, some of the responses were workshops, work improvement, and preventive measures, which provided perspectives for the collection of more detailed and specific measures.
