How The Chemical Risk Can Be Evaluated In Up-Stream Workplaces? A New Method Applied In Eni Exploration & Production Available to Purchase

Relationships existing between, on the first side, evaluation of chemical risks in workplaces and safety & health management systems, and, on the other side, environmental and biological screening methods, need a global approach to understand and analyze risks connected to the presence of chemical hazards. This approach starts with an initial analysis of the work practices and organization, together with a survey of the chemicals used in the whole process. During the second step, each chemical is studied in order to identify its causes of generation, propagation in the environment and strength of interaction with workers; at the end of the stage it has been possible to classify different "equivalent chemical risk scenarios". The hazard related to each equivalent chemical risk scenario is then quantitatively evaluated, by an index resulting from the assessments of the chemical's intrinsic danger and the grade and frequency of interaction between chemical and worker. Furthermore, the method allows to estimate the residual chemical risk in workplaces and the satisfactoriness of Organization's safety measures, in connection with results of environmental and biological screenings