Risk Assessment for Occupational Exposure to Chemicals in an Electroplating Industry

Abstract

Risk assessment for occupational exposure to chemicals should be one concern of all electroplating industries. The quantities and characteristics of hazardous substances and mixtures used, requires a risk assessment to ensure the protection of workers, and the legal compliance to the requirements in this area. This paper aims to apply a general method (NTP 330) for this assessment and compare the results with the results obtained from the application of three qualitative methods of risk assessment of exposure to chemical agents: NTP 934, NTP 936 and NTP 937, all published by the Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo Espanhol. After a description of the risk assessment methods applied, it will be performed a comparative analysis of risk level results and of the control measures to be implemented, with the aim of describing the advantages and disadvantages of each method and in what conditions it can be carried out. This will allow in certain situations the adoption of measures to control the risk without recourse to quantitative methodologies. Although in cases of high risk, assessment should be more detailed and use methodologies for measuring the concentration of chemicals in workplace atmosphere, for comparison with the threshold limit values.

Keywords: Chemical Agents, Chemical Substances, Electroplating Industries

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100175