- Carcinogenic, Mutagenic and Reprotoxic substances (CMRs)
- Solvay Acceptable Exposure limits (SAELs)
- Human biomonitoring of exposure (HBM)
- Medical surveillance and emergency assistance
| The chemical risk is present at most of Solvay plants, and the potential effects on health focus the permanent attention of the corporate medical team and the local medical staffs.In order to assist the Sites in controlling these risks and minimize their effects on health, several means of prevention and protection have been deployed at Group level.It is recommended that Sites make use of them in accordance with the country legislation. |
Carcinogenic, Mutagenic and Reprotoxic substances (CMRs)
The guideline IND-HSE-OH-12-GUI recommends the Sites:
identify the CMR substances and the workplaces where they are present;
establish a list of workers who should have a specific medical surveillance for
relevant CMRs (e.g. ERMS/ERMA), with indication of the agents they are
exposed to, and taking into account exposure assessments and local
regulations
perform risk-based medical surveillance:
a pre-employment and periodic medical surveillance is organized for workers exposed to relevant CMRs
a specific post-exposure medical surveillance is organized when necessary and possible
inform women concerned by maternity protection
inform workers on the potential health effects of these substances and on the possibility to consult the
occupational physician in a spontaneous basis
keep records of exposure data, medical files and trainings performed for 50 years, when possible
Solvay Acceptable Exposure limits (SAELs)
Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) have been used for a long time as references in the evaluation and control of workplace exposures with the aim to protect workers against adverse effects when exposed to hazardous substances. OELs are airborne concentrations of substances below which it is believed that nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed, day after day, without resulting in adverse health effects.
However OELs may not be available for all substances and therefore, for some, Solvay has established its own internal exposure limits called "Solvay Acceptable Exposure Limits" (SAELs)
The OH corporate team brings its medical expertise to the SAEL working group in charge of setting these internal limits in order to protect employees’ health.
Human biomonitoring of exposure (HBM)
Assessment of exposure to chemicals is essential in order to optimize control and prevent adverse health effects.
When a relevant HBM test exists for a substance, HBM is a very useful complementary approach to air monitoring for exposure assessment, as it takes into account what the worker has really absorbed by all the exposure pathways (inhalation, skin penetration, etc.) and considering the working conditions (physical effort, PPE, etc.)
For more detail on HBM, consult the guideline IND-HSE-OH-09-GUI and the dedicated page on Human biomonitoring of exposure
Medical surveillance and emergency assistance
Besides the chemical risk management at the workplace, adequate medical surveillance is essential in order to protect workers’ health.
In case of critical acute exposure, a dedicated page provides recommendations for first-aid and medical emergency
