The Global Occupational Health Network ISSUE No. 7SUMMERWINTER 2003 GOHNETGOHNET GOHNET NEWSLETTER Dear GOHNET members and future members, Reducing worker exposure by using the This special edition 7th GOHNET Newsletter will inform you about Occupational Risk Management Toolbox new practical tools to assess and manage risks at workplace level based Elaine M. Papp (
[email protected]), OSHA on the concept of “Control Banding”. GOHNET Issue 5 introduced Gerry Eijkemans (
[email protected]), WHO, Occupational Health Team readers to one of these control banding tools, the International Chemical Carolyn Vickers (
[email protected]), WHO, IPCS Control Toolkit. This Toolkit responds to the need for practical risk Introduction assessment and management approaches that can be applied across the People worldwide face occupational health and safety hazards daily. Over board for all the chemicals used in a workplace, rather than a chemical- the years, the global occupational hygiene community has worked by-chemical approach based on occupational hygiene measurements diligently to develop ways to protect workers in both developed and for the fraction of chemicals where occupational exposure limits have developing nations, in workplaces of all types and sizes. The greatest been set. challenge has been to develop occupational health programs that are feasible in developing nations, as well as in small and medium enterprises Scarcity or resources, both human and financial, are an issue in the (SMEs) where resources and technical expertise may be scarce. occupational health and occupational hygiene practice globally. The The Occupational Risk Management Toolbox (Toolbox), has been Toolkit is being developed for use particularly in small and medium- developed internationally and provides a creative solution to this difficult sized enterprises in developed countries, and in developing countries.