Topping M D, Williams C R, Devine J M
Health Directorate, Health and Safety Executive, London, U.K..
Ann Occup Hyg. 1998 Aug;42(6):357-66. doi: 10.1016/s0003-4878(98)00054-4.
Market research was carried out to determine industry's perception of occupational exposure limits (OELs) and the extent to which they influence the selection of measures to control exposure. Telephone interviews were carried out with 1000 randomly selected users of chemicals, 400 from establishments with some use of chemicals and 600 from establishments with chemicals in daily use. 150 interviews were also carried out with Trade Union Health and Safety Representatives. The interviews covered basic information on chemicals used, sources of information, risk reduction measures used and understanding of COSHH and OELs. Most respondents came from firms with 10 employees or less (75%, all user group; 57%, heavy user group), closely reflecting the profile of British industry. In contrast, most (77%) Trade Union Health and Safety Representatives came from firms with at least 100 employees. Respondents in the all user group were drawn from across the whole range of industrial activity, whereas the heavy users were concentrated in manufacturing. The results showed that in making decisions on what control measures to use most users rely heavily on information from suppliers and personal experience and rather less on information from sources such as Trade Associations and HSE. Most respondents reported that steps were taken to protect employees. The use of personal protective equipment featured highly, followed by process controls. Little consideration was given to the possibility of substitution. Awareness of COSHH was limited with 65% of the all user group and 53% of the heavy user group being unaware of any legal requirements for establishments which manufacture or work with chemicals. Awareness of OELs was similarly limited with 19% of the all user group and 32% of the heavy user group having any real understanding. The results from Trade Union Representatives showed that overall they are somewhat better informed than chemical users in the small firms surveyed.
开展了市场调研，以确定行业对职业接触限值（OELs）的看法以及这些限值对控制接触措施选择的影响程度。对1000名随机挑选的化学品使用者进行了电话访谈，其中400名来自有化学品使用的企业，600名来自日常使用化学品的企业。还对150名工会健康与安全代表进行了访谈。访谈涵盖了所使用化学品的基本信息、信息来源、所采用的风险降低措施以及对《控制有害物质对健康影响条例》（COSHH）和职业接触限值的理解。大多数受访者来自员工人数为10人或更少的公司（所有使用者群体中占75%；重度使用者群体中占57%），这与英国工业的概况密切相符。相比之下，大多数（77%）工会健康与安全代表来自员工至少100人的公司。所有使用者群体的受访者来自整个工业活动领域，而重度使用者则集中在制造业。结果表明，在决定采用何种控制措施时，大多数使用者严重依赖供应商提供的信息和个人经验，而较少依赖行业协会和健康与安全执行局（HSE）等来源的信息。大多数受访者报告称已采取措施保护员工。个人防护装备的使用最为突出，其次是过程控制。很少考虑替代的可能性。对《控制有害物质对健康影响条例》的认知有限，所有使用者群体中有65%、重度使用者群体中有53%不知道对制造或使用化学品的企业有任何法律要求。对职业接触限值的认知同样有限，所有使用者群体中有19%、重度使用者群体中有32%真正了解。工会代表的调查结果显示，总体而言，他们比接受调查的小公司中的化学品使用者了解情况稍好一些。
