Designing safe working practices for hazardous substances.
Hazardous substances are substances or mixtures that are potentially hazardous or harmful to humans or the environment. The aim of the tasks and measures realised by BAuA is to ensure the safe handling of chemicals and materials.
Hazardous substances have specific physical, chemical or toxicological characteristics. For example, they may be highly flammable, poisonous, corrosive or carcinogenic.
To ensure the safe handling of hazardous substances, a series of laws, regulations, tasks and measures operate at the state, national and EU level as part of a complex risk management system.
The “New EU Hazard Classes” poster (in German) explains the hazards posed by chemicals in the new hazard classes, and offers an overview of how substances and mixtures are to be classified and labelled. It also sets out the relevant deferral periods and illustrates how the new hazard classes are to be applied with an example label.
Federal Office for Chemicals
The Chemicals Act (ChemG) appoints BAuA as the Federal Office for Chemicals (BfC) and, as such, as the statutory body for tasks under the REACH, CLP and Biocidal Products Regulations. In accordance with the key elements of the REACH Regulation, these tasks include the
registration,
evaluation,
authorisation and
restriction
of substances.
As part of the authorisation of biocidal products, the BfC is responsible for ensuring that biocides are only placed on the market if they can be handled safely. Active substances are evaluated and authorised in a two-stage process.
If substances are assigned to specific hazard classes, then specific measures usually apply to the use of these substances. Risk minimisation measures are chosen based on the results of extensive risk assessments and taking account of socio-economic factors, which can be estimated and evaluated using, for example, the "Socio-Economic Analysis (SEA)" instrument.
Biomonitoring
Biomonitoring is an important tool in occupational medicine for ensuring the safest possible design of work involving hazardous substances. It identifies individual forms of exposure, contributes to the assessment of working conditions and helps with the evaluation of occupational safety measures with a view to preventing health damage due to chemicals.
Easy-to-use workplace control scheme for hazardous substances
Practical guidance on risk assessment and the implementation of suitable protective measures are key prerequisites for protecting workers' health in activities involving hazardous sub-stances. In this context, it is important that hazards presented by hazardous substances can be identified quickly and associated with suitable protective measures. BAuA provides practical guidance in the form of the "Easy-to-use workplace control scheme for hazardous substances" (EMKG). The EMKG includes all potential hazards due to inhalation and skin contact as well as fire and explosion hazards. In a systematic approach companies are allowed to identify hazards associated with the handling of hazardous substances, as well as the correct measures to reduce exposure.
Hazardous Substances Protection Award
The German Hazardous Substances Protection Award is conferred by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) every two years and organised by the Federal Agency for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), which conducts the business of the Committee on Hazardous Substances (AGS). With the title of "making the handling of hazardous substances safer, supporting innovation", the award has honoured exemplary and ground-breaking work surrounding protection against hazardous substances. 2024 the prize has been awarded for the 15th time in a row since 1994.
To the topic
Find out about scientific and recent developments surrounding the topic of hazardous substances.
Projektnummer F 2510Status Laufendes Projekt
Derivation of suitable biomonitoring methods to determine the current work-related lead exposure of employees
Projektnummer F 2458Status Abgeschlossenes Projekt
Investigations into the feasibility of a cohort study among workers exposed to diisocyanates to accompany new regulations for diisocyanates under chemicals legislation
Projektnummer F 2486Status Laufendes Projekt
Determination of the inhalative exposure to biological agents during the commercial use of gardening devices
Projektnummer F 2430Status Abgeschlossenes Projekt
Collection of toxicokinetic data for the assessment of different exposure routes using the example of the antibiotic enrofloxacin
Projektnummer F 2410Status Abgeschlossenes Projekt
Determination of hazardous substances exposure during "Additive Manufacturing" – Application of powder-based systems
Projektnummer F 2366Status Abgeschlossenes Projekt
Human exposure to biocidal products: Measurement of inhalation and dermal exposure during the application of biocide foams
Projektnummer F 2365Status Abgeschlossenes Projekt
Development of an enforceable test method for determination of the rigidity of respirable biopersistent fibres
Projektnummer F 2346Status Abgeschlossenes Projekt
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - Implementation of the concept of exposure-risk-relationships in enterprises handling strong polluted materials
Projektnummer F 2314Status Abgeschlossenes Projekt
Easy-to-use workplace control scheme for hazardous substances 3.0 - Technical and didactical revision of the overall concept
Projektnummer F 2265Status Abgeschlossenes Projekt
Field Study on a Future Module "Fire and Explosion Risks" for an Easy-to-use Control Scheme for Hazardous Substances at the Workplace (EMKG)
Projektnummer F 2307Status Abgeschlossenes Projekt
Development and validation of control guidance sheets for protection against chemicals in maintenance and parking of cars
Behaviour in the workplace and monitoring data on occupational oral exposure to hazardous substances as prerequisites for the development of a model on occupational oral exposure: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Essay
2025
Introduction: The assessment of the overall exposure of workers to hazardous substances is fundamental for their comprehensive …
Assessing the impact of authorisation process as a regulatory tool in the European REACH regulation: A study on improving occupational safety for applying companies
Essay
2024
This study looks into the effectiveness of the authorisation procedure as a regulatory instrument within the framework of the …
MAK Commission: Amines - Determination of N,N-dimethylethylamine, N,N-dimethylisopropylamine, N,N-dimethyl-n-propylamine and triethylamine in workplace air using ion chromatography (IC)
Essay
2024
The working group "Air Analyses" of the German Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds …
MAK Commission: Amines - Determination of N,N-dimethylethylamine, N,N-dimethylisopropylamine, N,N-dimethyl-n-propylamine and triethylamine in workplace air using ion chromatography (IC)
Essay
2024
The working group "Air Analyses" of the German Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds …
MAK Commission: Carcinogenic metals - Determination of arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, nickel and their particulate compounds in workplace air using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
Essay
2024
This analytical method is a validated measurement procedure for the determination of arsenic [7440-38-2], beryllium [7440-41-7], …
MAK Commission: Chloroacetic acids - Determination of mono-, di- and trichloroacetic acid in workplace air using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-UV)
Essay
2024
The working group "Air Analyses" of the German Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds …
MAK Commission: Germanium - Determination of germanium and its non-volatile inorganic compounds in workplace air using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
Essay
2024
The working group "Air Analyses" of the German Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds …
MAK Commission: Hexavalent chromium - Determination of particular hexavalent chromium in workplace air using ion chromatography with postcolumn derivatisation (IC-UV/VIS)
Essay
2024
This analytical method is a validated measurement procedure for the determination of particular hexavalent chromium e.g. …
MAK Commission: Ketoximes - Determination of 2-butanone oxime, acetone oxime, 4-methyl-2-pentanone oxime and 2-pentanone oxime in workplace air using gas chromatography (GC-NSD)
Essay
2024
This analytical method is a validated measurement procedure for the determination of 2-butanone oxime [96-29-7], acetone oxime …
