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IFCS Occupational Health and Safety

Programme Area E: Strengthening of National Capabilities
and Capacities for Management of Chemicals

Capacity building is a most critical requirement for effective chemical safety management, particularly in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Strengthening of national capabilities and capacities for management of chemicals should take into consideration the needs for building the relevant strengths of the institutions and organizations engaged in chemical risk reduction activities in the workplace. More details about Programme Area E .

This initial listing of selected resources has been compiled by an IFCS Champion Work Group on OSH. It is intended to provide information and guidance. The mention of specific resources or their producers does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.

There are many interlinkages between the recommendations, thus the resources listed in many cases support several recommendations, although listed only under one. Unless otherwise indicated, the resources list are available only in English.

Suggestions of additional resources for listing on the website may be submitted to the IFCS Secretariat. Please indicate the programme(s) and specific recommendation(s) that the resource supports.

Worldwide Initiatives

Recommended action items:

Identify the particular demands and needs with respect to institutions and organizations responsible for workplace related activities concerning chemical safety and direct the capacity – building efforts accordingly.
National government occupational safety and health policies should contain specific sections/ text on chemical management, with a clear emphasis on preventive measures. Government legislation should require that workplace risk assessments and hazard prevention measures are carried out, based on the recognized hierarchy of prevention and control measures.
    • Introductory guide to national occupational safety and health systems (ILO), 2002 - José Luis Castellá
      Guide to national occupational safety and health systems
      ES: Guía de introducción a los sistemas nacionales de seguridad y salud en el trabajo.
      The "systems" concept can be applied to national regulatory frameworks concerning occupational safety and health. It should consist of a coherent and uniform set of elements which are complementary and mutually enriching. Aimed at persons participating in decision-making at the national level in the area of occupational hazard control, this guide provides an analysis of the different elements of the system. Contents: introduction; national occupational safety and health policies; national organization; planning the implementation of the national policy. Appendices include references to relevant ILO standards, conventions and recommendations, in particular to the ILO Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems (ILO-OSH 2001).
      English
      Spanish

    • Joint OSH strategy for the enlarged Europe
      Newsletter of the European Trade Union Technical Bureau for Health and Safety (TUTB), APRIL 2004, N°22-23 This issue contains a range of articles including national case studies, development of preventative systems and analysis of national occupational health and safety policies and of preventive OSH services. Others issues of TUTB Newsletter can be searched by subject (e.g. chemical substances)

    • Guidance Note For The Control Of Workplace Hazardous Substances In The Retail Sector (May 1994)
      National Occupational Health and Safety Commission, Australia
      The National Occupational Health and Safety Commission is a tripartite body established by the Commonwealth Government to develop, facilitate and implement a national occupational health and safety strategy. This document focuses on the development of hazard-specific and industry-based preventative strategies, research, training, information, collection and dissemination and the development of common approaches to occupational healthy and safety legislation.
Establish integrated programs for health and safety professionals and public health practitioners with emphasis on identification, assessment and control of occupational chemical risk factors in all workplaces (industrial, rural, business and services).
    • Developing and Sustaining an Integrated National Programme for Sound Chemicals Management,
      Guidance Document (January 2004 Edition) UNITAR
      This document has been developed to assist countries in developing and implementing an Integrated National Programme for Sound Chemicals Management. Part A of this document provides context and background on the importance of chemicals management and introduces the international policy framework for the sound management of chemicals. Part B outlines the national framework for an integrated national programme for chemicals management, including the importance of interministerial collaboration and developing a national policy on chemicals. Part C outlines a range of activities and provides practical suggestions for taking concrete action towards developing and sustaining an integrated national programme for the sound management of chemicals.
      English
      French
Promote exchange of information on successful experiences and projects related to chemical occupational safety and health.
    • Information Exchange Network on Capacity Building for the Sound Management of Chemicals (INFOCAP)
      INFOCAP is an internet-based network designed to facilitate the exchange and public accessibility of information related to chemicals management capacity building. The general objective of INFOCAP is to enhance effective coordination and cooperation among countries and organizations which are providing or receiving assistance related to the sound management of chemicals. INFOCAP acts as a gateway to information regarding sources of potential support for chemicals management projects; past, on-going and planned chemicals management projects; and, chemicals management guidance and training materials.
Enhance international cooperation programs aiming especially the national capacity building in developing countries and countries with economies in transition
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Selected general references:

CISDOC/CISILO - The CIS Bibliographic Database
The CIS bibliographic database contains about 65,000 citations of documents that deal with occupational accidents and diseases as well as ways of preventing them. The types of documents are: laws and regulations, chemical safety data sheets, training material, articles from periodical publications, books and standards. Every record contains a detailed bibliographic description, a full abstract and indexing descriptors drawn from the CIS Thesaurus. The CISDOC database is updated on a continuous basis.
English
French
Spanish

Fundamental principles of occupational health and safety (ILO) 2001 - B. O. Alli
This practical guide to the development of effective occupational health and safety policies and programmes focuses on the key topics essential to promoting health and safety in the workplace. It presents a concise overview of the issues involved, together with specific guidelines for policy design and implementation at both national and enterprise levels. The operational aspects of meeting health and safety requirements are also covered, with detailed sections on legislation and enforcement, occupational health surveillance, and preventive and protective measures, as well as health education and training. There is an explanation of the main concepts in occupational health and demonstrates how relevant ILO Conventions and Recommendations define workers' rights and allocate duties and responsibilities to competent authorities, employers and workers. Examples are given of good practice in the surveillance of workers' health and of the working environment, occupational health services, and reduction of the incidence of work-related injuries and diseases. Much practical advice is given to authorities, employers and workers, along with a glossary, a list of related publications and an example of a health and safety policy.

IPCS Chemical Safety Training Modules
The Training Modules on Chemical Safety have been compiled in order to introduce safe use of chemicals at places of work, to present classification systems for the labelling and transport of dangerous goods, to allow the reading and use of chemical safety cards, to give a basic overview of toxicology and to disseminate information on selected, widely used, hazardous substances. It contains material usable in handouts, demonstrations and exercises, as well as slides, colour transparencies and diskettes containing text files and databases.
English
French
Spanish

CIS Occupational Safety and Health Glossary
ILO - International Occupational Safety and Health Information Center (CIS)
Occupational safety and health is an interdisciplinary field, which uses specialist terms and expressions from subject areas as diverse as engineering, medicine, law, the physical sciences and psychology. This glossary includes terms from all these fields and more. Terms are in five (5) languages: English, German, French, Spanish and Russian.
English
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Spanish