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EMKG (Easy-to-use Workplace Control Scheme for Hazardous Substances) and standardised Working Procedures
The configuration of working procedures for a particular activity or sector
The risk assessment is easier to complete if standardised working procedures exist. Standardised working procedures should always be up to date and refer to the valid version of the Hazardous Substances Ordinance.
Sector-specific and activity-specific guidance is available for many sectors, products and substances. These are compiled by specialist committees and stipulate recommendations on protective measures which are aligned to specific activities, procedures and hazardous substances. In the Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances (TRGS) 400, these recommendations are known as standardised working procedures.
Standardised working procedures are:
- Substance or activity-specific TRGS
- Procedure- and substance-specific criteria (VSK) according to TRGS 420
- Regulations and information from the accident insurer
- Good practice guide (federal states, BAuA and other participants in the field of occupational safety)
- Provided risk assessment
Information on the risk assessment
Substance or activity-specific TRGS are compiled by the Committee for Hazardous Substances (AGS) and announced by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS). VSK are a particular form of activity-specific assistance which can be created according to the requirements of TRGS 420. VSK are assessed by the AGS and announced by the BMAS as an annex to the TRGS 420. The TRGS are to be applied as a matter of preference. If not, it must be documented in the risk assessment.
If the risk assessment is carried out with the help of a technical regulation and if the protective measures described therein are implemented, compliance with the provisions of the GefStoffV is required. It is not necessary to check the compliance with the workplace limit values. It is necessary to document that the described TRGS measures have been implemented in the risk assessment.
Alternative guidelines
The sector-specific guidelines from the trade associations, federal states, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and other institutions provide a similarly straightforward introduction to the risk assessment. The protective measures that they describe are frequently validated with workplace measurements and detailed local fact-finding.
If you decide on this, you should ensure that
- control strategy 1 is implemented,
- your activity corresponds to the description of use,
- the protective measures are specific,
- the quality criteria of annex 2 of the TRGS 400 are fulfilled, and
- the protective measures can be transferred to your activity.
Please note that in some cases, the technical rules and instructions for use only apply to uptake through inhalation. The exposure due to skin contact and/or the risk of fire and explosion must then be determined in addition. In this case, the appropriate EMKG modules can be of help.
Straightforward assessment of further activities with the EMKG
On the whole, technical rules, VSK and recommended protective measures from other institutions do not cover all of the activities in the company that pose a risk to health. The activities that are not covered can be logged, assessed, and assigned to a control strategy with the EMKG. In combination with the control guidance sheets, the EMKG is an activity-specific source of help which fulfils all of the quality criteria for a standardised working procedure according to TRGS 400 "risk assessment".
If additional protective measures of control strategy 2 or 3 are required but cannot be implemented or if no control guidance sheets are available, other sector-specific evaluations of hazardous substances or products can be a qualified source of help.
Links
Contact
EMKG-Info
Gruppe 4.6 Gefahrstoffmanagement
Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin
Friedrich-Henkel-Weg 1-25
44149 Dortmund