The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has launched a new on-line safety and health guide on dangerous substances as support for the European Week for Safety and Health at Work. The European Week is a pan-European campaign to reduce the risks of chemicals, biological agents and other dangerous substances at work – hazards that affect around a quarter of the EU’s 150 million employees.

The Agency’s dangerous substances Web feature means that practical and up-to-date advice is now just a mouse click away. It covers all the main risks associated with working with dangerous substances and links to on-line information provided by more than 100 safety and health institutions across Europe. Users can choose from a list of more than 40 key topics, like ‘chemical accident prevention’ or ‘personal protective equipment’, or by sector, such as ‘agriculture’ or ‘construction’.

The information on offer ranges from dedicated Web features on issues, such as asbestos, to real-life case studies showing how dangerous substances have been effectively substituted in the workplace. In addition, exposure limit information for dangerous substances as well as ‘SME-friendly’ information for small and medium-sized businesses is also available.

Agency Director, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, commented: "The European Week campaign is all about reducing the risks of working with dangerous substances. The Agency’s Web feature provides access to a wealth of practical advice as to how this can be done. It will enable anyone who works with dangerous substances to get access to safety and health information, which is up-to-date and, above all, practical."

The good practice Web feature is on-line at europe.osha.eu.int/good_practice/risks/dangerous_substances/index.php. Over the coming weeks, the feature will be made available in up to 11 languages.