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Part VII: Information

Information on substances, machines, hazards, osh legislation, etc. comes in many forms and from many different sources:

1. Labels

One of the more immediate forms of information is the label on a container of a chemical, for example. This will, or should, reveal the identification of the substance through its name (often this will only be a code or trade name), relevant danger signs, and minimal health and safety warnings. In 60.4% of the workplaces, containers of materials were labeled. Labelling was more common in primary production, and in larger workplaces. But 20.8% of respondents said that containers of materials were not labeled in their workplaces. Considering that labels are the first warning of hazards then this result is surprisingly high. The reasons are not known, but it may be that chemicals are decanted into other smaller containers, a dangerous practice when they are not labeled.

81.3% of the respondents said that labels were in a language understandable to the workers.

2. List of substances used in the workplace

A full list of substances used in the workplace was available to workers in 58.2% of workplaces and to union representatives in 66% of the workplaces. This is an important consideration for research, getting information on the substances, and for emergency personnel in case of accident or fire.

3. Chemical safety data sheets

Chemical safety data sheets should be delivered with the chemical, or they are available from suppliers. They contain more information on the characteristics of a product, how to handle it safely, the PPE needed to prevent exposure, occupational exposure limits, first aid advice, etc. In the Estonian sample, workers’ access to chemical safety data sheets was somewhat less common than their access to a full list of substances used in the workplace. In only 24.5% of the workplaces, workers had full access, in 20.8% limited access, and in 11.3% no access to chemical safety data sheets. The percentage of those who did not know was very high, 43.4%.

Figure 19. Information sources used for health and safety hazards

In 35% of those workplaces where workers had full or limited access to chemical safety data sheets, the respondents considered that the information contained in the sheets was adequate for workers to perform their jobs safely, although 50% did not know if the information was adequate or not. 37.7% of the respondents said that the information contained in the chemical safety data sheets is understandable to the workers. This is an important factor, not just for the language of the user, but also for comprehension even when the data sheet is in the reader's mother tongue.

4. Outside information sources

Knowing how and where to obtain information about chemicals and other hazards is an important step in helping to improve the workplace and members' work-related health problems. There are many sources of information - from suppliers, government inspectors, health professionals, unions on a local, national or international level, etc.

The survey found that the most common outside sources of information concerning health and safety hazards for the respondents were health and environmental professionals, the national union and libraries. 65.5% of the respondents had enquired for information from health/environmental professionals, 55.6% from the national union, and 54.7% from the library (See figure 19).

Concerning the awareness of workers to occupational hazards, only 5.5% of the respondents claimed that workers are unaware, and 49.1% claimed that workers were very aware. This figure, however, diminishes for awareness of workers about the impact of their workplace on the environment. Although it was estimated that 74.1% were somewhat aware, only 13% were very aware, and 13% were not aware at all of the environmental impact of workplace activities.

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