World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Safety and health in the use of chemicals at work

This report for the 2014 celebration of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work reviews the current situation regarding the use of chemicals and their impact in workplaces and the environment, including various national, regional, and international efforts to address them. The report also presents the elements for establishing national and enterprise level programmes that contribute to ensure the sound management of chemicals at work.

Chemicals are essential to modern life, and will continue to be produced and used in workplaces. The ILO acknowledges that for an appropriate balance between the benefits of chemical use, and the preventive and control measures of potential adverse impacts on workers, workplaces, communities and the environment the sound management of chemicals is necessary and can be achieved with concerted efforts by governments, employers, and workers and their organizations.