The assessment of risk to health

The hazards of specific substances are described in textbooks on toxicology and the details of hazardous substances used in industrial processes may be obtained from the suppliers safety data sheets. However, the employer is responsible for carrying out assessments of the risks that may arise from the use of those substances in the particular circumstances of his own plant. 

Various systems of the body can be monitored to identify the presence of harmful substances so that people exposed to a known hazard may be removed from contact with the offending agent before clinical damage ensues. Examples of such monitoring include sampling of the blood and 

Gardner, A. Ward (Ed.), Current Approaches to Occupational Medicine, 205, John Wright Sons, Bristol (1979) 

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 (SI 1981 No.917), The Stationery Office, London (1981) 

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