Evaluation of the HSE COSHH Essentials exposure predictive model on the basis of BAuA field studies and existing substances exposure data.

This paper presents an in-house BAuA study on the evaluation of the COSHH Essentials exposure predictive model. External validation is based on measurement data obtained in BAuA field studies performed in various industries, e.g. printing industry and textile industry. In addition, measurement data and information on industrial hygiene provided by the chemical industry within the framework of the Existing Substances Risk Assessment programme are used. Although the evaluated exposure data cover a wide variety of activities and workplace scenarios, there is still a considerable lack of appropriate exposure data, especially for the more stringent control strategies. It was found that the level of agreement between the measurements for solid substances (powders, dusts) and the predicted ranges is reasonably good. The situation is in part different for liquids. In workplaces where organic solvents are used in litre quantities, exposure levels are within the predicted ranges or are often lower. For small-scale uses of liquids (millilitre scale), e.g. in carpenters' workshops, there were indications that the exposure levels can exceed the predicted ranges. However, it must be noted that the database is rather small.