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Occupational Safety and Health

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Practical Pharmaceutics

Abstract

Hazardous substances according to the European legislation are those substances with at least one ‘H(azard)-statement’. While preparing medicines or manipulating them, exposure to hazardous substances as such or as medicinal products can occur, which may cause a health risk. The types of toxicity (acute, chronic, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, sensitisation, etcetera) together with the extent and route of exposure, determine the health risk. This chapter focuses on exposure via inhalation and skin contact.

Categorisation of toxicity according to a REACH compatible approach as well according to NIOSH is dealt with. For categorisation of exposure the Advanced REACH Tool as well as a specific model for pharmacy preparation is discussed. Exposure via surface contamination is well researched for antineoplastic medicines with wipe tests.

Employers have the primary legal responsibility for the occupational safety and health of their workers and should assess and diminish health risk to a level that is accepted by society.

Workers have a legal duty to protect their own safety and health and that of their co-workers within the pharmacy or organisation. The European regulations on occupational safety and health are discussed. The strategies for preventing or minimising risks are discussed, including the use of collective (containment, ventilation) and personal protective equipment such as gloves and respirators. Occupational Exposure Levels (OELs), risk acceptance and communication about best practice are part of such strategies.

Fire, explosion, calamities and sharp injuries are dealt with separately.

Based upon the chapter ‘Arbeidsomstandigheden’ by Mirjam Crul and Yvonne Bouwman-Boer in the 2009 edition of Recepteerkunde.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Dutch Pharmacists, Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association KNMP, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Yvonne Bouwman-Boer

  2. Royal Dutch Pharmacists’ Association KNMP, Den Haag, The Netherlands

    Shi Wai Ng

  3. Laboratoire de Pharmacie galénique, Bordeaux University, U689 Inserm, Bordeaux, France

    Sylvie Crauste-Manciet

  4. CHU de Bordeaux, Groupe Hospitalier Sud, Bordeaux, France

    Sylvie Crauste-Manciet

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  1. Yvonne Bouwman-Boer
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  3. Sylvie Crauste-Manciet
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Correspondence to Shi Wai Ng .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Dutch Pharmacists, Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association KNMP, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Yvonne Bouwman-Boer

  2. Former Quality Control Pharmacist to the Welsh Hospitals, Cardiff, United Kingdom

    V'Iain Fenton-May

  3. The Hague Hospital Pharmacy, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Paul Le Brun

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Bouwman-Boer, Y., Ng, S.W., Crauste-Manciet, S. (2015). Occupational Safety and Health. In: Bouwman-Boer, Y., Fenton-May, V., Le Brun, P. (eds) Practical Pharmaceutics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15814-3_26

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