Chemical and Microbiological Risk Management in the Work Environment

Overview

What you will study

The Chemical and Microbiological Risk Management in the Work Environment course offered by KTH Royal Institute of Technology will provide knowledge within the following topics and ability to use the knowledge in problem-solving:

• Legislation concerning chemicals and microorganisms.

• Impact on health and safety. 

• Risk assessment including measurement of air contaminants

• Control measures that reduce exposure and risks of accidents, through technical and organisational design of work, and workplaces.

• Adaptation of control measures to the workplace.

By the end of the course, the students should be able to:

• Describe, exemplify, and explain how all the above-mentioned factors affect safety, health, well-being, and performance.

• Perform measurements and risk assessments relating to all the above-mentioned factors in order to assess exposure and to be able to propose control measures that eliminate or reduce the exposures. The capability to perform measurement involves knowledge about measuring methods as well as measurement strategies.

• Describe, discuss, and critically analyse the advantages and limitations of different measuring strategies and be able to interpret and draw conclusions from measurement results.

• Propose work environment improvements according to the hierarchy of prevention and control concerning the above-mentioned factors 

• Critically discuss risk assessments and control measures in relation to relevant work environment regulations.

• Describe the EU regulations and Swedish legislation and provisions for all the above-mentioned factors.

• Find and interpret information about health hazards with chemical products and substances and use this information in risk assessment of handling of and exposure to chemicals.

• Describe common microbiological risks, in what environments they occur, how such risks can be assessed and how they can be controlled.

• Describe the demands on employers regarding chemical risks and be able to support organisations and adapt the methods to the organisation’s needs and prerequisites.

• Be able to identify barriers and facilitators for implementation of work environment improvements and to discuss pros and cons of different control measures and strategies.