National Hazardous Chemicals Campaign
16-21 October 1995

Survey shows workers are not safe

An ACTU survey of health and safety training course participants run by trades and labour councils across Australia during September indicates that the majority of workers exposed to chemicals at work do not know their rights and do not have adequate health and safety procedures.

• Out of 293 returned surveys, 85 per cent said they used chemicals at work.

• Of those who said they were exposed to chemicals at work. 63 per cent knew what the chemicals were, but 81 per cent did not know what safe exposure levels' existed for the chemicals used in their workplaces.

• 54 per cent of employers had not identified chemical hazards in the workplace.

• 55 per cent said they had health and safety procedures at work for the chemicals in their workplace, but only 26 per cent said all workers knew about them.

• 76 per cent said there was no chemical register in their workplace.

• 73 per cent did not have access to material safety data sheets (MSDS) on the chemicals in their workplace.

• 89 per cent of employers had not provided any training for dealing with the chemicals in their workplace.

• 80 per cent of respondents said -they would like more information on the chemicals they work with.

• And finally, 40 per cent of respondents said people they worked with had suffered from working with chemicals in their workplace through dizziness, skin rashes, headaches etc.

For more information please contact

Worklink Hotline 1 300 362223