The commonly used methods for the occupational health risk assessment (OHRA) of chemical toxicants cannot fully meet the needs of practical work. This study evaluated OHRA strategies for chemical toxicants in the workplace by establishing a quantitative analysis model.
Five typical industries in China that implement OHRA using the six common models (the Environmental Protection Agency, Australian, Romanian, Singaporean, International Council on Mining and Metals, and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health models) were selected as the research objects. We established a quantitative analysis model to compare the six models and applied it to compare the results obtained using each model and preliminarily analyze the advantages, limitations, and application scope of each method.
The risk ratio (RR) values of the six methods decreased in the following order: RREPA > RRCOSHH > RRICMM > RRAustralia > RRSingaporean > RRRomanian (
Among the six models, the EPA model had the relatively highest accuracy in assessing chemical toxicants, followed by the Singaporean model. The EPA and Romanian models were strongest in differentiating the differences in toxicity risk. More studies on OHRA methodology are needed.