ChemHAT and the Hierarchy of Controls

The Hierarchy of Controls is a fundamental concept in occupational health and safety. In principle, science shows that substitution and elimination are much more effective ways to control exposure to hazardous chemicals than personal protective equipment like masks and gloves. But in practice, most of the focus of occupational safety and health has been in PPE, behavior and the other lowest levels of control. In many ways, workers are unfairly pushed to protect their health despite OSHA unequivocally stating that workers have the right to be protected from toxic chemicals, and that it is up to the employers to provide this safe and hazard free work-environment. ChemHAT is designed to help workers and their employers move up the hierarchy of controls from PPE and behavior to substitution and elimination.

Hierarchy of Control