Selecting high-risk micro-scale enterprises using a qualitative risk assessment method

Micro-scale enterprises (MSEs) with less than 5 employees are subject to be covered by the scheme of the regular workplace environmental inspection and medical health examination from 2002 in Korea. Due to limited resources as well as vast number of enterprises to be covered, there is an urgent need to focus these efforts to only those high-risk MSEs. To identify them, a qualitative risk assessment methodology was developed combining the hazardous nature of chemicals and exposure potentials as modeled by the HSE and the risk categorization technique by the AIHA. Risk Index (RI) was determined by combining characteristics specific to chemicals and scale of use of the chemicals. The method was applied to 514 MSEs that were selected from a random sample of 4000 MSEs. A total of 170 out of 514 MSEs studied were included in the final analysis. Current status and characteristics of MSEs were identified and RI was assigned to chemicals in each industry. Based on the distribution of RIs, the high-risk MSEs were selected. These include: wood and products of wood, chemicals and chemical products, basic metals, other machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, trailer and semi-trailer manufacturing, and furniture manufacturing. Since these MSEs are high-risk ones, more attentions should be focused on them. This method can be applied to other workplaces with no previous history of quantitative workplace inspections.