Evaluation of occupational health management in small-scale enterprises using a checklist for organic solvents

The aim of this research was to clarify improvements in the occupational health management of small-scale enterprises by introducing the use of a checklist for organic solvents. We studied 25 small-scale enterprises producing lacquerware in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. We specifically designed a manual for checking the occupational health management that included a checklist for self-evaluation. The survey using the manual led us to find that the median of workers was 4. All workshops were equipped with local exhaust ventilators for spraying work. Overall recognition of a need for the occupational safety and health by managers was not particularly high. The need was found for producing a documented work standard, properly dealing with or controlling organic solvents, thus preventing workers from exposure to organic solvents. Eighteen small-scale enterprises answered yes to more than 50 percent of items on the checklist. The results of the checklist exercise revealed some problems in spraying workshops, such as no documented work standard, no inspection of tools or local exhaust ventilators before work, no prevention against exposure to organic solvents, and insufficient measures taken for occupational health education. The results in this research pointed out some need to improvements in the occupational health management.