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Background
Information on the health hazards
of chemicals is often published in scientific journals and technical
documents that can be difficult to find and hard to understand. Although
chemical manufacturers
 and distributors are required to include health
hazard information on Material Safety Data Sheets, the information is
often written in technical language and can be incomplete and inaccurate,
especially for cancer, reproductive damage and other long-term effects.
HESIS was established to ensure that workers and employers have access
to practical information on chemical hazards to help them prevent
work-related illness and disease. Over the years, HESIS has gained unique
experience in evaluating complex, technical information on chemical
hazards, determining what it means for people in real work situations, and
communicating the health hazard in practical language. This unique
experience comes from answering questions and responding to concerns about
workplace chemical exposures from all sectors that care about protecting
worker health, including workers, employers, unions, government agencies
and health care providers.
Purpose
To make complex, technical information about
chemical hazards available and more readily understood to help workers and
employers protect against chemical exposures in the workplace. The
ultimate goals are more effective prevention efforts and better
recognition and treatment of work-related illness.
Activities
- Review and evaluate scientific literature to determine the potential
impact of toxic chemicals on workers’ health;
- Identify workplace chemicals that pose health hazards risks for
California workers;
- Research and identify safer substitutes for hazardous chemicals;
- Develop and disseminate educational publications on chemical hazards
and other topics that impact large numbers of workers;
- Respond to questions about workplace hazards from workers,
employers, government agencies, and health care providers through our
statewide telephone information line.
Hazard Evaluation System
and Information Service (HESIS) home page
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