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Partly because of the survey on OELs, the HSE decided on another attempt to get through to SMEs using chemicals. It launched a new approach to controlling chemicals in SMEs in 1999, described as a "scheme of generic risk assessment". Mike Topping of the HSE says, "Chemicals are still making people ill (yet) occupational ill-health is all potentially preventable. Some requirements of COSHH are beyond the expertise of small firms." This does not mean that small firms no longer have to comply with COSHH, but it gives them a simpler way of assessing chemical hazards, and much more practical guidance on controlling them.

Realising how difficult it is to get information to SMEs and their workers, the HSE scheme hinges on using suppliers to deliver chemical information. SMEs can use a step-by-step approach to risk assessment, beginning with the risk phrases given on chemical labels. After considering other information about the chemical, such as its dustiness or volatility, and the quantities used, employers can work out what controls are needed. Implementing the controls is explained in 60-100 'control guidance sheets' which employers can get from the supplier or the HSE.

Trade unions like the GPMU support the new scheme, and they and other unions are key routes through which to get information on controlling chemicals in small firms. Bud Hudspith, the GPMU's health and safety officer, thinks this move away from goal-setting to more specific, practical advice is a step in the right direction. "It is rare to find adequate COSHH assessments in printing. They are often just collections of safety data sheets," he says.

However, for the scheme to protect workers, the information on chemical labels will need to be improved. A 1997 survey by European Union health and safety enforcement agencies found 40% of chemicals wrongly classified and labelled. Safety data sheets were available for only 66% of the substances.

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