Use of Control Banding in Relation to Chemical Policy Reform

Control banding (CB) is a control-focused risk management model that has received international attention. CB strategies are designed to control workplace chemical exposures after the completion of a qualitative risk assessment. A training program in Connecticut across 34 workplaces demonstrated that the model can be taught to both occupational health professionals and health and safety committees, and used successfully for both designing proper controls and identifying safer alternatives in relation to occupational exposures. While traditional control banding was designed primarily for controlling occupational exposures, its use of internationally-based and standardized “Risk-phrases” which include environmental impact (such as the Persistent, Bio-accumulative, and Toxic category) and graphic use of risk categories make it potentially very useful for safer alternative chemical assessments which may be extended across the life cycle of chemicals from origin to ultimate environmental fate.