title: Green Jobs: Definition and Method of Appraisal of Chemical and Biological Risks.
abstract: In the wake of sustainable development, green jobs are developing rapidly, changing the work environment. However a green job is not automatically a safe job. The aim of the study was to define green jobs, and to establish a preliminary risk assessment of chemical substances and biological agents for workers in Quebec. An operational definition was developed, along with criteria and sustainable development principles to discriminate green jobs from regular jobs. The potential toxicity or hazard associated with their chemical and biological exposures was assessed, and the workers' exposure appraised using an expert assessment method. A control banding approach was then used to assess risks for workers in selected green jobs. A double entry model allowed us to set priorities in terms of chemical or biological risk. Among jobs that present the highest risk potential, several are related to waste management. The developed method is flexible and could be adapted to better appraise the risks that workers are facing or to propose control measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, Québec, Canada;
authors.forename: Erwan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cheneval
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), 505 De Maisonneuve BlvdWest, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Marc-Antoine
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Busque
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), 505 De Maisonneuve BlvdWest, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ostiguy
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), 505 De Maisonneuve BlvdWest, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lavoie
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, Québec, Canada;
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bourbonnais
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), 505 De Maisonneuve BlvdWest, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: France
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Labrèche
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, Québec, Canada;
authors.forename: Bouchra
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bakhiyi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Main Station, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), 505 De Maisonneuve BlvdWest, Montreal, Québec, Canada joseph.zayed@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zayed
mesh_terms: D001685:Biological Factors / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D009790:Occupations; D011792:Quebec; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D018505:Waste Management; D017132:Workplace
chemical_list: D001685:Biological Factors
keywords: biological agents; chemical agents; control banding; green job; risk appraisal; waste management