Stoffenmanager
Stoffenmanager® is a validated web-based instrument intended to support both small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large organisations in prioritising and controlling the risks of handling hazardous substances in the workplace. The tool consists of modules for conducting a risk assessment such as control banding, quantitative exposure assessment and REACH worker exposure assessment. In addition to these modules, Stoffenmanager® offers the facility to register hazardous substances as well as create and export workplace instruction cards. It is available in Dutch, English, German, Finnish, Swedish and Polish. Spanish and French will be included in 2017, Italian and Danish in 2018 and more languages will follow in the near future.
Stoffenmanager® Basic can be used on the internet free of charge and is intended in particular to support SMEs in performing risk assessments. Up to 35 products and risk assessments can be saved online. Besides the free Stoffenmanager® version, a fee-based Premium version of Stoffenmanager® is available. This version is intended for companies dealing with larger numbers of hazardous substances. In the Premium version, the number of products and risk assessments is not limited. Besides the functions for risk assessment and non-measuring estimation of exposure, this version also offers extended functionality for a company and hazardous substance management in order to make the chemical management faster, smarter and more efficient, with a focus on implementation. Cosanta B.V. provides the users with quality assurance and a guarantee for the future business continuity. This is achieved by (1) applying a “freemium business model”, which guarantees the long-term sustainability of the instrument, (2) providing support, coaching and training, which are necessary to avoid making errors when applying Stoffenmanager® and (3) using a validated tool embedded in a community platform, which supports companies in organising and structuring their chemical risk management in a business-like manner.
Cosanta B.V. is the legal owner of the online tool Stoffenmanager®. The company is a joint venture of the initial developers of the instrument TNO and Arbo Unie. The IT part is carried out by EY. With the establishment of Cosanta B.V., the developers have taken Stoffenmanager® to a next level – a continuous development platform with a new release a few times a year. Stoffenmanager® can be found on the website www.stoffenmanager.nl.
The development of Stoffenmanager® is driven by the Premium users for the tool’s functionalities and by the International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) for the scientific developments and regulatory compliance. The ISAB members are Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), Swedish Lund and Dalarna Universities, the German Social Accident Insurance (IFA), Polish Institute for Occupational Medicine (Nofer) and the Austrian Social Accident Insurance (AUVA), Italian Universita’ degli Studi dell’Insubria, Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment and National Taiwan University. The developers encourage partners and Premium users to jointly innovate. Therefore, Stoffenmanager® has moved away from “just” a risk assessment instrument such as ART, ECETOC TRA, MEASE, EMKG-EXPO-TOOL, Riskofderm or COSHH Essentials, towards a smart chemicals management platform.
