The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) gives its member countries a forum to discuss and compare various country initiatives relating to environmental, economic and social issues and helps them identify answers to common problems and good practice.
The OECD’s Environment, Health and Safety Programme develops and co-ordinates environmental health and safety activities internationally.
Documents on all aspects of the chemical programme can be downloaded at: Environment, Health and Safety Publications
Safe Work Australia and OECD
Safe Work Australia focuses on and contributes to the Environment, Health and Safety section of the OECD, which comes under the Joint Meeting of the Chemicals Committee and Working Party on Chemicals, Pesticides and Biotechnology Environment Directorate. Safe Work Australia contributes to activities relevant to this section through the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, who are the lead agency representing Australia.
The OECD has established a Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN). The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS), in the Department of Health and Ageing, is the overall coordinator of Australian input to the WPMN. Safe Work Australia plans to participate actively in two WPMN projects:
(a) exposure measurement and exposure mitigation, and
(b) safety testing of engineered nanomaterials.
OECD website