A tool for preliminary health and safety risk assessment of activities involved with nanomaterials: design and validation

The study aimed to develop a comprehensive health and safety risk assessment tool tailored for activities involving nanomaterials, given their unique properties and the emerging risks they pose in various industrial sectors. Firstly, a tool item bank was prepared based on the results of a literature review of papers, guidelines, and standards and interviews with stakeholders (workers, employers, health and safety experts, and researchers active in this field). Then a tool was designed using these items. The logical validity of the tool was checked based on the opinions of 20 experts in different fields by using the Lawshe method. Its reliability was checked by using the method of agreement between participants and the kappa coefficient. The data was analyzed by SPSS.24 software. A total of 53 items underwent rigorous evaluation to assess their clarity and simplicity in face validity, resulting in the exclusion of three items. Subsequently, the remaining items were subjected to a comprehensive evaluation, including the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR). To assess reliability, the tool was administered to four evaluators across six companies involved in the production and utilization of nanomaterials, with the kappa coefficient being calculated. Companies used nanoparticles mostly under 100 nm. The final instrument comprised 47 questions. The findings underscore the tool’s robust validity, establishing its suitability for assessing the health and safety status within factories engaged in nanomaterial production and usage. It serves as a valuable resource to identify weaknesses within these industries and formulate essential corrective action plans.