News
12-10-2025
Across construction, engineering and manufacturing in the Netherlands, a new way of working is taking shape. Companies that once kept their own separate lists of chemical products now share that knowledge through one joint platform.
Every year, thousands of workers in the Netherlands still die from earlier exposure to hazardous chemicals. Changing that trend calls for a different approach. Volandis and Wij Techniek took the lead and, together with Chemrade Software, developed the Hazardous Substances Assistant for sectors where employees work with chemical products every day. A third sector has now joined, and several others are in discussion to connect just as easily.
“Many companies want to comply with regulations but struggle with time, knowledge and capacity,” says Annemiek den Heijer, occupational hygienist and partner at Chemrade. “The rules are complex, the information is scattered, and smaller companies often have no one who can manage this in a structured way. By organizing it together, healthy working practices become achievable for every employer. What makes this unique is the cross-sector approach. By sharing information across industries, such as safety data sheets, we make sure knowledge doesn’t stay locked within one sector.”
From paper to platform
The idea is simple: when something is captured properly once, hundreds of companies no longer need to figure it out on their own. The digital Hazardous Substances Assistant brings substances, safety sheets and risk assessments together in one central, maintained system. Each participating company uses the same foundation and can add its own products or applications.
'Many companies want to comply with regulations but struggle with time, knowledge and capacity.'
“The overlap in products is huge,” Den Heijer explains. “Companies use the same maintenance products, like WD-40 and Loctite. Why should every company research and document this separately when we can do it centrally? With experts managing the platform at sector level, they can assess safe handling and create clear work instructions for each substance. Changes in safety information or exposure limits are monitored and updated straight away. New knowledge reaches all participants at once. It becomes a living system that grows with the real world.”
The benefit is not only efficiency, but also equal access to healthy working conditions. “A small installer now has the same up-to-date information as a major construction firm,” says Annemiek. “That makes workplaces healthier everywhere.”
Driven by the people on the job
Technicians, cleaners, welders and production workers who handle chemicals every day need clear instructions and tools that are easy to use. The Hazardous Substances Assistant translates complex safety data sheets into straightforward work instructions. This allows companies of any size to take responsibility for a healthy workplace.
'It used to sit in binders no one opened.'
In a warehouse in Barneveld, installer Henk van den Berg has been using the Hazardous Substances Assistant for some time. On his tablet, he sees exactly which products he has on site and can open the correct safety data sheet in seconds. All lubricants, oils and adhesives are listed.
“It all used to be in thick binders,” he says. “No one looked at them. Now it’s right on my screen.”
When new products are purchased, they can be added to the company’s own register. If they’re not yet in the Hazardous Substances Assistant, a request can be submitted and the product will be added. After that, any other company can use it as well.
His experience shows what Den Heijer means by the power of shared knowledge. “When one company adds something, the whole sector benefits,” she says. “The database grows, the knowledge deepens, and the workplace becomes safer.”
Raising the bar for healthy work
What started as a way to reduce the burden on companies has grown into a new model for collaboration. The software is not there to monitor or police companies, but to support shared knowledge and shared responsibility.
Today, many companies use the Hazardous Substances Assistant, and more sectors are preparing to join. And on the workfloor of people like Henk van den Berg, you can see what that means in practice: healthy work is no longer seen as a challenge, but as something you tackle together.