Floor hazards

IPC systems continue to offer advantages to pharmaceutical manufacturers in providing access to data on the shop floor, hazardous areas, and other hostile environments. IPCs are flexible and allow manufacturers the option to implement a central control room based system or a distributed plant based system. Both options are in use. 

Chem. Desetip. One-component fluoroelastomer based on Viton Uses Sealant/caulk for industrial applies, such as Joint sealant for steel and concrete, door gasket adhesive on industrial ovens, adhesives for flue duct expansion Joints, acid-resist. Joint sealant for industrial flooring, hazardous abatement material, coatings for fuel inj. hoses in automobiles, coatings for equip, subject to corrosive liq., and adhesives for bonding rubber gaskets to metal... 

Review facility historical accident and injury records to assist in identifying slip, trip, and fall hazards. Establish written housekeeping procedures and reqnire everyone including patient care staff to immediately report spills and other floor hazards. Incorporate slip, trip, and fall prevention education into recurring safety training. Conduct awareness campaigns to educate employees about the risk of slips, trips, and falls. Provide feedback on the actions taken to prevent slip, trip, and fall injuries. 

Consider elevators and escalators as pathways that need maintenance. Keep these locations well lit, in good working order, and free of trash and debris. Unlevel flooring hazards can exist when... 

Avoidance of blowing away dust or dirt from equipment, the floors, or clothing etc. (which may also produce a dust inhalation or explosion hazard). 

Record potential pollutant sources in the building. Note the locations of major sources. Major sources such as large items of equipment can be recorded on the floor plan. Record the names and locations of chemicals or hazardous substances used or stored within the building, such as those that may be contained in cleaning materials, biocides, paints, caulks, and adhesives. Ask your suppliers to provide you with Material Safety Data Sheets. You may be unaware of the potential hazards... 

Locatjonfsl - For each hazardous substance that you are reporting, provide a brief narrative description of its onsite location, such as, "first floor stockroom at rear of workshop", "warehouse", "tank farm", "garage", "storage area for flammables, behind garage". If the substance is found commonly throughout the site or a majority of the site area, you may report it as "ubiquitous" or "plant-wide". 

Chemical Reactivity - Reactivity with Water No reaction Reactivity with Common Materials Reacts with organic materials rapidly, generating sufficient heat to cause ignition. Prolonged contact on wood floors can result in a fire hazard Stability During Transport Stable Neutralizing Agents for Acids and Caustics Flood with water and rinse with sodium bicarbonate solution Polymerization Not pertinent Inhibitor of Polymerization Not pertinent. 

Figure 12-2. Flowsheet and floor plan of hazardous equipment. (Source Shabica [2].)...

Are there materials on the floor that eould eause a tripping hazard ... 

You should always anticipate hazards such as sharp objects like nails, broken glass, and medical needles slippery surfaces steep grades and potentially unstable surfaces such as walls, floors, or roofs that could cause falls, give way, or collapse. Other common physical hazards include ... 

The rupture discs on some water compressors were allov/ed to discharge inside a building as the water was clean. However, by the time it had drained down through several floors to the basement of the building, it had dissolved some solid material that had been spilt on one of the intervening floors and became hazardous. Discs had failed on several occasions, for unknown reasons. Possible causes were vibration, hammer pressure, and low-cycle fatigue. 

It is quite desirable to place water into an open-hole section prior to running a casing or liner siring and cementing. The water will provide a hydraulic head to hold back any formation gas in the open-hole section that could cause a fire hazard at the rig floor. 

Hydrochloric acid (10-15 per cent) is generally used. If applied correctly it will remove laitence and provide an adequate surface for adhesion. It will not open up air pockets and voids and is difficult and hazardous to handle and apply. It is most suitable for use on floors. 

Liquids allowed to overflow and those not adequately cleaned off the floor present potential hazards by persons slipping. 

Forkdift drivers need to be skilled, experienced, and safetyconscious, since the misplacement of a pallet on a high stack can present a serious hazard. They work in well-insulated protective clothing and in short spells within a shift if the room is much below 0°C. Fork-lift trucks are available with enclosed, heated driver s cabs. Extra staff are required if the traffic is constant. Targe stores will have a wide loading platform outside at floor level to permit fork-lift trucks to manoeuvre their loads onto vehicles. 

The approximately round shape and small size of the suspension beads is useful for some applications such as expandable polystyrene or as an intermediate for further compounding with pigments, other polystyrene beads, etc. Being round, however, they tend to roll, not only causing a safety hazard when spilled on floors but more importantly causing difficulties in some fabricating extruders and molding machines. Except for expandable polystyrene, beads are seldom sold as such but are extruded into pellets. 

Greenpeace (2000) Hazardous chemicals in PVC flooring. Exeter, Greenpeace Research Laboratories, 29 Nevember (Technical Note No. 14/00). 

The developing human s source of nutrition changes with age from placental nourishment to breast milk or formula to the diet of older children who eat more of certain types of foods than adults. A child s behavior and lifestyle also influence exposure. Children crawl on the floor, put things in their mouths, sometimes eat inappropriate things (such as dirt or paint chips), and spend more time outdoors. Children also are closer to the ground, and they do not use the judgment of adults to avoid hazards (NRC 1993). 

Chemical spills in the laboratory may be hazardous, damaging to flooring and furniture finishes, or simply messy to clean up. Laboratory equipment houses and distributors of safety equipment carry a variety of clean-up kits made for specific types of spills, depending on the types of chemicals handled. Generally, the kits contain absorbents or neutralizers, or a combination of the two, plus instructions for use. Kits should be stored as close as possible to where spills are likely to occur and not in a remote storeroom. Instructions must be kept with the kits, not in a file cabinet. Quick action in case of a spill is important in reducing both hazards and damage. 

The most common spill on a laboratory floor is water, not generally considered hazardous. It may, however, create hazardous conditions by making the floor slippery. It is dangerous to walk on a wet floor with certain types of soles. A wet area should always be blocked off until it is dry. Mop and bucket should always be available close by, not in a janitor s closet down the hall. String mops are superior to sponge mops for getting the floor dry. 

A janitor surrounded by sensitive instruments may be like a bull in a china shop. In one laboratory, the janitors were not allowed to clean anything above floor level, including windows, without supervision by laboratory personnel. Janitors should not be allowed to handle containers of flammable or hazardous waste. Laboratory personnel should clear the floors completely when the janitor announces that it is time for floor waxing. 

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