Safety and Health Hazards

Training is the heart of any safety program, espeeially when the work involves hazardous substanees and other related issues. Training is intended to enable the workers to reeognize health and safety hazards, and to prevent ineidents. As a result, training inereases produetivity and in some eases ean improve worker morale [4]. 

Does the aetivity inherently expose workers to hazardous substanees, or to health and safety hazards from a hazardous waste operation ... 

HAZWOPER applies only where exposure to hazardous substanees or to health and safety hazards resulting from a hazardous waste operation is likely (see Eigure 2-1). This ean be determined by analysis of exposure monitoring data, hazard eharaeterization, hazard analysis, or exposure assessment [1]. Some of the speeifle examples of work aetivi-ties and situations will be eovered later. 

Exactly what type of lessons are learned cannot be foreseen. The size and diversity of site activities give rise to a wide variety of health and safety hazards. Individual sites need to document and disseminate information that could enhance their hazard recognition and mitigation. Effective documentation is an important concept that everyone needs to buy in to if the safety program is going to be effective. Wliy workers fail to document potential problems has been the subject of much debate. 

Wlien the appropriate researeh has been eompleted, it is time to use the information to develop the site-speeifie safety plan. Keep in mind that this plan will provide the basis for proteetion of workers, visitors, and the publie. The plan defines health and safety hazards, eontrols, and requirements for individual aetivities at a speeifie worksite and provides doeumentation to help identify and eontrol health and safety hazards before fieldwork begins [1],... 

The HASP should describe how potential health and safety hazards at the work site are located, identified, and measured. A written schedule including inspections and walk-throughs conducted by designated individuals should be specified. 

The lack of specificity and the potential reasons for a lack of specificity were discnssed in the previons section. The SSHAP shonld he specific enongh to discnss site-specific health and safety hazards. A rationale for the nse of PPE shonld he provided, especially when npgrading levels of protection. 

Does the SAHP inelude a means of informing subeontraetors of site emergeney proeedures and health and safety hazards present on site [OSHA Referenee. 120(b)(l)(iv)]... 

An unducted Class IIA BSC should not be used for work involving hazardous or toxic gases and vapors. The buildup ot chemical vapors in the cabinet by recirculated air) and in the laboratory (from exhaust air) could create health and safety hazards. 

Personal protective equipment (PPE) Devices and apparel worn by employees to prevent or reduce exposure to health and safety hazards in any adverse environment. Examples include respirators, gloves, chemical-resistant overalls, earplugs, and safety glasses. 

Health and safety hazards could result in injury or illness, place key personnel out of action for a period, and hence result in work not being done or being done by personnel who are not competent. 

Methods for assessing the health and safety hazards and environmental effects present in your organization, its products, and its operations... 

Health and safety hazards could result in injury or illness and place key personnel out of action for a period. 

WASP (Workplace Analysis Health and Safety Hazardous airborne substances... 

Environmental health and safety Hazardous area monitoring Environmental monitoring compliance... 

Open-pit disposal as practiced by certain operators is not acceptable in our oil fields because they are located in the vicinity of residential areas frequented by the public. Open pits with a floating oil film would pore public health and safety hazards. 

As of the early 1990s, annual worker fatalities ran about 9 per 100,000 employees annual lost-time disabling injuries ran about 4,000 per 100,000 employees (1). Property losses increased fourfold from the 1970s (2). The trends in fatalities and property losses can probably be ascribed to the increasing complexity and productivity of the highly automated chemical plants, where personnel are isolated from processes. Whereas exposure to health and safety hazards maybe reduced, the ability of experienced operating personnel to sense process problems and to correct these problems frequently is decreased. Another aspect of process management which has tended to increase hazards is the effort to reduce the formation of wastes and undesired by-products. This effort requires dose approach to temperature and pressure limits, at which points loss of control can be catastrophic (see Process control). Process and plant safety issues have been discussed (3—8). 

Solvent flammability, the solvent, and dust loading in the atmosphere of the working environment and of the products in the ease of edible materials are ihe main factors that conslilute health and safety hazards in extraction plants. General safely and environmental standards must therefore he applied and due recognition taken of Ihe most recently published national regulations relating to acceptable threshold limit values (TLVs) for solvents and dusts. 

An MSDS lists the hazardous chemical contents of a product, describes its health and safety hazards, and gives methods for its safe use, storage, and disposal. The MSDS also includes information on fire and explosion hazards, reactivity, first aid, and procedures for handling leaks and spills. 

The health benefits are also clear that businesses can improve the work environment for their employees by using biochemicals and thus reducing health and safety hazards and risks as biochemicals are lower in toxicity, flammability and corrosivity than their petrochemical counterparts. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHAct) is administered and enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Both OSH A and OSHAct were created in December 1970, the same month the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was created. Unlike the US EPA, OSHA is essentially an enforcement organization and most of its employees are inspectors who perform thousands of workplace inspections per year it is a division of the Department of Labor. The OSHAct assures, as far as possible, that all working men or women have risk-free working environments and imposes on employers the obligation to provide employees with workplaces that are free from recognized health and safety hazards and to maintain compliance with specific OSHA standards. 

A reactor is located in a relatively large laboratory with a volume of 1100 m at 22°C and 1 atm. The reactor can emit as much as 0.75 gmol of hydrocarbon (HC) into the room if a safety valve ruptures. A hydrocarbon mole fraction in the air greater than 425 parts per billion (ppb) constitutes a health and safety hazard. 

Although the chemical industry as a whole has many potential health and safety hazards, the chemical and petroleum sectors have an excellent safety record. Primary metals, mining, and forestry have the highest number of injuries per thousand workers per year. 

Give information on chemical-related health and safety hazards promptly to officials, workers, and the public, and to recommend protective measures. 

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