Relevant Technical Safety Data

Settled dust can also decompose, following the same chemical reaction. However, the reaction rate will be much slower because the dust and the oxidizing agent are not well mixed. The reaction progresses as a so-called dust combustion. 

Safety technical numbers as well as the corresponding experimental methods for their determination are required in order to enable an assessment of the risk related to handling powders and dust. In the evaluation the different reaction mechanisms, namely dust combustion and dust explosion, have to be accounted for. 

The following safety technical numbers are commonly used for the characterization of the dust explosion risk or, in other words, for the characterization of hazards related to handling dust  

The description of the different experimental test methods shall be limited here to three somewhat more prominent ones, as all the methods for the determination of the relevant safety data are described in great detail in the cited literature. These are  

The modified Hartmann tube is used to obtain a yes/no answer to the question of dust explosibility. The method belongs to the group of screening tests, as no protective measure can be designed on the basis of its test result. 

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In addition to these selection criteria, the limitations of the author s contacts and the willingness of companies to participate, narrowed the search for a suitable case down to a small Dutch company (< 30 people). This company produces in batches, falls under the Dutch Seveso-II directive (BRZO, 1999) and authorized access to the relevant data. The selected company had experienced some serious accidents recently, in spite of using many technical safety systems. Thus the management was aware of the necessity to enhance both safety and the reliability of the operational process. 

USACHPPM s TG 218. Detailed and General Facts About Chemical Agents. The facts sheets contained in this Technical Guide are intended to provide summary information on 24 chemical warfare materials related to Chemical Stockpile and Non-Stockpile activities. In essence, they are a brief abstract of data contained in Material Safety Data Sheets and other technical references relevant to these substances. 

Article 8 details the prerequisites for an OR. Eirst, the OR must be a natural or legal person established in the EU . Thus, only an EU-based individual or an EU entity can function as an OR. Second, the OR must have a sufficient background in the practical handling of substances and the information related to them. This requirement is widely interpreted that the OR must be a technically qualified individual or entity with a sound understanding of REACH and the hazard and risk management of the relevant chemical. Einally, the OR must keep available and up-to-date information on [the] quantities [of the chemical] imported and [the] customers [the chemical is] sold to, as well as information of the supply of the latest update of the [chemical s] safety data sheet. ... 

The information that was used for this simulation is generic data. That is to say, the information about the process unit is limited to an instrument count and the instruments were modeled with generic equipment models. This is the coarsest application of the Platypus software that we term the generic analysis . A detailed analysis is also possible. In that case, the total length of pipework, the number of connections to a vessel, the SIL level of technical safety barriers may be modeled to represent the unit as closely as possible. Historic failure data of the plant can also be implemented. This is possible because Platypus allows for the adaptation of the generic models on each level of detail of the model. This makes it very flexible but the workload associated with modeling an entire process plant (which may literally consist of thousands of pieces of equipment) may not be very practical. In addition, it may be hard to find relevant data. 

An MSDS is a technical bulletin (fact sheet) containing detailed information about a hazardous substance. A manufacturer is required to prepare an MSDS for each hazardous substance it sells. OSHA requires manufacturers and distributors to provide a copy of the relevant MSDS when each sample or order of a hazardous substance is shipped by the manufacturer or other carrier to a location for the first time. Employers are required to make Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) available to all employees. MSDSs must be in English, available 24/7, and contain the following information (Meyer 2005) ... 

Chemical Safety NewsBase (http //www.rsc.org/is/database/csnbhome.htm) This provides information on the health and safety effects of chemicals used in industry, and all health and safety aspects relevant to the laboratory and office environment. The database contains over 50000 items. Each reference includes the document title, full bibliographic details and a detailed abstract. The database is updated each month with coverage of scientific journals, new books, standards, data sheets, audiovisual aids and technical reports. 

Technical and other practical factors also merit consideration. Are there indeed technical difficulties in the manufacture of a bulk drug that would render marketing of the eutomer cost-prohibitive Accumulation of relevant data for each stereoisomer is a time-consuming process. Are these delays justifiable therapeutically When an IND is submitted for a race-mate, there may be limited or negligible safety and/or pharmacokinetic data on the individual enantiomers. Should this delay initiation of phase I clinical trials ... 

There are no explicit requirements for preclinical testing of infant formulas specified under Section 409 of the FD C Act. The section stipnlates that a petition to estabUsh safety of a food additive shall contain all relevant data bearing on the physical or other technical effect such additive is intended to produce.. . (21 U.S.C. 301), but it does not dictate a specific type of preclinical study. 

To be relevant and useful to small business, the emphasis of the OH S information should shift from the legalistic formal administration of safety to the practical solution of typical and high-priority technical risk problems in specific industries. The information included in the claims data of the workers compensation insurance could potentially be applied for these purposes. 

It is tempting to classify all in vivo techniques as risk-assessment methods. For example, host-mediated-type studies have been incorrectly assumed to be more applicable to risk assessment than related in vitro studies. This is not necessarily true, since the genotoxic end points are still measured by in vitro test systems coupled with the animal host, and therefore the data are still valid only to detect potential. Attributing greater relevance to such tests may result in erroneous conclusions regarding safety or risk. Actually, there are very few practical risk-assessment assays available to evaluate genotoxicity, and our ability to extrapolate results from these to humans is uncertain, since evidence demonstrating mutation induction in humans is technically not possible. 

These functions are the basis for the Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA), for the identification of possible hazards. In workshops with experts - to combine technical, domain and safety know-how - various techniques are applied. This includes brainstorming, use of historical data and functional failure modes and effects analysis to identrfy possible failure modes, their operational effects and the respective severity of the worst credible outcome. Based on the safety-relevant failure modes, potential hazards are determined and respective risks are allocated according to the risk matrix. The FHA leads to derivation of top level hazards. 

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