Workplace Chemical Hazards

Workplaces can use a variety of solvents, such as methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, and Stoddard solvent. Workers who come into contact with solvents should wear recommended PPE. Most solvents can remove the natural fats and oils from the skin and some pose absorption risks. Organizations must store flammable solvents in approved containers. Provide local exhaust ventilation, and as needed use enclosures to control workplace exposures. When selecting appropriate engineering or other controls, safety personnel must consider the toxicity, flammability, and explosion potential of the material. Remove asbestos using only fully trained personnel adhering to the methods and protective equipment mandated by OSHA and EPA asbestos standards. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1001 contains standards addressing working in or near in-place asbestos. 

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Sampling and Analytical Methodology for Workplace Chemical Hazards... 

Employees who are required to work with hazardous chemicals in a manner that result in a duration and frequency of exposure greater than what a normal consumer would experience have a right to know about the hazards of those chemicals. In these cases, the HazCom standard treats those consumer products as any other workplace chemical hazard. 

Proctor NH, Hughes JP, Fischman ML, eds. 1988. Chemical hazards of the workplace. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA JB Lippincott Company, 340-344. 

Santodonato J, Bosch S, Meylan W, et al. 1985. Monograph on human exposure to chemicals in the workplace hexachloroethane. Syracuse, NY Syracuse Research Corporation, Center for Chemical Hazard Assessment. PB86-149317. 

From 6 April 2005, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulation 2002 has been significantly updated. There is now a new focus on good practice to help employers prevent their employees health being harmed by workplace chemicals, and a change to the way limits are set for exposure to chemicals in the workplace. An outline of the updated regulations is given. 

There are OSHA standards designed to protect employees from acute chemical hazards resulting lfom reactive incidents-including fires, explosions, and toxic releases. The Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) requires chemical manufacturers to evaluate chemicals produced or handled in their workplace and to communicate the hazards associated with the products they produce via labels and MSDSs. The standard also requires all employers to provide information to employees about the hazardous chemicals to which they could be exposed. The PSM Standard (29 CFR 1910.119) requires employers to prevent or minimize the consequences of catastrophic releases of highly hazardous chemicals, including highly reactive chemicals. 

This chapter covered only a small proportion of the vast number of chemicals that can be found in the workplace. For more definitive information on a wide variety of toxic substances, the reader is referred to standard references on industrial toxicology. Of these, one of the most useful for a quick summary of toxic effects and management is Chemical Hazards in the Workplace by N. H. Proctor and J. P. Hughes. Definitive reviews of many chemicals are published by the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the National Safety Council among others. Sources are given in Appendix III. 

We have seen that many different factors can contribute to chemical hazard in the workplace. The degree of hazard, however, is fundamentally determined by two factors the basic toxicity of the agent concerned, that is, its intrinsic capacity to damage or affect biological tissue and the severity of the exposure, or what is sometimes called the dose-response relationship. The duration of the exposure, of course, must also be considered. 

Proctor, N. H. and Hughes, J. P. Chemical Hazards of the Workplace. Philadelphia J. P. Lippincott Company, 1978. 

The workplace environment is a significant part of the total ecological system. Since it can be measured, some control over it can be achieved, and improvements in the control technologies in the workplace can be made. Because of the rapidly growing production of complex chemical substances and the use of these in modern living during the past three decades, the existence of chemical hazards in workplaces in relation to worker health and safety has become the subject of great concern. 

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