13A1 Group

Case Study: Chemical Safety (Sept 18 v.1)

September 16, 2020
10:00 AM
General Instructions
There is one part to this assignment: a written assignment (instructions below).
There is no group quiz part this week, to help you manage time on our first graded
assignment.
Complete the questions and submit them by the end of class time. There is a 15-min "grace
period" for handing in your file to the Dropbox, in case D2L is being cranky again.

You can use your text, the provided documents and any reference material you need (make
sure you use proper citations - any standard format is OK - if you do use another reference).
You cannot ask people outside your group (either people from other groups, or any person
from outside the course, tutors, etc) to help you with this assignment.

To help everyone participate while avoiding synch issues -- have your scribe share their
screen on Zoom and display this file (and the Quiz, when there is one) so everyone can see.
Group members can still load this page and contribute directly: the sync issues encountered
with 10+ people editing a page should be less with smaller groups. You can also view any linked
support files on your own, or share via Zoom.

You will receive the call to return to the class at ~8:45 for a quick debrief to the activity.

Part 0: Introduce yourselves and choose your roles for today's activity
(~5 mins)
Who is your scribe? <Katia McCallum - 30086971>
The scribe should have reliable access to this OneNote (and D2L) and be ready to record
notes and submit the answers for the group. They should also be ready to share their
screen - at minimum during the "quiz". How to share your screen:
https://elearn.ucalgary.ca/screen-sharing-basics/

Who is your facilitator? <Gurleen Randhawa - 30055485>

The facilitator should keep an eye on the clock and make sure you're on-track (and not
spending too long debating any one topic). For weeks with more complex topics they
might delegate tasks to team members, and they guide the discussion when needed.

Who is/are your researcher(s)? <Qurstine Chorney - 30089392>

The researcher will find and collect information when the group needs some support.
They should have convenient access to a textbook and the course notes, and be confident
in their knowledge (or their ability to find it).
Who is/are your presenter(s)? <Sydney Bogle - 30103129>
Presenters will help the scribe in summarizing the discussion for the group, to make sure
everyone agrees with and understands the final answer. There will be a "debrief" in the
last 5-10 mins of class where the presenters will have a chance to share findings or ask
questions that came up during the discussion. Presenters should have the ability to speak
on-mic, at least during the group work.

Part 1A: Background Information (~10 mins)

As you are (hopefully) aware, all chemicals have a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) provided by the
manufacturer that outlines potential hazards and appropriate response to spills or exposure.
The SDS for a 70% hydrogen fluoride solution is here:
http://www.physics.purdue.edu/primelab/safety/MSDS/SDS/hydrofluoric%20acid%2070%25%
20%20-%20Honeywell.pdf
This file is long. Read Page 1 (including the Health Effects on Skin that continues onto the top of
Page 2). Then skip ahead and Read Page 3, focusing on the sections for "General advice" and
"Skin Contact". Then skip ahead to Page 6 for Section 8: Exposure Controls.

Skim the requirements for "Safety drench showers" on Page 3 of this manufacturer's document:
https://www.bradleycorp.com/download/2080/4055_EFX_Quick-Compliance-Guide-
Booklet.pdf
Note that this booklet is a summary of an ANSI standard (in this case not a standard method,
but standards for safety practice)

Part 2: Incident Analysis (~20 mins)

Read the following description of a (real) safety incident involving hydrogen fluoride, and
answer the questions that follow. If you want to read the full incident report, please email for
the direct link (It's not provided here because I don't want you to waste time reading the full
report during class).

ACCIDENT DESCRIPTION (excerpt from full report)

A palynological technique used by geologists involves the dissolving of sedimentary rock with
mineral acids (hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acid) to liberate acid-insoluble microscopic fossils.
The fossils are then examined by microscopy to determine the age of the rock and oil potential.

A 37-year-old male laboratory technician was performing acid digestion of oil well core and
ditch samples with 70% w/w concentrated hydrofluoric acid in a fume hood. He was believed to
be seated when he knocked over a small quantity (100-230 ml) of hydrofluoric acid onto his lap,
splashing both thighs. The only personal
protective equipment (PPE) worn was two pairs of wrist length rubber gloves and a pair of
polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sleeve protectors. As a result of the fact that the technician was
working alone, it is unclear whether the spill was from the reaction container or the 2 L bulk
acid container.

The technician sustained burns to 9% of his body surface area, despite washing his legs with
water from a makeshift plumbing arrangement that supplied water at 6 L/min. No calcium
gluconate gel was applied to the affected area and contaminated clothing was not removed
during the flushing with water. Following
flushing, the technician, who appeared to be in pain and shock, immersed himself in a
chlorinated swimming pool at the rear of the workplace, where he remained for approximately
35-40 min before ambulance help arrived. The injured man was hypothermic and
hypocalcaemia on admission to an intensive care unit at a nearby hospital, and received
subcutaneous injections of calcium gluconate and intravenous calcium and magnesium on
arrival.

INCIDENT ANALYSIS
Answer these questions in this space or in another document (you will export to PDF to submit).
You can add space as needed.

1. According to this description, What PPE (personal protective equipment) was

being worn by the technician?
• two pairs of wrist length rubber gloves
• Pair of polyvinyl chloride sleeve protectors

2. Was this PPE appropriate for the activity being performed? If not, explain what
areas were left unprotected by the choice of PPE.

Instead of rubber gloves, the technician should have used hydrofluoric acid-resistant and
solvent-resistant gloves (gloves made of VITON (R)). In addition, he should've used a full
mask (filter B2), and should've been wearing a lab coat. The choice of wearing polyvinyl
chloride sleeve protectors was correct.

3. The technician was working alone and had to provide his own "first aid" response.
Were the correct actions taken? Explain what appears to have been correctly done
and what was not.

The technician should have called EMS immediately. He also did not remove all
contaminated clothing and did not shower continuously for 15 minutes using
lukewarm water. The shower must have a flow of at least 76 L/minute or 20 GPM.
After thoroughly washing, the technician should've submerged the burned area in
a solution of 0.13% iced aqueous benzalkonium chloride until pain is relieved. As
an other option, the technician could've treated his burn with a 2.5% calcium
gluconate gel by massaging it until the pain was relieved.
 4. The University of Calgary has a "Working Alone" protocol for employees that
requires (in summary):
o A supervisor must be aware of who is working and when
o Workers must check-in by text or phone at the beginning and end of
their scheduled shift (and when they actually leave, if they stay
longer).
o Activities to be performed must be described; hazardous activities
may prohibit working alone and require at least 1 other person to be
present.

If this incident had occurred at the U of C, and the working alone

protocol followed, would any aspects of this incident been avoided or
mitigated? Explain why or why not.

At the U of C, the technician would be held accountable to wear proper PPE. If an

incident happened, the supervisor would be called and would perform proper first
aid on the technician, minimizing the damage. The supervisor would have called
EMS immediately. Since the incident was a hazardous activity, the technician would
most likely have been prohibited working alone and would have required at least
one other person to be present.

5. If you were the lab manager for the research group where this work was taking
place, briefly describe the precautions and safety procedures you would
recommend for a worker performing this analysis.
Consider recommending: engineering controls (equipment such as fume hoods),
administrative controls (education, standard operating procedures), and personal
protective equipment.

Before going in the lab, proper understanding of SDS would be required along with proper
PPE. A proper and detailed understanding of first aid measures and procedures would be
required upon entry of the lab (a waiver would be signed by the technician,
acknowledging their understanding of the safety precautions). With all hazardous
chemicals, at least one other person with proper knowledge of the experiment and safety
protocols would be required to be present. For engineering controls, an emergency
drench shower would be required for potential hazardous accidents.

Further Investigation: Ever watched "Breaking Bad"? In Season 1 Ep 2, there is a scene where
Jesse and Mr White use some hydrofluoric acid. Rewatch this scene and think about how the
two would have really fared if the scene played out in real life. (Warning - if you haven't seen it,
the scene is a bit graphic/gory). Most of the chemistry in Breaking Bad is "Decent for TV" but
this one really underplays the danger (Heisenberg would never have existed if they really stood
in a puddle of HF that day).

FINISHED: Hand in your work.

Once you are satisfied with your answers here, you can export this page (with your group
assignment and answers) to PDF and upload it to the Dropbox. Each group has a shared
Dropbox now - you can see whether someone in your group has submitted the file.

Notes from last week: All files but one uploaded correctly (you got a note if it was you!) A few
were printed giant-size - to avoid this, set Page Scaling to Fit to Page when you're printing this
page to PDF.

AFTER: What's left to do?

If you didn't already get pulled back to the main room, you will at ~8:45 for a bit of a debrief
with the main group - Presenters, be ready to share some of your groups' thoughts.

Remember that there is a (short, only 5 questions for our first time) individual quiz to follow up.
The questions are on the same topic as this Case Study, and don't need any extra study - there
are some SDS documents linked to the quiz, but no extra review is needed.