Unit 2A: Chemical Safety

Chemical
 A chemical can be harmful by:
- Contributing to cause a fire or explosion
- Creating environmental pollution
- Coming into contact with the body or
- Actually entering the body

 Generally in the workplace, chemicals can enter the body in one of three
ways:
- Inhalation: that is by breathing chemicals into the lungs, which is the most common
form of entry
- Through the body: either by coming in contact with the eyes or through the skin
- Ingestion: usually from contamination from eating or drinking

 Chemical have to be present in the appropriate form to enter the body:

- To enter the lungs, a substance must be in the form of smoke, fumes, mist, dust, or
vapour.
- To enter through the skin it must be in a form that can be absorbed through the
skin and therefore in most cases is a liquid, spray, or mist.
- A chemical absorbed through the body may cause acute or chronic poisoning or in
some cases both.

Corrosives In mild concentration, they can affect the mouth, nose and throat and
cause inflammation and irritation.

In high concentrations, they can also cause severe burns and in the form of
fumes, for example acid fumes, can be extremely hazardous.

Allergens and Can lead to things like dermatitis and asthma. These reactions become more
Irritants serious with repeated exposures and affect people in different ways.

A chemical which causes dermatitis in one person may appear to have no

effect on another.

Carcinogens Are capable of causing cancer. The dose required depends on the chemical
and how it is used.

Mutagens Can change the genetic code of cells.

Teratogens Can cause birth defects.

  Flammable gases which are already in a vaporous state are often more
hazardous than combustible solids. A liquid however, which gives off
flammable vapour is also a fire hazard.

 Dust and fibre deposits can lead to explosions and are real hazards in mills
and similar work areas. They can also act as extremely efficient sources of
fuel and can rapidly spread a fire.

Causes of fire
 The three causes of fire are:
- Temperature of the substance
- Availability of oxygen
- Presence of an ignition source
 The best protection from fire and explosions is to minimize the amount of
flammable vapour and mists released into the workplace air

Environmental pollution
 Environmental pollution can occur when a chemical is released into the
environment in an uncontrolled manner
 Commonly this falls into two categories:
- Spills & leaks
- Air contamination
 Both can happen inside the work area or in the outside environment.
Damage to the environment, sources of fuel for fires, and health hazards
from air contaminants are the problems that arise from pollution.

Control measures
 Before implementing control measures, we need:
- To have information about the particular substance we are using
- To know what happens when we combine one or more substances
- The starting point for this is combining information such as Safety data sheet (SDS)
with the experience of trained personnel in the workplace.

Elimination We may be able to eliminate the use of some chemicals

completely. Is this chemical actually needed?
Substitution of We should evaluate each process or activity, identify hazardous
chemical chemicals, and then try to substitute a less hazardous chemical
that will perform the same task.

Substitution of We can also look at the way a chemical is used, for example a
process spray process may be replaced with a dipping process.

Engineering Ventilation can remove airborne contaminants, ensure an

control adequate supply of oxygen and help prevent fires by removing
flammable vapours. Ventilation units can be permanent
installations or portable units.

Isolation Isolation of a hazardous process by either enclosing the activity

or the operator is another often used and effective control
measure.
 

Monitoring of Monitoring of contaminant levels in the air can be used to

contaminant make sure that exposure to chemicals is within acceptable
levels levels. Regular medical screening might also be considered if
the work environment is regarded as a high risk.

Good Good Housekeeping, in particular cleaning and

Housekeeping decontaminating surfaces is another of the everyday control
measures which helps to make working with chemicals less
hazardous.

Safe work Make sure that the safe work procedures laid down for
procedures performing a particular job or task are strictly adhered to.
These procedures have been set by experienced personnel
and should take into consideration all the risks and hazards
that may exist.

Personal Personal Hygiene when handling chemicals should be a part

Hygiene of any safe work procedure established in your workplace.
Included in this regime could be regular changes of clothes,
 use of barrier creams and gloves and regular washing of
hands and forearms especially before eating and drinking.

PERSONAL The wearing of Personal Protective Equipment such as

PROTECTIVE aprons, gloves, goggles, face shields, respirators and
EQUIPMENT footwear often serve as a last line of defence should an
accident occur.
However, some activities in the workplace present high risks,
such as entering confined spaces and the wearing of
personal protective equipment can be a necessity.
 

There are a number of questions we must ask when considering how

chemicals should be stored:
 Should access to the chemical be controlled by being placed in a locked
area?
 Is the chemical subject to change at a different temperature?
 Is it therefore necessary to store it in a controlled temperature
environment?
 How much of a particular chemical is safe to store in one location?
 Are particular combinations of chemical safe to store together?
- Dangerous combination of chemicals:
1. Acids and bases
2. Flammables and oxidizers
3. Water reactive and aqueous solutions
 Is the storage area in a suitable location, for example, away from food or
away from possible sources of ignition?
 Does the storage area need to be well ventilated?
 Do the storage containers need to be kept dry at all times?
 Is it necessary to store a particular liquid in a bundled storage area to
contain a spill or leak?