Something In The Air Smells Funny.
Chlorine may be the most-commonly used toxin in business. Its use is so widespread that few people even notice “death head” label warnings anymore yet chlorine can cause worker illness, injury and death.
– by Isaac Rudik
You can’t avoid noticing chlorine in the air: It’s pungent, biting, eye-tearing, odour is unmistakable – and potentially very dangerous. That’s why, when a train carrying chlorine tankers derails or a tanker truck overturns, an entire town or neighbourhood is evacuated quickly by authorities, hospitals are put on stand-by and reporters rush to the scene.
For example, not long ago a chlorine manufacturer in Canada was pumping the gas into an awaiting rail tanker. But the coupling was not properly fastened to the train car from the feed pipe and chlorine leaked into the air. Two employees working at the tanker plus one who was nearby and rushed to their aid were overcome by the toxic effects, suffering injuries to their lungs, eyes and exposed skin. People in nearby businesses and a few close-by apartment buildings were hustled onto busses and taken to a school as a precaution until the air was cleared of gas and the leak sealed.
As a toxic gas that irritates and can even destroy the respiratory system, chlorine is a potentially lethal industrial ingrediant. Because it is heavier than air, it can accumulate at the bottom of poorly ventilated spaces. Even more dangerous, chlorine gas is a strong oxidizer which can ignite flammable materials.
Easily Overlooked
The risks of chlorine are easily overlooked and even forgotten about until there is an incident.
When most people think of chlorine, they either think of a laundry product as in chlorine bleach or what gets dumps in a swimming pool to control algae and bacteria. Indeed, many of us use chlorine products regularly without giving it a second thought.
But, chlorine may be the most-commonly used toxin in business, employed for everything from water treatment and pulp bleaching in paper mills to disinfecting equipment in food processing plants. Moreover, it is widely employed in producing countless consumer products ranging from laundry cleaners and tires to antifreeze, household cleaners and pharmaceuticals.
In fact, the use of chlorine is so widespread that few people even notice the “death head” warnings on labels anymore despite the fact that, in many industrial applications, chlorine can cause worker illness, injury and even death.
But industrial facilities that produce or use chlorine cannot be sanguine about its handling and storage.
Breathe Easily
When workers breathe even low concentrations of chlorine, it can aggravate the respiratory system and exposure to the gas can irritate the eyes because it reacts with water and cells, changing it into hydrochloric acid and hypochlorous acid. Neither is pleasant.
So it is incumbent upon businesses to take simple steps to provide adequate protection.
Workers can be protected by being issued gloves, masks and protective clothing. At the same time, work areas in which chlorine is present need portable air sampling devices, complete with exposure level alarms. Finally, fume hoods are a must to enhance localized ventilation.
Chlorine gas is one of those industrial components that carry a significant risk but which too many businesses seem to overlook – until it’s too late. Conducting a risk audit is one way to help ensure that the gas stays in the container and workers won’t suffer if there’s an accidental leak.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. , Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Splish Splash, It’s A Chemical Bath
Splish Splash, It’s A Chemical Bath
Nothing can be as traumatic as a debilitating chemical accident at work. Safety regulators and courts are tough on employers and sympathetic to workers who suffer eye injuries as a result of an accident at work. But preventing serious accidents is relatively easy and often inexpensive.
– By Isaac Rudik
Too often, too little attention is paid to risks posed by potential workplace eye injuries. Yet nothing can be as traumatic as losing even partial eyesight – and both provincial safety regulators and the courts are tough on employers and very sympathetic to workers who suffer eye injuries as a result of an accident at work.
Even when a company thinks it’s doing the right thing for workers, it may not be doing enough.
For example, not long ago a lab technician who was wearing safety glasses suffered permanent eye injury when a chemical splash got under the goggles. His eyes were not completely protected because goggles provided by the lab were not designed to be worn on top of glasses. Yet no warning signs or labels were posted. A co-worker rushing to the employee’s aid took him to the eyewash station but the natural reflex to shut the eyes prevented the worker from flushing both eyes for 15 minutes.
Numerous Risks
While perhaps the most debilitating, it’s not just eyes that are at risk to injury from chemical splashes. Skin burns and damage to internal organs from inhaling chemical fumes are serious risks that must be addressed seriously. Moreover, hazardous substances are found in countless workplaces. Indeed, they are in most work areas including shops, factories, farms and even offices.
Countless substances such as sulfuric, nitric and hydrofluoric acids are common in many industrial processes, and along with alkali’s including ammonia, magnesium, and potassium, are all hazardous. If not handled with caution, any one of them will cause serious burns and injuries.
In fact, there is a wide range of gas, solid and liquid hazardous materials that workers need to be protected from so exposure cannot cause a life-altering accident.
Identifying and controlling risks faced by workers is not difficult, nor is it necessarily expensive – if a business knows where to look and how to adjust the way the shop floor works. There are steps any company can take immediately:
1. Isolate dangerous processes with barriers or separate the work area.
2. Provide adequate training and supervision.
3. Familiarize workers with hazards, educating them on workplace safety and emergency procedures.
4. Establish safe work practices such as restricting area access, reducing clutter, replacing container lids, providing for safe storage and being prepared for an emergency.
5. Use local exhaust ventilation or automate the workplace process.
Beyond these, it is vitally important to install back splash guards to protect workers from splattering water, flying debris and other mishaps. And a lab safety shield can protect against UV radiation, splattering liquids, flying glass and other hazards while allowing a clear, undistorted view of work area.
While companies often point to lockers full of personal protective equipment such as gloves, lab coats, safety glasses and dust masks, generally these are only supplements to more direct and effective controls.
Prevent, Don’t Prevaricate
The worker who suffered the serious eye injury never returned to work. The company paid a hefty fine for not alerting workers to the proper use and limitations of safety goggles, and a court awarded the man substantial damages because it ruled the employer was careless. But his life will never be the same again.
For example, had the worker been provided with either goggles that fit securely over glasses or a face shield, the injury might have been prevented altogether. Indeed, proper protective clothing should be a “must have” in any workplace where there is exposure to acid or alkaline solutions. These include protective clothing, masks and barriers.
The proper fume hood for a given exposure will help ensure that fume “seepage” doesn’t endanger employees – either those working directly with the hazardous material and those in the rest of the plant.
Like so many workplace accidents, if a company is willing to take positive, often inexpensive, steps to minimise the risks facing employees and the potential exposure facing the business, problems can be avoided easily.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. , Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Nothing can be as traumatic as a debilitating chemical accident at work. Safety regulators and courts are tough on employers and sympathetic to workers who suffer eye injuries as a result of an accident at work. But preventing serious accidents is relatively easy and often inexpensive.
– By Isaac Rudik
Too often, too little attention is paid to risks posed by potential workplace eye injuries. Yet nothing can be as traumatic as losing even partial eyesight – and both provincial safety regulators and the courts are tough on employers and very sympathetic to workers who suffer eye injuries as a result of an accident at work.
Even when a company thinks it’s doing the right thing for workers, it may not be doing enough.
For example, not long ago a lab technician who was wearing safety glasses suffered permanent eye injury when a chemical splash got under the goggles. His eyes were not completely protected because goggles provided by the lab were not designed to be worn on top of glasses. Yet no warning signs or labels were posted. A co-worker rushing to the employee’s aid took him to the eyewash station but the natural reflex to shut the eyes prevented the worker from flushing both eyes for 15 minutes.
Numerous Risks
While perhaps the most debilitating, it’s not just eyes that are at risk to injury from chemical splashes. Skin burns and damage to internal organs from inhaling chemical fumes are serious risks that must be addressed seriously. Moreover, hazardous substances are found in countless workplaces. Indeed, they are in most work areas including shops, factories, farms and even offices.
Countless substances such as sulfuric, nitric and hydrofluoric acids are common in many industrial processes, and along with alkali’s including ammonia, magnesium, and potassium, are all hazardous. If not handled with caution, any one of them will cause serious burns and injuries.
In fact, there is a wide range of gas, solid and liquid hazardous materials that workers need to be protected from so exposure cannot cause a life-altering accident.
Identifying and controlling risks faced by workers is not difficult, nor is it necessarily expensive – if a business knows where to look and how to adjust the way the shop floor works. There are steps any company can take immediately:
1. Isolate dangerous processes with barriers or separate the work area.
2. Provide adequate training and supervision.
3. Familiarize workers with hazards, educating them on workplace safety and emergency procedures.
4. Establish safe work practices such as restricting area access, reducing clutter, replacing container lids, providing for safe storage and being prepared for an emergency.
5. Use local exhaust ventilation or automate the workplace process.
Beyond these, it is vitally important to install back splash guards to protect workers from splattering water, flying debris and other mishaps. And a lab safety shield can protect against UV radiation, splattering liquids, flying glass and other hazards while allowing a clear, undistorted view of work area.
While companies often point to lockers full of personal protective equipment such as gloves, lab coats, safety glasses and dust masks, generally these are only supplements to more direct and effective controls.
Prevent, Don’t Prevaricate
The worker who suffered the serious eye injury never returned to work. The company paid a hefty fine for not alerting workers to the proper use and limitations of safety goggles, and a court awarded the man substantial damages because it ruled the employer was careless. But his life will never be the same again.
For example, had the worker been provided with either goggles that fit securely over glasses or a face shield, the injury might have been prevented altogether. Indeed, proper protective clothing should be a “must have” in any workplace where there is exposure to acid or alkaline solutions. These include protective clothing, masks and barriers.
The proper fume hood for a given exposure will help ensure that fume “seepage” doesn’t endanger employees – either those working directly with the hazardous material and those in the rest of the plant.
Like so many workplace accidents, if a company is willing to take positive, often inexpensive, steps to minimise the risks facing employees and the potential exposure facing the business, problems can be avoided easily.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. , Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Something In The Air Smells Funny.
Something In The Air Smells Funny.
Chlorine may be the most-commonly used toxin in business. Its use is so widespread that few people even notice “death head” label warnings anymore yet chlorine can cause worker illness, injury and death.
– by Isaac Rudik
You can’t avoid noticing chlorine in the air: It’s pungent, biting, eye-tearing, odour is unmistakable – and potentially very dangerous. That’s why, when a train carrying chlorine tankers derails or a tanker truck overturns, an entire town or neighbourhood is evacuated quickly by authorities, hospitals are put on stand-by and reporters rush to the scene.
For example, not long ago a chlorine manufacturer in Canada was pumping the gas into an awaiting rail tanker. But the coupling was not properly fastened to the train car from the feed pipe and chlorine leaked into the air. Two employees working at tanker plus one who was nearby and rushed to their aid were overcome by the toxic effects, suffering injuries to their lungs, eyes and exposed skin. People in nearby businesses and a few close-by apartment buildings were hustled onto busses and taken to a school as a precaution until the air was cleared of gas and the leak sealed.
As a toxic gas that irritates and can even destroy the respiratory system, chlorine is a potentially lethal industrial ingrediant. Because it is heavier than air, it can accumulate at the bottom of poorly ventilated spaces. Even more dangerous, chlorine gas is a strong oxidizer which can ignite flammable materials.
Easily Overlooked
The risks of chlorine are easily overlooked and even forgotten about until there is an incident.
When most people think of chlorine, they either think of a laundry product as in chlorine bleach or what gets dumps in a swimming pool to control algae and bacteria. Indeed, many of us use chlorine products regularly without giving it a second thought.
But, chlorine may be the most-commonly used toxin in business, employed for everything from water treatment and pulp bleaching in paper mills to disinfecting equipment in food processing plants. Moreover, it is widely employed in producing countless consumer products ranging from laundry cleaners and tires to antifreeze, household cleaners and pharmaceuticals.
In fact, the use of chlorine is so widespread that few people even notice the “death head” warnings on labels anymore despite the fact that, in many industrial applications, chlorine can cause worker illness, injury and even death.
But industrial facilities that produce or use chlorine cannot be sanguine about its handling and storage.
Breathe Easily
When workers breathe even low concentrations of chlorine, it can aggravate the respiratory system and exposure to the gas can irritate the eyes because it reacts with water and cells, changing it into hydrochloric acid and hypochlorous acid. Neither is pleasant.
So it is incumbent upon businesses to take simple steps to provide adequate protection.
Workers can be protected by being issued gloves, masks and protective clothing. At the same time, work areas in which chlorine is present need portable air sampling devices, complete with exposure level alarms. Finally, fume hoods are a must to enhance localized ventilation.
Chlorine gas is one of those industrial components that carry a significant risk but which too many businesses seem to overlook – until it’s too late. Conducting a risk audit is one way to help ensure that the gas stays in the container and workers won’t suffer if there’s an accidental leak.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Chlorine may be the most-commonly used toxin in business. Its use is so widespread that few people even notice “death head” label warnings anymore yet chlorine can cause worker illness, injury and death.
– by Isaac Rudik
You can’t avoid noticing chlorine in the air: It’s pungent, biting, eye-tearing, odour is unmistakable – and potentially very dangerous. That’s why, when a train carrying chlorine tankers derails or a tanker truck overturns, an entire town or neighbourhood is evacuated quickly by authorities, hospitals are put on stand-by and reporters rush to the scene.
For example, not long ago a chlorine manufacturer in Canada was pumping the gas into an awaiting rail tanker. But the coupling was not properly fastened to the train car from the feed pipe and chlorine leaked into the air. Two employees working at tanker plus one who was nearby and rushed to their aid were overcome by the toxic effects, suffering injuries to their lungs, eyes and exposed skin. People in nearby businesses and a few close-by apartment buildings were hustled onto busses and taken to a school as a precaution until the air was cleared of gas and the leak sealed.
As a toxic gas that irritates and can even destroy the respiratory system, chlorine is a potentially lethal industrial ingrediant. Because it is heavier than air, it can accumulate at the bottom of poorly ventilated spaces. Even more dangerous, chlorine gas is a strong oxidizer which can ignite flammable materials.
Easily Overlooked
The risks of chlorine are easily overlooked and even forgotten about until there is an incident.
When most people think of chlorine, they either think of a laundry product as in chlorine bleach or what gets dumps in a swimming pool to control algae and bacteria. Indeed, many of us use chlorine products regularly without giving it a second thought.
But, chlorine may be the most-commonly used toxin in business, employed for everything from water treatment and pulp bleaching in paper mills to disinfecting equipment in food processing plants. Moreover, it is widely employed in producing countless consumer products ranging from laundry cleaners and tires to antifreeze, household cleaners and pharmaceuticals.
In fact, the use of chlorine is so widespread that few people even notice the “death head” warnings on labels anymore despite the fact that, in many industrial applications, chlorine can cause worker illness, injury and even death.
But industrial facilities that produce or use chlorine cannot be sanguine about its handling and storage.
Breathe Easily
When workers breathe even low concentrations of chlorine, it can aggravate the respiratory system and exposure to the gas can irritate the eyes because it reacts with water and cells, changing it into hydrochloric acid and hypochlorous acid. Neither is pleasant.
So it is incumbent upon businesses to take simple steps to provide adequate protection.
Workers can be protected by being issued gloves, masks and protective clothing. At the same time, work areas in which chlorine is present need portable air sampling devices, complete with exposure level alarms. Finally, fume hoods are a must to enhance localized ventilation.
Chlorine gas is one of those industrial components that carry a significant risk but which too many businesses seem to overlook – until it’s too late. Conducting a risk audit is one way to help ensure that the gas stays in the container and workers won’t suffer if there’s an accidental leak.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
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