Hazardous Chemical Exposure in Laboratories
by Dr. Isabel Perry,
“The Safety Doctor”
1238 Words
It is estimated that there are almost 700,000 chemical
products in existence today. Hundreds more are developed every year. About 32 million Americans work with and are potentially exposed to chemical hazards. Because of the
potentially serious consequences of these numbers, the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued the Hazardous Communication Standard, found in the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 29, Part 1910, 1200. The purpose of the standard is to make sure
that employers and employees know about chemical hazards and how to protect
themselves. OSHA believes that this
knowledge will help reduce the number of accidents and injuries caused by these
chemicals.
Despite the efforts being made, many accidents and injuries
still occur annually in laboratories, ranging from simple skin and eye
irritations, to fatal accidents.
Exposure to hazardous chemicals may cause or contribute to
many serious health ailments, including, but not limited to: heart ailments,
cancer, damage to the central nervous system, kidney and lung damage,
sterility, burns and rashes. Some
chemicals also have the potential to cause fires and explosions.
OSHA has traditionally controlled exposures to chemicals
through the development of substance specific standards. In areas where there are no standards,
companies are required to comply with OSHA’s permissible exposure limits
(PELs), in the Z Tables of Title
29, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 1910, 1000.
These methods have worked well for people who are exposed
over long periods of time to large quantities of hazardous materials. However, in laboratories, people are
generally exposed to small amounts of chemicals over shorter periods of
time. It is estimated that about 934,000
workers are at risk in approximately 34,200 laboratories in schools, clinics
and industry. The standard clearly defines
what constitutes a laboratory with its “laboratory use” and “laboratory scale”
parameters. The laboratory rules require
that a company comply with the PELs
and effect a Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP). The CHP is the core of the standard and
outlines:
¨
Sets training and information requirements for
the employer
¨
Establishes:
o
Appropriate
work practices
o
Methods
of control
o
Standard
operating instructions
o
Measures
for appropriate maintenance
o
Measures
for appropriate use of protective equipment
o
Medical
examinations
o
Special
precautions for particularly dangerous substances, including “select
carcinogens,” reproductive toxins and those with a high degree of acute
toxicity
¨
Allows for annual review of the effectiveness of
the safety and health plan and updates as needed.
¨
The plan must be available to:
o
Employees
o
Their
designated representatives
o
The
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health
¨
Employers must designate a chemical hygiene
officer and, if appropriate, a committee to give guidance in the
implementation of the plan.
¨
A Chemical
Hygiene Officer may have several responsibilities, from monitoring
the Chemical Hygiene Plan to helping project directors upgrade a facility or
improve policies and practices.
Components of a Chemical Hygiene Plan
A thorough plan contains the following elements:
1.
Employee
Information and Training
2.
Medical
Examinations and Consultations
3.
Methods
of Control
4.
Personal
Protective Equipment
5.
Safeguards
for Particularly Hazardous Substances
6.
Hazard
Identification
7.
Record
keeping
Let’s look at each of these components individually:
- Employee
Information and Training
Keeping workers safe from harm should be of
paramount importance to the employer. Taking the time to train employees on the materials they will be working
with or around has priority. It is
suggested that in addition to informing contract employees about potential
hazards, they be invited to attend these types of meetings. Whenever an employee changes duties and moves
into another area, they will need to be trained on the hazardous materials in
their new location..
Training must include:
¨
The contents, location, and availability of the
Chemical Hygiene Plan
o
The
components of the plan and how it’s implemented in the facility
¨
Safety or protective measures the employee can
take
o
What
the employer has done in the work area to provide protection, such as work
practices, personal protective equipment (PPE), an engineering controls.
¨
Exposure limits
o
For
regulated substances, the permissible exposure limits
o
For
unregulated substances, the recommended exposure limits
o
Signs
and symptoms associated with exposure to all the substances
¨
Locations and availability of all information on
these substances; such as the MSDSs, safe handling instructions, storage
instructions, and disposal instructions.
¨
Methods workers can use to detect the presence
of hazardous chemicals and any potential problems associated with them:
o
Visual
appearance
o
Smell
o
Continuous
monitoring procedures
2. Hazard
Identification
Besides making sure that all
hazardous material containers are properly labeled, employers must:
¨
Maintain MSDSs on all these materials, including
any new ones that are received
¨
Make sure that labels on hazardous chemical
containers are not removed or damaged
3. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
These are documents that provide
specific information on a chemical, including:
¨
Chemical identities
¨
Physical properties
¨
Associated health hazards
¨
Reactivity data
¨
Control measures
¨
Precautions for safe handling and use
The only time an employer has to prepare an MSDS is
when a chemical is produced at that laboratory for a user outside the
laboratory
4. Safeguards for Particularly Hazardous Substances
In addition to the regular
protective measures for hazardous chemical handling, employers are required to
provide special measures for work which involves the following:
¨
Reproductive toxins
¨
Select carcinogens
¨
Substances with a high degree of acute toxicity
These measures include:
¨
Use of signs and warnings in the appropriate
areas
¨
Containment device, such as a fume hood
¨
Instructions for decontamination of the area
¨
Instructions for safe removal of the
contaminated waste
5. Methods
of Control
These are specific measures to
reduce the employee’s exposure to hazardous chemicals in the laboratory. These usually include:
¨
Work practice controls, such as:
o
Eating
and drinking area restrictions
o
Restrictions
on mouth pipetting
o
Methods
for performing work to minimize exposure
¨
Engineering controls, which might include:
o
Exhaust
systems
o
Glove
boxes
o
Fume
hoods
o
General
ventilation
6. Personal
Protective Equipment
¨
Respiratory controls are only to be used when
work practice or engineering controls aren’t feasible
¨
Wear as appropriate:
o
Safety
glasses
o
Gloves
o
Whole
body coverings
7. Medical
Examinations and Consultation
It is not required
that an employer keep medical records for all employees. However, any employee has to have an
opportunity for medical attention if they work with hazardous chemicals. Medical attention and follow-up must be
offered if the employee:
¨
Shows signs or symptoms associated with exposure
¨
Is routinely exposed to hazardous chemicals at
or above the PEL
¨
Is present at a spill, leak, explosion or
accident that might involve significant levels of hazardous materials
The employer must give the
physician specific information about the incident and the chemicals involved. The physician’s office must supply the
employer with documentation on its findings.
8. Record
keeping
Employers must keep accurate
records:
¨
Exposure records and data analysis based on them
are kept for 30 years
¨
Medical records are to be kept for 30 years
after employment
¨
Medical records for employees of less than 1
year don’t need to be kept, BUT must be given to the employee upon
termination of employment
Employers and employees should know about chemical hazards
and how to protect themselves, and ensure that safety procedures are properly
carried out. This will create a safe
working environment for everyone!
Dr. Isabel Perry is
an internationally-known safety expert, motivational speaker, author, and
safety educator. Based in
Orlando
,
Florida
, she can be reached at 407-291-1209 or via e-mail at
[email protected]