Hazard Communication Program

Oregon OSHA Online Course 205

This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform Oregon employers of best practices in occupational safety and health and general Oregon OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Oregon Safety Employment Act or any standards issued by Oregon OSHA. For more information on this online course and other OR-OSHA online training, visit the Online Course Catalog.

MODULE TWO: ANALYZING THE WORKPLACE

INTRODUCTION

Now that you have reviewed the scope of the Hazard Communication Standard (HSC) and employer responsibilities, it's time to get down to business. The first task is to determine what chemicals you have in your workplace. It's important for the person conducting the initial assessment to be familiar with the definition and characteristics of "hazardous chemicals," so let's take a look.

What are hazardous chemicals?

For the purposes of the hazard communication standard, a hazardous chemical may be defined as "Any chemical which is a physical or health hazard."

Physical hazards - are chemical reactions that could result in a fire, explosion, and/or toxic gas release which cause physical trauma if chemicals are handled or stored improperly.

Health hazards - are health effects (illness or disease) caused directly by the chemicals themselves, not an injury resulting from a reaction. All chemical materials can cause health problems under the wrong conditions.

Forms of Hazardous Chemicals

You might think that the chemicals which apply to the rule are those in liquid, gas or particulate form. But, the standard's definition of "chemical" is much broader than that which is commonly used. In a HAZCOM program chemicals which apply may exist in one of many forms:

Dusts - are finely divided particles. Example - wood dust.

Fumes - are even smaller particles usually formed when solid metal is heated and vaporized, and then condenses as tiny particles.

Fibers - are similar to dusts but are of an elongated shape. Examples - asbestos and fiberglass.

Mists - are liquid droplets that have been sprayed into the atmosphere.

Vapors - are gases formed when liquid evaporates.

Gases - are substances that are normally airborne at room temperature. A vapor is the gaseous phase of a substance which is a normally a liquid or solid at room temperature.

Solids - such as metal, treated wood, plastic.

Liquids - the most common form in the workplace.

Chemical effects

The effects chemicals have on the various organs of the human body depend on several important factors:

1. The form of the chemical : Is the chemical a solid, liquid, or gas?

2. How the chemical contacts the body: Is the chemical ingested, inhaled, absorbed, or injected?

3. The amount, or dose, the body receives. How much chemical makes its way into the body?

4. How toxic the chemical is. How poisonous is the chemical?

Routes of Entry

Another important task when assessing the workplace for chemical hazards is determine the route(s) of entry the chemicals may take. If we know the route(s) of entry, we can then determine appropriate engineering and management controls to eliminate or reduce the exposure. The four common routes of entry are:

1. Ingestion Do we eat or drink it?

2. Inhalation Do we breath it in?

3. Absorption Does it pass through the skin, eyes or other membranes?

4. Injection Does it enter through a puncture or cut?

We'll be talking more about the physical characteristics, routes of entry, and toxicity of hazardous chemicals later in the MSDS module.

Assessing and analyzing the workplace for chemical hazards

There's a simple two step process for assessing and analyzing the workplace for chemical hazards:

1. Assess the workplace to see which hazardous chemicals are currently being used. Do this by conducting a walkaround inspection and checking records. Use the results of your assessment to create a list of hazardous chemicals. With chemical list in hand, obtain a MSDS for each chemical in preparation for the next step.

   
   

2. With each MSDS analyze the hazards presented by each chemical in the workplace. The MSDS is your primary tool to determine the physical and health hazards, routes of entry, toxicity, and other information about each chemical in your workplace.

Once you identify and know the nature of the hazards of each chemical, it becomes important to control those hazards by eliminating or reducing those hazards using a systematic approach.

Chemical Hazard Control Strategies

Hazardous materials can be used safely in workplaces if adequate control strategies are used to prevent exposure to those chemicals. Control strategies include any device, procedure, piece of equipment, system, etc., that is used to keep hazardous chemicals from contacting workers at harmful levels. To eliminate or reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals, an effective protocol called the "Hierarchy of Controls" has been developed. When you determine during a workplace assessment that exposure to harmful levels of hazardous chemicals is present, try to eliminate or reduce that exposure using the following strategies in the following order:

Engineering Controls. Redesign, replace, substitute chemicals, machinery, equipment to eliminate or reduce the chemical hazard itself. Engineering controls are most effective when the hazard is eliminated or reduced to levels that do not require the use of management controls that are dependent on appropriate behaviors for their success. This strategy seeks to control the hazard at the source by using such methods as total enclosure or substitution of a safer chemical. It also attempts to control the hazardous chemicals along the path by using such measures as ventilation. Engineering controls, alone, may not be effective if they can be defeated. Usually, it's best to develop and implement management controls in addition to engineering controls to help ensure long term effectiveness.

Management Controls. These controls reduce exposure to a hazard by developing and implementing safe work procedures, schedules and the use PPE. These changes reduce the duration, frequency, and severity of exposure to the chemical hazard. Management controls do not eliminate or reduce the chemical hazard, itself, but only the exposure to the chemical hazard. The use of PPE is probably the most common management control strategy, and in many cases is a mandatory requirement when working with hazardous chemicals. The worker uses protective equipment to set up a barrier between worker and hazard. Once again, the chemical hazard is neither eliminated nor reduced, and a high reliance is placed on appropriate use of PPE for this strategy to be successful. The primary focus of these kind of control strategies is to incorporate safer work practices through written safety policies, rules, supervision and training.

Last words

Remember, the first question you want to ask is, "How can I effectively engineer out the hazard?" Hopefully you'll be able to eliminate the hazard or reduce it to the point where PPE won't be necessary. In the next module, we'll take a look at container labeling requirements. But first, answer the questions below while the information is fresh in your memory.

MODULE Quiz

11. For the purposes of the hazard communication standard, a hazardous chemical may be defined as "Any chemical which is a ________ or __________ hazard."

a. real or potential
b. emotional, psychological
c. material, workplace
d. physical, health

12. Physical hazards are chemical reactions that could result in all of the below, except:

a. toxic gas
b. rash
c. explosion
d. fire

13. These hazards are caused directly by the chemicals themselves, not an injury resulting from a reaction.

a. physical hazards
b. health hazards
c. reactive hazards
d. unexpected hazards

14. This form of hazard is usually produced when solid metal is heated and vaporized, and then condenses as tiny particles.

a. fumes
b. vapors
c. dust
d. mist

15. According to the text, the effects chemicals have on the various organs of the human body depend on all of the following factors, except:

a. toxicity
b. method of release
c. form of the chemical
d. dose

a. job hazard analysis.
b. the walkaround inspection.
c. material safety data sheet.
d. survey.

17. This entry route occurs when a hazardous chemical passes through the skin, eyes or other membrane:

a. inhalation
b. injection
c. absorption
d. ingestion

18. Under the hazard communication rule, solids are not considered potentially hazardous chemicals.

a. True
b. False

19. According to the text, engineering controls, alone, may not be effective if ___________:

a. can be defeated
b. they do not eliminate a hazard
c. they are not permanent
d. make a task more difficult

a. True
b. False