Let’s review some overall basics from yesterday’s Advisor:
Who needs to be trained? OSHA’s Hazard Communication (HCS or HazCom) standard requires you to train employees to work safely with the hazardous chemicals in their work area when they are initially assigned to that area and whenever a new hazard is introduced.
Why train workers in chemical safety? Workers need to know how to handle hazardous chemicals without exposing themselves or others to those hazards.
Instructions to Trainer: This training session is compliant with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS); the definitions and descriptions below are consistent with the new GHS standard.
Now let’s move on to today’s new material.
Where are hazardous chemicals found? Hazardous chemicals may be easy to identify, like the chemicals in a diked tank farm on an industrial site. They may also be less obvious, like the finely divided dusts that accumulate on top of structural members inside a building that are not labeled.
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Don’t just think of hazardous liquids with prominent labels when you think of hazardous chemicals. Understand that they can also be found as:
- Unlabeled liquids. In particular, be wary of the contents of unlabeled pipes, which may be toxic or corrosive.
- Solids. Some solids are hazardous chemicals. The most well-known example is probably asbestos, which is found in many older buildings.
- Gases, mists, vapors, and fumes. When heated, sprayed, melted, or simply left uncovered, many hazardous liquids will evaporate or form airborne mists, vapors, and fumes. Clearly, these won’t be labeled, although they have great potential for harm—both as health hazards (when they are inhaled or settle on the skin) and as physical hazards (if they are generated from flammable liquids).
How can you be ‘exposed’ to a hazardous chemical? You probably know that inhaling a toxic chemical or getting a corrosive or toxic liquid on your skin is a dangerous exposure, but these are not the only ways you can be exposed to a hazardous chemical.
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You can also be exposed by:
- Ingestion. Most workers won’t knowingly eat dangerous chemicals, but if you don’t wash before your break, you could unintentionally ingest them. Always wash your hands before you eat, drink, or smoke. Also, if food and drink are forbidden in your work area, is it because hazardous chemicals could settle on them at your workstation? This could be another source of accidental ingestion.
- Injection. Most common in healthcare, research, and veterinary environments, injection occurs when a chemical is introduced under the skin. If you combine hazardous chemicals and sharp objects, beware of the possibility of injection.
Conclusion
Don’t let hazardous chemicals sneak up on you; understand that these chemicals come in many forms and can be found in unexpected places. Follow the measures that have been put in place in your work area to protect your safety and health.
Are you looking for more safety training material on dozens of other critical safety topics, such as:
- Back Safety
- Bloodborne Pathogens
- Permit-Required Confined Spaces
- Substance Abuse in the Workplace
- Exit Routes
- Fall Protection
- Forklifts
- Lockout/Tagout
- PPE
- SDSs
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and dozens more? Look no further than the Workplace Safety library on BLR’s TrainingToday®.
Train for Compliance—and for Safety’s Sake
Unlike many training solutions available on the market today, TrainingToday courses are routinely reviewed and updated to reflect changes in federal regulations or best practices. Each training course is developed by BLR® lawyers, industry experts, and instructional designers who have experience across a wealth of industries, topics, and compliance areas.
Courses keep participants interested with engaging audio, built-in exercises, and key points to remember. At the completion of every course, individuals take a quiz designed to test for competency in all the course material presented. Quiz results and course completion times are automatically recorded.
Every course can be tailored with supporting and custom documents. BLR provides supporting documents for courses that include complete speaker notes and the answer key for the included quiz. As the administrator, you have the option of displaying uploaded documents and requiring review before the session begins. This is especially useful for company policies or worksite-specific information. Supporting materials can be added, edited, or removed at any time.
With only a few minutes’ setup, your company will have a complete Web-based training program with professionally developed courses, employee testing capabilities, and systematic documentation of employee training sessions and scores. And remember, BLR TrainingToday courses can be delivered at individual employee desks, in computer centers, at training kiosks, or even in a classroom.
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