Transcript Document

Occupational Health & Safety
History of Worker Safety
Prior to OSHA
• 1800’s – Industrial Revolution, number of
workers increase exponentially, with little
concern for worker safety
– Mines, factories (ex. textile mills), industrial
plants
– Child labor a significant portion of labor pool
– From 1880-1920, American work force
increases from 28 to 42 million workers, mostly
in manufacturing and heavy industry
History cont.
• By 1900’s worker hours allow little to no time for
life outside work (14-18 hr days)
• Safety still an issue, in 1908, 1 out of every 50
workers were killed or suffered a major injury on
the job
• Unions begin forming successfully (1910-1920)
and lobby to shorten work days to 10 hours
• By 1920 all but 6 states have established workers
compensation laws (by 1930 all states)
Pre OSHA Workers
Rights & Safety
• Unions organizing in part over worker safety
• 1920’s, the Workers Health Bureau, a research &
advocacy group for workers
• 1935, the Social Security Act, for unemployment
compensation & retirement
• 1938, Fair Labor Standards Act, establishes first
minimum standard of living for workers (wage)
• 1966 & 1969, The Mine Safety Act, & Federal
Coal Mine Safety Act, set basic standards for work
place safety in mines
Occupational Safety &
Health Act
• “To assure every working person in the
nation safe and healthy working conditions”
• Act, passed in 1970, establishes the Occupational
Health & Safety Administration (OSHA)
• General Duty Clause- “safety- net,” is that it is
overriding obligation of employers to provide a
safe and healthy workplace
• OSHA Standards take two (2) forms, specific
standards & performance standards
Specific & Performance
Standards
• Specific standards:
– Explain to employer how to specifically comply
with regulation
• Performance standard:
– Lists ultimate goal of compliance, but does not
explain how to accomplish the goal, up to
employer to determine how they wish to
comply with goal
Regulatory Framework for
OSH Act
• OSHA 200 Log, listing all workplace injuries
• Training of employees of hazards & appropriate
safety measures
• Extensive record keeping by employer of the
health & history of the employee
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Inspections & Enforcement by OSHA Compliance
Safety & Health Officer (CSHO)
Health & Safety Regulations
under OSHA
• Hazard specific regulations
– Specific standards for exposures to hazardous materials; ex.
workplace air standards for chemicals
• Workplace Hazard Communication Standards
(HazCom – Hazard Communication Standard)
– Requirement that workers are aware of hazards in their work
environment.
• Laboratory Safety Standard
– Specific HazCom standard for laboratories
• Hazardous Waste Operations & Emergency
Response (HazWoper)
– Applies HazCom to workers working with hazardous waste, ties
up loose ends of HazCom
Hazard Specific Regulations:
Airborne Contaminants
• PELs – Permissible Exposure Limits, enforced by OSHA,
based on TWAs – time weighted averages (8 hrs/day for 40
hr wk). Mathematical average of exposure conc.
• TLVs – Threshold Limit Values, same as PELs, but are not
enforced by government, developed by ACGIH.
(American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists)
• RELs - Recommended Exposure Limits, established by
NIOSH, for review by OSHA for revising PELs.
(Natl. Institute of Occupational Safety & Health)
• STEL – Short Tern Exposure Limit, time weighted average
concentration to which worker can be continuously
exposed for a short period (typically 15 minutes).
Hazard Specific Regulations:
Airborne Contaminants cont.
• C – Ceiling Limit, not a time weighted average,
but instead a maximum concentration that should
not be exceed at any time.
• IDLH – Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health,
defined as a concentration or condition that poses
an immediate threat to life or health.
• Difference between PEL & TLV – with various
designations: OSHA – PEL, PEL-TWA, PEL-C,
PEL-STEL, ACGIH – TLV-TWA, TLV-STEL, &
TLV-C.
Other Hazard Specific
Regulations
• Relating to risks associated with energy, noise,
heat, cold, radiation, vibration, repetitive motion,
dust, and oxygen deficient environments
• Example: Ergonomic regulations to alleviate the
the development of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Example: OSHA Standard for oxygen deficient
atmosphere is <19.5% oxygen, ACGIH defines it
at 18%
– At what concentration do we see physiological effects
of oxygen deficiency ?
HazCom: Workplace Hazard
Communication Standards
• All businesses that use hazardous chemicals are
covered by the HazCom standard
• Labeling, MSDS’s, & employee training are the
basic elements of hazard communication programs
• The Laboratory Safety Standard is a hazard
communication program for laboratories only
• HazWoper covers hazardous waste clean-up
workers TSD facilities, and emergency responders
to chemical spills
– 40-hr H&S training offered as part of OCC’s degree
program falls under the HazWoper Standard.
MSDS – Material Safety Data
Sheets
• Informational sheet supplied by manufacturer for
any hazardous material
• No standardized format exists, but MSDS must
provide information on 18 points (see pages 346347 in text)
– Including, specific chemical identification, CAS#,
potential for fire/explosion, physical properties of
substance, acute & chronic health risks, PEL, etc.
MSDS – Material Safety Data
Sheets Cont.
• Generally broken into 9 sections
– Section I – Name & manufacturer identification
– Section II – Information on ingredients, exposure
limits, CAS#, if any components are considered
carcinogens, and common names & synonyms
– Section III – Physical data on material including its
appearance and color
– Section IV – Fire & explosion hazards, including
flashpoint, LEL & UELs, and fire fighting procedures
– Section V – General information on health hazards
MSDS – Material Safety Data
Sheets Cont.
• Remaining 4 sections
– Section VI – Stability & reactivity data
– Section VII – Provides information on precautions for
safe handling and use (commonly called spill & leak
procedures)
– Section VIII – Recommendations for types of personal
protective equipment appropriate with this material
– Section IX – Special precautions section, catch-all for
any important precautions
Informational Terms Included on
MSDS’s
• Flashpoint – the lowest temperature at which vapors above a
flammable, volatile material ignite when exposed to an ignition
source (e.g. flame)
• Vapor pressure – a measurement of a liquids ability to volatilize
• Vapor density – relative measure of density of a gas compared
with standard air
• LEL – Lower Explosive Limit, minimum concentration of a
flammable gas require for ignition
• UEL – Upper Explosive Limit, maximum concentration of a
flammable gas require for ignition
• Fire Triangle: Fuel – Heat – Oxygen
Actually a ‘fire tetrahedron, when you consider chemical reaction