Transcript Creating A Positive Health & Safety Culture

Harmful Substances
Eddie Cummings
Welcome
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Course Administration
Time table
Emergency procedures
Safety & comfort
Mobile phones
Questions
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Harmful Substances
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Any material or substance with the potential to
cause illness or injury to people who come
into contact with it
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A substance may be hazardous because it is
explosive, flammable, harmful, irritant,
corrosive, toxic, produces a chemical reaction
or an allergic reaction
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Harmful Substances
In the UK every year:
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2.2 million people suffer work related ill health
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6,000 die as a result of work related cancer
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500 die from other work related diseases
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39 million working days lost
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Costs £4 - £6 billion
Figures from HSE
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Harmful Substances
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Used directly in the work process
Paints & thinners, solvents, cleaning agents
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Generated during the work process
Dust, gases, fumes
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Naturally occurring substances
Grain dust, silica, asbestos, flour
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Biological Agents
Spores, bacteria, viruses, moulds, fungus
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Harmful Effects
Acute – Chronic
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Cancer
Asthma
Lung disease
Skin disease - dermatitis
Burns
Irritation – skin, eyes, lungs
Sensitisation
Infectious diseases - hepatitis
Neurological damage – lead, mercury
Birth defects
Impaired fertility
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Harmful Effects
Burns caused by lime powder
Cancer causing asbestos dust
Dermatitis from contact with harmful chemicals
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Second woman dies after drinks mix-up
Ten elderly residents drank some of the rinsing fluid
A second pensioner has died six days after drinking a detergent liquid she was given
instead of blackcurrant cordial. The elderly woman, who has not been named, was one
of 10 people given dishwasher rinse to drink by mistake at a private care home in
Slough, Berkshire.
Joan Walters, 80, died earlier in the week after being taken to Wrexham Park Hospital,
Slough. Eight other residents of the Lady Astor Court nursing home were treated after
drinking the purple detergent liquid.
A care assistant is believed to have confused two similarly packaged bottles
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Hallmark Healthcare fined £40,000 + £6,000 costs.
Elderly resident with Alzheimer's drank from a jug
containing sodium hydroxide-based liquid. Jug left
unattended in an office accessible to residents. Lack of
competence and poor management.
Romney Marsh Potato Co fined £3,000 + £2,100 costs
and director N Winmill fined £750 + £528 costs.
Pesticide decanted into a milk carton and stored in an
eating area. Worker injured after assuming carton
contained orange juice. No safe system of work or
training. Director failed to act
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Legislation
The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
The Management of Health & Safety at Work
Regulations 1999
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
(COSHH) Regulations 2002
The Chemicals (Hazard Information & Packaging for
Supply) Regulations 2002 (CHIPS)
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The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
“It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is
reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all
employees”:
– Safe plant and systems of work
– Safe use, handling, transport, storage of substances and articles
– Provision of information, instruction & training
– Safe place of work including access and egress
– Safe working environment with adequate welfare facilities
– A written safety policy if more than four employees
Further duties extend this requirement to include non employees
who may still be affected by the work undertaking
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The COSHH Regulations 2002
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Designed to protect employees and others from
the effects of harmful substances
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Provides more specific guidance than the
general arrangements
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Outlines an 8 step approach to managing
harmful substances in the workplace
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The COSHH Regulations 2002
Not included under the COSHH regulations:
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Biological agents outside the employers control
(flu, colds, measles etc)
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Asbestos & Lead
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Substances that are hazardous only because they
are:
– Radioactive
– At high pressure
– At extreme temperatures
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The CHIPS Regulations 2002
CHIP requires the supplier of a dangerous chemical to:
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Identify the hazards (dangers) of the chemical, this is known as
‘classification’;
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Give information about the hazards to their customers.
Suppliers usually provide this information on the package itself
(eg a label) and, if supplied for use at work, in a material safety
data sheet (MSDS);
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Package the chemical safely
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The 8 Steps to Reducing Risk
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
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Assess the risk
Decide what precautions are needed
Prevent or control exposure
Ensure control measures are used
Monitor the exposure
Carry out health appropriate surveillance
Plan for accidents and emergencies
Provide employees with information,
training and supervision
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Step 1- Assess the Risks
Identify the hazardous substances present in the
workplace:
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Warning labels
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
HSE website – EH40/2005
Dept of Health
Trade Associations
Specialist agencies
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Chemical Hazard Symbols
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Oxidising Agent
Corrosive
Explosive
Harmful
Toxic
Harmful to the
environment
Flammable
Biohazard
Radioactive
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Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
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Legal requirement placed on commercial suppliers of
chemicals and products
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16 Headings
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Updated as appropriate
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Not designed as a risk assessment
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Use of Risk Phrases
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Not all harmful substances will have a MSDS
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Difficulties With Identification
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Unlabelled containers
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Substance cannot be detected by our senses
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Hazard results from reactions between chemicals
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Gradual increases in concentration
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Specialist competence required
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Nursing home faces chemical alert
Thirteen residents had to be evacuated from a nursing home after
chlorine-based chemicals were accidentally mixed together.
Firefighters were called to the Nyton House Nursing Home, in
Aldingbourne, West Sussex, on Wednesday morning to a strong smell
of chlorine fumes.
The chemicals had been placed in a bucket, but were removed by fire
crews to a sealed container. Four people were treated in hospital for
the effects of the fumes.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it seemed two chlorinebased chemicals used for the swimming pool at the nursing home had
been mistakenly mixed together by a workman, causing the release of
the fumes
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Assessing The Risk
Describes the likelihood of harm occurring:
Risk = Severity of Harm x Extent of Exposure
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Exposure - Dose
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Amount Of Substance
Method Of Use
Form Of Substance
Routes Of Entry
Length Of Exposure
Existing Controls
Consider everyone who may be exposed
Working environment
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Amount Of Substance
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Can be difficult to determine
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Factors to consider include:
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Varying concentrations over time
Duration of exposure
Accurate measuring of quantities
Changes to form of substance
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Form Of The Substance
Solid – Liquid – Gas
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Dust
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Vapour
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Fumes
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Mists
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The term used for small particles of a solid
suspended in the air
The term used to describe the gaseous state
of solids or liquids
Formed when solid vapours condense in the
atmosphere
Small liquid droplets that form when a
liquid is atomised
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Changes Of Physical Form
 Solid To Dust – Asbestos & Hardwood Dust
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Liquid To Vapour – Petrol
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Solid To Fumes – Lead Oxide, Chlorine gas
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Liquid To Mist –Paint Spray, Pesticides
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Fumes poison workers at animal charity premises
Norfolk animal charity and two of its managers were
fined a total of £30,100 and ordered to pay £21,120
costs by Norwich magistrates after three workers were
badly affected by inhaling toxic fumes from rat poison.
All parties pleaded guilty to all charges.
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Routes of Entry Into Body
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Inhalation
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Ingestion – Food/Drink
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Absorption – Skin/Cuts
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Injection
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Route of Entry!
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Step 2 - Decide What Precautions
are Needed
Compare existing control measures against
recognised management standards:
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www.hse.gov.uk/coshhessentials
Industry sector best practice
Information on Material Safety Data Sheets
Information on labels
In house policy and guidance
Specialist advise and guidance
Government advice (Dept of Health, HSE etc)
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Step 3 – Prevent or Control Exposure
Hierarchy of Controls
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Eliminate
Substitute
Isolation
Reduce Exposure – Engineering Controls
Reduce Exposure – Procedural Controls
Personal Protective Equipment
Welfare Facilities
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Reduce Exposure – Procedural Controls
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Reduce numbers exposed to the hazard
Reduce duration of exposure
Prohibit eating-drinking-smoking
Provide welfare facilities
Good personal hygiene
Safe storage of harmful substances
Safe systems of work for routine and non routine
activities
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
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Use as a last resort if only control measure
The hazard remains unaffected
It’s effectiveness relies on correct use
Only the wearer is protected
Effectiveness may be reduced over time
Supplied, maintained, cleaned, stored and replaced free of
charge
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May require specialist fit testing etc
May require specialist disposal
Can be uncomfortable to wear
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
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Step 4 – Ensure That Control Measures
Are Used And Maintained
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Testing of equipment including PPE
Review of Safe Systems of Work
Review of Risk Assessments
Systems for reporting defects
Accident and incident reporting
Refresher-Update training
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Step 5 – Monitor Exposure
Mainly concerned with measuring the
concentration of hazardous substances in the
air likely to be breathed by employees or others
May not be required if other methods of
adequately controlling employees exposure can
be demonstrated
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Step 6 – Health Surveillance
This is usually only undertaken in specific instances
where:
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There is an identifiable disease or other identifiable
adverse health outcome linked to the work
The disease or health effect may be related to exposure
There is a likelihood that the disease or health effect
may occur
There are valid techniques for detecting indications of
the disease or health effects exposure to a substance
linked to a particular disease or adverse health effects
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Step 7 – Plan for Accidents and
Emergencies
Applies to circumstances where the risk of an accident
or emergency involving exposure to a hazardous
substance goes beyond the risks associated with normal
day to day work
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Step 8 – Provide Employees with Suitable
Information- Instruction - Training
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Legal requirement to provide in a format likely
to be understood
Updated as required
Based on required level of competency
General Approach – Low Level
Hazard specific – WELs
Provided by a competent person
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Information-Instruction-Training
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Details of the hazards associated with work
Risks created by exposure
Significant findings of risk assessments
Access to MSDSs
Appropriate safety precautions
PPE requirements
Findings of any health surveillance
First aid/emergency arrangements
Arrangements for reporting of defects or faults
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Golden Rules for Safety
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Always check labels before use
Only store in suitable and labelled containers
Store chemicals in a secure area
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Never mix chemicals without appropriate advice & guidance
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Always wear appropriate PPE correctly
Clear up spillages immediately
Follow Safe Systems of Work
Report any symptoms of ill health immediately
Report any operational or equipment failures
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Chemicals mix-up could have ended in disaster
A chemical distribution company in Leicestershire
found itself in the dock after an employee unwittingly
mixed two chemicals together during a routine tidy-up,
causing toxic and potentially explosive fumes to billow
around the company’s yard, close to the M1
Worker severely burned by chemical spill
Lack of protective clothing and bad practice led to a
broken bottle containing corrosive chemicals severely
burning an employee of Wellingborough chemical
manufacturer, Mining and Chemical Products.
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Questions
?
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