Chapter 6 Recognizing, Evaluating, and Controlling Workplace Hazards
6.2 Historical Chemical and Industrial Hazards
• Standing or working under suspended loads
• Working on or utilizing equipment for which training has not been completed
• Poor housekeeping
• Performing tasks that have not been evaluated and released to be worked (scope creep)
• Inadequate bounded scopes
• Lack of worker focus on tasks and the associated hazards
• A renegade attitude by workers and supervision
The health effects of exposures to chemicals and toxic materials in the workplace, and the associated physiological and emotional impacts, have been well documented over the years for many industries. Since the beginning of the industrial age, the haz- ards associated with particular industries or professions have been recognized and mitigated. In particular, health risks associated with direct exposure to chemicals have become an increasingly recognized workplace hazard in today’s work environ- ment. No matter what the industry or business, chemicals are used every day, and while workers understand that they are required to handle chemicals in perform- ing their job, health risks posed by these chemicals are becoming less accepted, by the workforce and the public, as they become more aware of how these hazardous chemicals can impact their health.
If the company is located in an older building, or works with asbestos or lead, then the industrial hygienist should be aware of how these, and other historically hazardous contaminants, interact with the body. For example, friable, crushed asbes- tos has been known to cause a lung disease, asbestosis, when inhaled; fibers settle in the lower part of the lung and cause scarring, making it difficult for people to breathe and obtain needed oxygen. Lead is another example of a contaminant that is histori- cally known to cause serious health impacts. Lead affects many organs and body functions to some degree when inhaled or ingested; however, it is most recognized to be a neurological and bone hazard.
Through the use of the Internet, today’s workforce is much more aware of the health risks posed by chemicals that are used by them every day in performing their job. One of the best resources for workers and the public to reference in understanding how chemicals can impact them, within their own residential area, is the U.S. Chemical Safety Board ([CSB], U.S. Chen Safety Board 2017) website: http://www .csb.gov.
The CSB is an independent federal agency empowered to investigate chemical accidents that occur across the United States. The focus of the CSB is on indus- trial accidents, ranging from petroleum accidents, such as the Deepwater Horizon accident that killed 11 people, to explosions in fertilizer plants across the United States. The CSB does not issue fines, but rather works with other regulatory agen- cies, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in understanding what caused an indus- trial accident and how it can be prevented in the future. In 2002, the CSB’s first haz- ard investigation on reactive chemicals included a review of more than 150 serious accidents involving uncontrolled chemical reactions in industry. This investigation led to new recommendations to OSHA and EPA for regulatory changes. A second hazard investigation on combustible dusts is currently in progress that is expected to
impact how OSHA regulates industries that generate and mitigate combustible dusts and provides better hazard control for worker.
The challenge for the modern industrial hygienist is to recognize that workers are more educated and aware of the hazards, and the industrial hygienist must work with the workforce in collectively identifying and managing the hazards. For example, ammonia has long been recognized as a hazardous chemical, but it is easily recognized by smell, before its hazardous properties can cause harm to the human body. Although workers may accept the smell of the chemical at lower concentrations, they may become con- cerned that over time breathing that concentration may cause chronic (long-term) health effects. Also, some workers may be sensitive to the chemical and may exhibit acute (short-term) health effects that the industrial hygienist will have to address.
The industrial hygienist is challenged with adequately communicating the rec- ognition of the chemical hazard, along with communicating how the hazard will be adequately mitigated and the health risks to the worker minimized. In addition to the hazards of asbestos and lead, other common occupational illnesses associated with chemicals, and other physical and biological hazards, are listed in Table 6.2. The table represents a short list of well-known workplace illnesses; however, there are many more that are present in the workplace depending on the chemicals and physiological and biological contaminants being used in the manufacturing or industrial work process.
TABLE 6.2
Example Workplace Illnesses
Contaminant Symptoms and Illness
Beryllium Skin sensitization; berylliosis; health impacts to the liver, kidneys, and heart; neurological disorders; lymphatic system problems
Silica Lung diseases, such as bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; kidney and immune system diseases
Ammonia Irritation to skin and eyes, shortness of breath, headaches, bronchitis, seizures
Carbon tetrachloride Headaches, dizziness, liver and kidney damage, neurological disorders
Benzene Headaches, dizziness, skin irritation, liver and kidney damage
Acetone Headaches, dizziness, disorders with cognitive thinking, neurological disorders
Chlorinated hydrocarbons
Headaches, dizziness, disorders with cognitive thinking, neurological disorders, liver and kidney damage
The industrial hygienist should be intimately familiar with the work equipment, processes, and chemicals that are introduced and used in the work environment.
Therefore, the industrial hygienist must understand what chemicals and toxic mate- rials are being used, in what form they are being used, and any historical incidents that have occurred in the work environment. Feedback from workers, along with historical information regarding toxicological information in the general industry, is useful in determining whether the hazard posed from the chemical or toxic material is understood and recognized not just by management, but also by the workers. In most industries, the chemicals and toxic materials used in a process have been identi- fied and are in some form being managed. Additionally, there are known industrial hazards that have been established based on the industrial process. For example, not only is the industrial hygienist concerned with the toxicological effects from a particular chemical used, but also other hazards, such as physical and biological hazards, must be recognized, and the risk posed by these hazards must be factored into worker protection and controls.