Health

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Health
Module 7
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Objectives

• After this module you should be able to
• identify the most common health hazards
• take the necessary steps to avoid and control
  those hazards

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Health Hazards

• Chemical Hazards
• hydrogen sulfide
• carbon monoxide
• silica
• hexavalent chromium
• Physical Hazards
• noise
• heat/cold
• Biological Hazards

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OSHAct of 1970

• The purpose of the OSHAct is to assure, so far
  as possible, every man and woman in the nation
  safe and healthful working conditions and to
  preserve our human resources.

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Applicable Standards

• 1910.95 Occupational Noise Exposure
• 1910 Subpart Z Toxic and Hazardous Substances
• 1926.52 Occupational Noise Exposure
• 1926 Subpart Z Toxic and Hazardous Substances

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Chemical Hazards

• Why should chemical hazards be communicated?
• Exposure Risk about 32 million workers are
  potentially exposed to chemical hazards
• Number of Chemicals about 650,000 chemical
  products exist hundreds of new ones are
  introduced annually
• Health Effects may include heart ailments,
  central nervous system damage, kidney and lung
  damage, sterility, cancer, burns, and rashes
• Safety Hazards potential to cause fires,
  explosions, or other serious accidents

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Purpose of HazCom

• The purpose of OSHAs Hazard Communication
  Standard is to
• ensure employers and employees know about work
  hazards and how to protect themselves so that the
  incidence of illnesses and injuries due to
  hazardous chemicals is reduced.

Container Labeling
Hazard Communication Program
Material Safety Data Sheet
Label
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Multi-Employer Workplaces

• When other employers have employees on site that
  may be exposed, the program must include
• methods to provide contractor employees with
  on-site access to MSDSs
• methods used to inform other employers of
  precautionary measures for normal and emergency
  situations
• the employers chemical labeling system

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Why a Written Program?

• Employer program ensures that all employers
  receive the information they need to inform and
  train their employees
• Employees program provides necessary hazard
  information to employees

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Labeling

• Containers of hazardous chemicals entering the
  workplace must be labeled with
• identity of chemical
• appropriate hazard warnings
• message, picture, or symbol
• hazards of chemical
• target organs affected
• legible in English, may have other languages
• name and address of responsible party

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NFPA Label

• National Fire Protection Association
• The higher the number (max is 4), the greater the
  hazard
• Check the MSDS

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Material Safety Data Sheets

• Prepared by chemical manufacturer or importer and
  describes
• physical hazards, such as fire and explosion
• health hazards, such as signs of exposure
• routes of exposure
• precautions for safe handling and use
• emergency and first aid procedures
• control measures

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Material Safety Data Sheets
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identify what it is and what type of health
issues are present
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Hydrogen Sulfide

• Also called sour gas (H2S)
• Flammable, colorless gas that is toxic at
  extremely low concentrations
• Heavier than air and can accumulate in low-lying
  areas

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Hydrogen Sulfide

• Smells like rotten eggs even at low
  concentrations
• Causes a worker to quickly loose the sense of
  smell
• Many areas of the country where the gas is found
  have been identified, but pockets of it can be
  found anywhere

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Possible Solutions for H2S

• Hydrogen sulfide gas can accumulate in any low or
  enclosed areas, such as a gas venting system, mud
  system, cellars, pits, and tanks
• Possible solutions
• provide adequate ventilation for the removal of
  any accumulation of H2S
• implement effective confined space entry program

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H2S Monitoring

• Active monitoring for hydrogen sulfide gas and
  good planning and training programs for workers
  are the best ways to prevent injury and death

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1910 Subpart Z

• 1910.1000 Air Contaminants
• includes Z Tables, worker exposure rates for
  specific listed substances
• worker exposure must not exceed these limits
• PEL permissible exposure limit

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1910.1000(a) Table Z-1

• 2 types of limits
• 8-hour time weighted average (TWA)
• worker exposure shall not exceed 8-hour TWA in
  any 8-hour work shift of a 40-hour work week
• Ceiling (c) limits
• worker exposure shall at no time exceed a ceiling
  (c) exposure limit
• 2 common units of measure
• Parts per million (ppm)
• Milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3)

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Table Z-1 Examples
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Hydrogen Sulfide

• Decomposition of materials, human waste
• Naturally present in some oil/gas reservoirs
• Rotten egg odor at low concentrations
• Possibly no warning at high concentrations
• PPM Effect Time
• 10 Permissible Exposure Level 8 Hours
• 50 - 100 Mild Irritation - eyes, throat 1 Hour
• 150 Olfactory nerve paralysis
• 200 - 300 Significant Irritation 1 1/2 Hour
• Pulmonary irritation
  edema
• 500 - 700 Unconsciousness, dizziness 15 - 30
  Mins
• Death
• gt1000 Unconsciousness, Death Minutes
• Cessation of respiration

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Carbon Monoxide

• Odorless, colorless gas
• Combustion by-product
• Quickly collapse at high concentrations
• PPM Effect Time
• 50 Permissible Exposure Level 8 Hours
• 200 Slight headache, discomfort 3 Hours
• 600 Headache, discomfort 1 Hour
• 1000-2000 Confusion, nausea, headache 2 Hour
• 1000-2000 Tendency to stagger 1.5 Hours
• 1000-2000 Slight heart palpitation 30 Min.
• 2000-2500 Unconsciousness 30 Min.

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Steps to Protect Workers Against Health Hazards

• Anticipate potential hazards
• Recognize potential hazards
• Evaluate exposure and risk
• Control exposure and risk

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Hazard Recognition

• The NIOSH Pocket Guide provides chemical and
  physical property information about chemicals.

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Routes of Exposure

• Inhalation
• airborne contaminants
• Absorption
• through the skin
• Ingestion
• eating
• drinking

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Control Methods
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Controls

• Engineering controls (remove hazard)
• process change, chemical substitution
• ventilation, shielding, guarding
• requires little or no worker action
• Administrative controls (manage exposure)
• worker rotation, procedures, training
• controlled access areas
• requires worker action

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Controls

• Personal protective equipment (PPE)
• respirators, gloves, clothing
• requires individual worker action
• last line of defense, behind engineering and
  administrative controls
• addressed in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I

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identify what it is and what type of health
issues are present
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Special Emphasis Program (SEP)
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Health Effects of Silica

• Silicosis
• irreversible but preventable
• most commonly associated with silica dust
• Other possible effects
• lung cancer
• some auto-immune diseases
• Scanning electron micrograph by William Jones,
  Ph.D., compliments of OSHA

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PEL for Silica
10 mg/m3 Quartz 2
? mg/m3
PEL for respirable dust containing a silica.
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can you identify the hazard?
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can you identify the hazard?
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Hexavalent Chromium

• A toxic form of chromium metal, generally
  man-made.
• Used in many industrial applications, primarily
  for its anti-corrosive properties.
• Can be generated during welding on stainless
  steel or metal structures coated with chromate
  paint.
• Used in electroplating (chrome plating)

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How Can Hexavalent Chromium Enter the Body?

• Inhalation of dusts, mists, or fumes or hot
  processes that cause its formation in fumes.

Eye or skin contact with powder, dusts, or
liquids
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Welding Work Practices
When welding, keep your head out of the welding
plume.
Use available local exhaust ventilation at all
times.
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Types of Respirators for Hexavalent Chromium
In some jobs involving chrome 6 exposure, you may
need to wear a respirator. The type of
respirator worn depends on the amount of chrome 6
in the air. The employer must provide you with
the proper respirator and provide medical
evaluations, fit-testing, and additional training.
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Noise
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Noise Exposure Limits
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Noise Exposure Examples
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Audiometric Testing

• Workers exceeding 85 dBA
• Baseline in 6 months
• Mobile test van, baseline within 1 year
• Avoid noise 14 hours prior
• Annually
• STS 10 dB average in either ear

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Audiogram
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Factors Leading to Heat Stress

• High temperature and humidity
• Direct sun or heat
• Limited air movement
• Physical exertion
• Poor physical condition
• Some medicines
• Inadequate tolerance for hot workplaces

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Heat Stress
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Preventing Heat-Related Illness

• Know the signs/symptoms of heat-related illness
  detect them in your co-workers
• Block out direct sun or other heat sources
• Use cooling fans or air conditioning
• Drink lots of water about 1 cup every 15 minutes
• Wear lightweight, light colored clothes
• Avoid alcohol, caffeinated drinks, or heavy meals
• Rest periodically in a cool area

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Cold Stress

• The harmful effects of hypothermia, frost bite,
  and trench foot may arise for any worker exposed
  to high winds and cold temperatures
• Wet conditions increase these effects
• Hypothermia is when the bodys temperature dips
  to 95F or below
• symptoms are fatigue, uncontrolled shivering,
  slurred speech, irritable, bluish skin, and clumsy

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Preventing Cold Stress

• Personal protective clothing (3 layers)
• outside layer to block the wind
• middle layer of wool or synthetic fabric
• inner layer of cotton to allow ventilation
• cover hands and face
• Use an on-site source of heat such as air jets,
  radiant heaters, or warm contact plates

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Bloodborne Pathogens

• Occupational exposure
• reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous
  membrane, or parenteral contact
• with blood or other potential infectious
  materials (OPIM), e.g. certain body fluids,
  tissues

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Access to Records

• 1910.1020 Access to Employee Exposure and Medical
  Records
• Employees, representative, and OSHA have the
  right of access
• Preserved for 30 years, with exceptions
• Employee consent for medical records
• OSHA access order posted if identifiable
• Employee information

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Your Employer Is Responsible For

• Inventory identify and list hazardous chemicals
  in workplaces
• MSDS and Labeling obtain material safety data
  sheets and labels for each hazardous chemical, if
  not provided by the manufacturer, importer, or
  distributor
• Written Program implement a written HazCom
  program including labels, MSDS, and employee
  training
• Communication and Training communicate hazard
  information to employees through labels, MSDSs,
  and formal training programs

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You Are Responsible For

• Correcting the hazards you are able to correct
• Reporting to your supervisor the hazards you are
  unable to correct

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Case Study

• A 46-year-old died on the job, changing a
  gas-flow measuring device. There were high
  levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) present. The
  man was "performing routine operations within the
  facility."  When the oilfield worker failed to
  check in at 5pm, another man was sent to check on
  him, he found that the hydrogen sulfide alarm
  system had been set off.

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Always Remember

• Ventilation
• Respirator selection and use
• Housekeeping
• Hygiene and facility practices
• Medical requirements
• Training

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Memory Check

• What are the 3 routes of entry of chemicals into
  the body?
• ears, eyes, and mouth
• nose, mouth, and skin
• swallowing, inhaling, and drinking
• inhalation, absorption, and ingestion

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Memory Check

• How can a worker find out what chemical is in a
  product that they use?
• ask the supervisor
• look on the label
• read the MSDS
• all of the above

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Memory Check

• An MSDS
• is an acronym for Material Safety Data Sheet
• should be on file for hazardous chemicals used,
  stored, and produced on site
• provides information for handling and storing
  chemicals
• all of the above