Chemical Hygiene


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Chemical Hygiene

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Chemical Process Safety: Refinery Fire Draws Attention to Deficits in Procedures and Testing; Do You Know What the PSM Rules Require?
September 2011
Two contractors were performing pipe-breaking work at the Evergreen Oil refinery in Newark on March 29 when a section of the pipe burst. The de-gassed oil released from the pipe ignited, melting a nearby tank and causing a hydrochloric acid release that injured one worker and started a two-alarm fire. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Pipes with Hazardous Chemicals Require Special Precautions; Recommendations for Safe Pipe Cleaning
July 2011
The Kleen Energy plant in Middletown, Conn., was under construction in January 2010, and as many as 1,000 contractors worked at the site each weekday to complete the building by the following summer. Workers even came in on weekends. But on Super Bowl Sunday, more workers than usual stayed home--so the football game may have saved some lives. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Operating Procedures for Highly Hazardous Chemicals; A Process Safety Management Primer
November 2010
The protracted drama of oil gushing from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion and fire on a drill rig has drawn attention to the problem of process safety management (PSM)--controlling highly hazardous chemicals to prevent disasters. PSM has many components; one is employee training. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: It's a Gas! Protect Workers from Fumigation Hazards
September 2010
Fumigation is a method of controlling pests by using airborne pesticides. The pests can include insects on crops, termites and bedbugs inside buildings, and pests in other enclosed spaces such as ships and railcars. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Cal/OSHA Updates Permissible Exposure Limits; Part II: Previously Unregulated Chemicals
September 2010
In December, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board completed the most recent update of Cal/OSHA's permissible exposure limits (PELs)--something it does approximately once every three years (the last revision took effect in 2006). In last month's issue of COCA, we covered the eight revised PELs that went into effect on Aug. 3, 2010. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Federal OSHA Changes Notification Requirements in Hexavalent Chromium Rule; Cal/OSHA Prepares to Follow Suit
July 2010
On June 15, 2010, revisions to federal OSHA's hexavalent chromium standard took effect. The changes are to the notification portion of the rule. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Those Pesky Pesticides; OHB Recommendations for Prioritizing Safer Pest Control Methods
April 2010
After 27 vineyard workers and six emergency responders were struck ill by pesticides drifting from an adjacent orange field in 2005, California's Occupational Health Branch (OHB), a program of the California Department of Public Health, conducted an evaluation of factors that contribute to pesticide exposure in an attempt to identify safer alternatives. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Prevent Pool Chemical Injuries with These Safe Storage Tips
March 2010
These chemically treated pools, water parks, and interactive fountains may be safer for swimmers, but the chemicals are dangerous to the workers who handle them. They can cause injuries by igniting fires, releasing hazardous vapors, or coming into direct contact with a worker's tissues, including skin, eyes, and the inside of the nose and mouth. One way to protect workers is by storing pool chemicals safely. . . . more »

Bulletin: Online Exclusive: Pool chemical safe storage checklist
March 2010
Chemically treated pools may be safer for swimmers, but the chemicals that make the pools that way pose dangers to the workers who handle them. Pool chemicals can cause injuries by igniting fires, . . . more »

News Note: Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards Now Available for the iPhone
January 2010
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG) is now available as a mobile application for . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: New NIOSH Study Examines Control Banding; It's Not Just for Chemical Hazards Anymore
November 2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chemical Information and Testing Branch (CITB) keeps an inventory of existing chemicals. There are currently 70,000 substances in the CITB's inventory; the CITB estimates that . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Don't Let Workers Who Handle Pool Chemicals Sink or Swim; Teach the Risks of These Common Chemicals
August 2009
A school custodian in New York had ordered five-gallon containers of chlorine bleach for the school's pool but was sent containers of acid instead. The containers looked similar to bleach containers, which may . . . more »

News Note: New Health-Based Medical Guidelines Available for Lead-Exposed Workers
August 2009
California's Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has published newly revised Medical Guidelines for the Lead-Exposed Worker. The document reviews recent . . . more »

International Regulation: European Chemical Agency's New Rule May REACH You, Too
June 2009
Just when you were starting to relax about the implications and implementation of the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Hazardous Chemicals, along comes a new chemical hazard standard: the European Union's REACH . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Chlorine--Versatile, Ubiquitous, and Potentially Deadly
March 2009
Chlorine is everywhere. As "chlorine bleach," we use it in homes and hospitals to clean fabrics and disinfect surfaces. It's used in water purification, paper production, plastics manufacture, and chemical processes. You can find it in antifreeze and anti-knock compounds used in cars as well as in batteries and hydraulic fluids. Although we're finding alternative disinfectants for use in hospitals, pools, and municipal water supplies, chlorine's low cost and ready availability suggest that it will be widely used as both a consumer product and an industrial chemical for the foreseeable future. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Laboratory Workers Must Take Special Precautions With Chemicals; Give Them the Basics
February 2009
When it comes to chemical safety, laboratories present some unique concerns. Labs synthesize new chemicals, create new chemical processes, and work with mixtures that may not be in large-scale commercial production. These activities present an opportunity for workers to be at higher risk for chemical illnesses and injuries than workers in other professions. So make sure that laboratory workers understand the hazards they're exposed to and how to protect themselves. . . . more »

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