Hazardous Substances & Materials


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Hazardous Substances & Materials

Subtopics:

Air Contaminants
Combustibles and Flammables
Hazard Communication
Hazardous Materials

Complete Topic List

Hazard Identification: Federal OSHA Issues Guidance on Laboratory Safety; Addressing Hazards in 4 Major Categories
January 2012
Laboratories are dangerous places, and university laboratories have proved deadly with disturbing regularity in recent years. . . . more »

AOEC releases video on dangers of silica dust
December 2011
The Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC) has developed a video designed to increase awareness of silica dust issues and controls. With funding from the National Institute of O . . . more »

Process Safety: NTSB Issues Final Report on San Bruno Pipeline Explosion; Past and Present Practices Combined to Create Disaster
November 2011
Just after 6 p.m. on Sept. 9, 2010, a natural gas transmission pipeline owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) ruptured in San Bruno, leaving a crater 72 feet long by 26 feet wide. The resulting fire destroyed 38 homes, damaged 70 more, and killed eight people. . . . more »

Online Exclusive: Permit Checklist for Pressurized Tanks
COCA Online Exclusive October 2011
Boilers, compressed air tanks, and liquified petroleum gas tanks, which are widely used in and out of the workplace, are so common that they attract little notice. But employers should take note of them: the tanks are regulated by California's Unfired Pressure Vessel Safety Orders, which require most of these tanks to be inspected and have a state-issued permit to operate. . . . more »

Indoor Air Quality: Federal Agencies Publish Guidance on Improving Air Quality; Tips for Breathing Easier in the Workplace
September 2011
In some workplaces, workers expect to take precautions against hazardous chemicals. For example, in factories, agricultural operations, and automobile repair shops, employees accept precautions against chemical hazards as part of their jobs. But workers in office and commercial buildings may be surprised to discover that the air they're breathing can cause them problems. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Prevent Flash Fire Injuries by Recognizing Hazardous Conditions
September 2011
Welder Adrian Flores was setting up his equipment 12 feet underground in December 2010 at a public works project in Montebello when he dropped an electrode holder. As the electrode holder landed, it sparked, igniting a methane flash fire that severely burned Flores. . . . more »

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 »

Featured Resource: Dust Off This Combustible Dust Checklist
September 2011
It can obscure your vision and clog your nose and throat. It can coat surfaces, making signage hard to read and contaminating materials. But dust poses another serious hazard, too--it can explode. And materials you might not ordinarily think of as fire hazards, such as foodstuffs, can be extremely hazardous when they are present as dust. . . . more »

Agriculture: NIOSH Study Raises Concerns About Pesticide Drift; Risk Factors and Control Strategies for Preventing Worker Exposures
August 2011
With nine of the nation's 10 top-producing agricultural counties, and nearly half of the nation's homegrown fruits, nuts, and vegetables produced here, California is an agricultural powerhouse. . . . more »

Hazard Identification: Federal OSHA National Emphasis Program to Address Hazards of Primary Metals Manufacturing
August 2011
In a recent review of workplace injury and fatality statistics, one industry leaped out at federal OSHA: the primary metals industry, a group of manufacturing facilities in SIC group 33 that perform metal smelting and refining. Of the 20 industries reporting the highest numbers of nonfatal injuries and illnesses, five were in the primary metals group, and more than one-quarter of all cases of elevated blood lead levels occurred in this industry segment. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: Titanium Dioxide Prevents Skin Cancer but May Cause Lung Cancer; Recommended Exposure Limit Can Protect Workers
August 2011
If your workers are exposed to the sun regularly, titanium dioxide (TiO2) might seem like fantastic stuff. Unlike some of the other active ingredients used in sunscreens, titanium dioxide won't cause skin irritation and blocks both UVA and UVB rays, protecting workers from the full spectrum of harmful light. It also has safe and beneficial uses in many other commercial products, including paint, cosmetics, plastics, paper, and food. . . . 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 »

Featured Resource: Protecting Workers from Formaldehyde Exposures
June 2011
Federal OSHA and Cal/OSHA have been working for more than a year on identifying and correcting a problem with hair smoothing products that contain formaldehyde--but that were incorrectly labeled as formaldehyde-free. Formaldehyde can irritate the eyes and nose; cause allergic reactions of the skin, eyes, and lungs; and has been linked to nose and lung cancer. . . . more »

Hazardous Chemicals: NIOSH Finds No Safe Exposure Levels Exist for Beryllium; Tips for Controlling Exposures
May 2011
Beryllium, a toxic metal, is used extensively in aerospace and mater-ials research as well as nuclear weapons development and testing. So it wasn't really a surprise when routine beryllium tests in July 2007 showed dangerously high levels in a machine shop at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory during a seismic retrofit. As many as 178 contract workers in this nuclear weapons research facility may have been exposed to the chemical, which is known to cause cancer in humans. . . . more »

Online Exclusive: Sample Policy for Preventing Lead Exposures During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
COCA Online Exclusive April 2011
Workers in more than 100 industries may be exposed to lead on the job. These exposures can be dangerous to adults—but they can be especially dangerous to pregnant or breastfeeding women an . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Stripping Away the Hazards of Methylene Chloride
March 2011
Workers at David Peyser Sportswear in Bayshore, New York, were using a methylene chloride and perchloroethylene solution to strip paint from the floors in the screen-printing facility in March 2000 when they were overcome by fumes. . . . more »

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