We use many different chemicals in the workplace. We need them to produce our products and do our jobs. But often these chemicals can be hazardous to health and safety unless we take proper precautions when handling them. Today, we’re going to talk about the steps you can take to handle the chemicals you work with safely so that you can prevent accidents, injuries, and illness.

Session Objectives

The main objective of this session is to review safe handling of chemicals and provide you with the information you need to work safely with chemicals and protect your health. By the time this session is over, you should be able to:

• Recognize hazards associated with the chemicals you use;
• Know how to find safety and health information about these chemicals;
• Understand required precautions for handling these chemicals safely; and
• Know what to do in an emergency involving these chemicals.

Regulation of Hazardous Materials

Because the hazardous properties of many materials can affect the safety and health of all those who come in contact with them, the government regulates the use of these materials throughout the country.

• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, regulates the use of hazardous materials in the workplace to protect the safety and health of you, your coworkers, and other workers across America.
• The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, regulates hazardous materials and hazardous wastes to protect the environment.
• And the Department of Transportation, or DOT, regulates the transportation of hazardous materials throughout the United States, whether by road, rail, air, or waterways.

OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard

One of the most important regulations regarding the control of a chemical’s hazards in the workplace is OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard. This regulation says that you have the right to know about:

• Chemicals used in your workplace;
• How these chemicals can be hazardous; and
• How to handle these chemicals safely to protect yourself from hazards.

Are you familiar with the Hazard Communication Standard and OSHA’s role in protecting your safety in the workplace when you handle chemicals?

Hazards and Protective Measures

When working with chemicals, the most important thing you can do is protect yourself and the people working for you.

• Understand what a chemical is before anyone uses it … know the physical and health hazards.
• The container labels will provide brief information on any hazards and the necessary protective measures.
• For detailed information, check the safety data sheet for the substance you are using.

Other Chemical Hazards

In addition to the physical and health hazards we’ve discussed, there are other hazards that you may encounter that are dangerous to life and property in the workplace:

• Asphyxiation, or asphyxia—is a condition where there is not enough oxygen in the air to breathe normally, leading to suffocation. A simple asphyxiant is a chemical that displaces oxygen in the air and causes rapid suffocation. Pure nitrogen is an example of an asphyxiant.
• Pyrophoric gas—is a chemical that catches fire spontaneously if exposed to air.
• Combustible dust—is a chemical in dust form that may form explosive concentrations of dust in the air. In some cases, a chemical is shipped in a form that is not yet dust, but under normal conditions of use or processing, it will form a combustible dust.
• Hazards Not Otherwise Classified—represents a chemical that may have hazardous physical or health effects, but the specific effects have not been identified under the hazard classification process outlined in the hazard communication rule.

Information About Hazardous Chemicals

To find out what the specific hazards of particular chemicals are, you have three excellent sources of information available to you.

• Labels on containers will generally identify the chemical, its hazards, and the basic precautions you need to take to keep safe when handling the chemical.
• For more complete information about a chemical, you can turn to the safety data sheet, or SDS. The Hazard Communication Standard requires us to have an SDS for every hazardous chemical in the workplace. The SDS gives you detailed information about a chemical’s properties, safety and health hazards, handling precautions, and required personal protective equipment, or PPE.
• The third source of accurate information about a chemical’s hazards is your supervisor. Any time you have any question about a chemical’s hazards or safe handling procedures, speak to your supervisor. Never proceed with a job involving hazardous chemicals unless you are 100 percent sure you know what you’re doing.

What’s on a Chemical Label?

Chemical labels will be on every container holding hazardous chemicals in your facility. A “container” is any bag, barrel, bottle, box, can, cylinder, drum, reaction vessel, storage tank, or anything similar. All containers of hazardous chemicals must be labeled. If the labels are removed or damaged, they must be immediately marked with the required information. You will find the following information elements on chemical labels:

• Product identifier
• Supplier identification
• Signal word
• Pictogram
• Hazard statement
• Precautionary statement
• Supplemental information

Let’s take a look at each element.

What’s on a Chemical Label? (cont.)

The chemical label must contain both a product identifier for the chemical and supplier identification information.

• The product identifier is the name or number that allows you to identify the chemical in the container.
• Supplier identification must include the name, address, and telephone number for the chemical manufacturer, importer, or other supplier.
• The chemical label will include one of two signal words that tell you the relative severity of the hazard presented. It alerts you to a potential hazard. “Danger” is used for the more severe hazards.
• “Warning” is used for less severe hazards and is less serious than “Danger.”

What’s on a Chemical Label? (cont.)

• Hazard statements assigned to a hazard class or category appear on the label. They describe the nature of the hazard and, where appropriate, the degree of the hazard. The hazard statement can include information on an exposure being fatal or toxic, organ damage, and routes of exposure. For example, a hazard statement could say:

– Highly flammable liquid and vapor. May cause liver and kidney damage.

• Precautionary statements describe recommended measures that should be taken to minimize or prevent adverse effects from exposure to a chemical or improper storage or handling. Four types of precautionary statements appear on a chemical label. They are:

1. Prevention. For example, “Wash thoroughly after handling.”
2. Response. For example, “If swallowed, immediately call a poison center.”
3. Storage. For example, “Store locked up.”
4. Disposal. For example, “Dispose of in accordance with local, regional, national, and international regulations, as specified.”

What’s on a Chemical Label? (cont.)

• Pictograms include a symbol and other graphic elements intended to convey specific information about the hazards of a chemical. They appear on a white background within a diamond-shaped square with a red border and are placed on the label based on a chemical’s hazard classification.
• There are eight mandatory hazard symbols used in pictograms. Each conveys the specific hazard of the chemical, with a ninth nonmandatory symbol for environmental hazards.
• Supplemental information includes any additional information provided on the chemical label that is not required or specified by the GHS amendments to HazCom.

Secondary Container Labels

Secondary containers are containers that chemicals are transferred into from primary containers. Secondary containers provide you with just enough of a chemical to do a particular job. They are not meant for chemical storage.

• Secondary container labels only need to provide limited information about a chemical—enough so that you can trace the chemical back to the original container or an SDS for additional hazard and protection information.
• Always make sure secondary containers are labeled with at least the name of the chemical and appropriate hazard warnings.

Think about the primary and secondary labels we use in our facility and the safety and health information you can find on labels.

Note: Secondary containers must be appropriate for the job and chemical; old milk bottles or coffee cans are not suitable secondary containers.

Safety Data Sheets

Labels give you a snapshot of the risks associated with a chemical. The SDS gives you the most complete and detailed information. The SDS for each chemical:

• Is a detailed written description of the chemical;
• Describes its hazards, as well as precautions and remedies to releases and exposure; and
• Must be readily available for you to read.

You should always read the SDS before starting to work with a chemical.

SDS vs. MSDS

• The SDS will gradually replace the material safety data sheet, or the MSDS, that we’re all familiar with.
• The GHS-compliant SDS is composed of 16 sections in a required sequence of headings.
• The information it presents may be more complete than what you’re used to in the old MSDS, and it’s better organized.

Let’s take a look at the 16 sections in the proper sequence.

Sections 1 – 4

• Section 1 contains the product identifier and other means of identification, recommended uses and restrictions, supplier information, and an emergency number.
• Section 2 contains the hazard classification, the signal word, hazard and precautionary statements, hazard symbol, other hazards not otherwise classified, and any statements regarding mixtures consisting of ingredients of unknown toxicity.
• Section 3 contains information about chemical composition and ingredients, including chemical name, common name and synonyms, the Chemical Abstracts Service, or CAS, number and other unique identifier, and impurities and stabilizing additives that are classified and that contribute to the classification of the substance.
• Section 4 contains a description of necessary first aid, symptoms and health effects (acute and delayed), and the need for immediate medical attention and special treatment (if required).

Sections 5 – 8

• Section 5 contains information about suitable and unsuitable extinguishing substances, and about specific hazards from the chemical, and special PPE and precautions for firefighters.
• Section 6 contains information about personal precautions and PPE, emergency precautions, environmental procedures, and containment and cleanup methods and materials.
• Section 7 describes precautions for safe handling and conditions for safe storage.
• Section 8 contains information about control parameters (such as exposure limit values), engineering controls, and individual protection measures and PPE.

Sections 9 – 12

• Section 9 contains information about the substance’s physical and chemical properties, for example, appearance, odor, melting and freezing points, flash point, and flammability.
• Section 10 contains information about the substance’s stability or reactivity, possible hazardous reactions, conditions to avoid, incompatible materials, and hazardous decomposition products.
• Section 11 contains information describing likely routes of exposure, symptoms, immediate and delayed health effects, numerical measures of toxicity, and whether the chemical is listed in the National Toxicology Program Report on Carcinogens, the International Agency for Research on Cancer Monographs, or by OSHA.
• Section 12 contains ecological information such as the substance’s ecotoxicity, persistence and degradability, bioaccumulative potential, mobility in soil, and other adverse environmental effects.

Sections 13 – 16

• Section 13 provides information on waste residues and safe handling and disposal of substances and contaminated packaging.
• Section 14 gives information on the safe transportation of the chemical.
• Section 15 contains safety, health, and environmental regulatory information.
• Section 16 provides other relevant information.

Physical States Of Matter (Chemicals)

One of the important things the SDS will tell you about a chemical is its physical state. In science, matter and, of course, chemicals may be found in four physical states:

• Plasma;
• A liquid;
• A solid; or
• A gas.

It’s important to know what physical state a chemical is in because the physical state can affect the route of exposure. The route of exposure is how the chemical can enter and harm your body.

How Chemicals Enter Your Body

Chemicals can enter your body in several ways.

• The most common route of exposure is inhalation, or breathing in vapors and gases. Inhalation is a big risk in the workplace because so many chemicals we use are in liquid state, and liquid chemicals can give off vapors that can be inhaled. We sometimes also use chemicals in a gaseous state. Vapors and gases can be colorless and odorless, so you might not even realize you’re inhaling them unless you understand the properties of the particular chemical.
• Another common route of exposure is absorption through contact with your skin or eyes. After a chemical is absorbed into the skin or gets into your eyes, it works its way into your bloodstream. From there it can get to different organs and tissues in your body and make you sick.

How Chemicals Enter Your Body (cont.)

Other ways chemicals can enter your body include:

• Swallowing, or ingestion. Even though you may not intentionally swallow chemicals, they can be transferred onto food if your hands are contaminated, and then swallowed accidentally.
• And finally, direct penetration, such as when a material enters the body through an open cut or skin puncture.

In your daily job function, can you think of ways that chemicals might enter your body through skin contact, inhalation, ingestion, or penetration?

Symptoms of Overexposure

In many cases, over exposure to a chemical will produce immediate symptoms that you can recognize. Common symptoms of overexposure include:

• Skin or eye irritation;
• Difficulty breathing;
• Dizziness;
• Headache; and
• Nausea and vomiting.

If you experience any of these symptoms while working, seek immediate medical attention, and report the incident to your supervisor.

Typical Hazards and Information: Q & A

Let’s take a few minutes now to test your knowledge of the information about the hazards that we’ve just reviewed. Read each of the questions on the screen, and see if you can think of the answer. Go ahead now.

How did you do? Did you get all the answers right?

Typical Hazards and Information

Now it’s time to ask yourself if you understand the information presented so far. Do you understand:

• What hazards are posed by chemicals you use?
• How to find information about chemicals?
• Physical states of chemicals and the risks posed by those states?
• Exposure routes?
• Symptoms of overexposure?

Now let’s continue to the next slide and talk about some general safety rules for handling all chemicals safely.

General Rules for Handling Chemicals Safely

A number of important safety rules apply to the handling of all chemicals.

• The first rule is to follow all established procedures and to work precisely as you’ve been trained.
• Also, be cautious and plan ahead. Think about what could go wrong and pay close attention to what you’re doing while you work.
• Always use required PPE—and inspect it carefully before each use to make sure it’s safe to use.
• Make sure that all containers are properly labeled and that the material is contained in an appropriate container. Don’t use any material not contained or labeled properly. Report any damaged containers or illegible labels to your supervisor right away.
• Read labels and SDSs before using any chemical to make sure you understand hazards and precautions.
• Use all chemicals solely for their intended purpose. Don’t, for example, use solvents to clean your hands, or gasoline to wipe down equipment.

General Rules for Handling Chemicals Safely (cont.)

• Never eat or drink while handling any chemicals, and if your hands are contaminated, don’t use cosmetics or handle contact lenses.
• If it is necessary to identify a chemical, do not taste or smell it. Read the labels, refer to the SDS, or take a sample for analysis.
• Know emergency procedures and equipment. Knowing emergency procedures means knowing evacuation procedures, emergency reporting procedures, and procedures for dealing with fires and spills. It also means knowing what to do in a medical emergency if a coworker is injured or overcome by chemicals.
• Store all chemicals properly, separate incompatibles, and store in ventilated, dry, cool areas.
• And finally, keep yourself and your work area clean. After handling any chemical, wash thoroughly with soap and water. Clean work surfaces at least once a shift so that contamination risks are minimized.

Think about the chemicals you use every day; which ones are the most hazardous, and how can you minimize risks?

Handling Flammable Liquids Safely

Now let’s get a little more specific and talk about handling one category of chemical commonly found in the workplace—that is, flammable liquids. As we said earlier, flammable liquids can catch fire easily and burn readily.

• To prevent accidents with flammables, keep containers closed when not in use so that liquids won’t spill and flammable vapors won’t be released.
• Also, keep flammables away from ignition sources like heat, flames, or sparks.
• Avoid contact with incompatible chemicals. We’ll talk more about that in a few minutes.
• Transfer flammable liquids only into approved containers. Also be sure the transfer container is bonded, and the storage drum is grounded.
• Bonding and grounding prevents static electricity that could ignite flammable liquid vapors and start a fire or cause an explosion.
• In addition, clean up spills of flammable liquids promptly and dispose of waste materials properly. Think about the steps you take to safely handle flammable liquids.

Proper Storage of Flammable Liquids

Proper storage of flammable liquids is also essential to prevent fires and explosions.

• Store flammable liquids only in approved storage rooms and cabinets. Storage areas must be properly ventilated to prevent build up of flammable vapors.
• Understand and follow all storage rules. If you’re not sure where or how to store a flammable liquid, ask your supervisor. Don’t guess!
• Replace bung caps with drum vents after receiving containers of flammable liquids into storage areas.
• Ground all drums properly to prevent static electricity, which, as we said, could result in fires and explosions.

Are you familiar with all the rules for safe storage of flammable liquids? If you handle these chemicals you should be.

Handling Incompatible Chemicals Safety

Severe consequences can result from mixing incompatible chemicals. This applies to normal handling of different chemicals as well as to chemical storage. For example, if incompatible chemicals are mixed or come in contact with one another, the result could be:

• Fire;
• Explosion;
• Chemical reactions, some of which could be violent;
• Release of heat;
• Splashing and splattering; or
• Degradation of chemicals, making them useless or dangerous.

Handling Incompatible Chemicals Safely (cont.)

You need to know all about chemical incompatibility. The best source of information is the SDS, which will tell you if a chemical is incompatible with other chemicals and identify which ones.

Here are some common examples of chemical incompatibility:

• Flammables and oxidizers or ignition sources;
• Acids and cyanides;
• Strong acids and alkalines;
• Concentrated acids and water;
• Organic solvents and corrosives; and
• Corrosives and other reactive substances.

Mixing these chemicals could result in dangerous reactions such as fire, explosion, release of toxic vapor, spattering of liquids that can burn the skin and eyes, and so on.

Think about the chemicals you handle. Do you know which ones are incompatible? Your safety and health could depend on this knowledge.

Responding to Emergencies

In the event of an emergency involving hazardous/reactive chemicals, you need to be able to respond quickly and effectively. For example, you should know:

• Emergency phone numbers;
• How to respond to spills;
• Proper equipment shutdown procedures; and
• Evacuation routes and assembly areas outside the facility.

Think about what you need to do in the event of an emergency involving hazardous/reactive chemicals.

What Emergency Personnel Need to Know

Only trained, equipped, and authorized personnel should handle large spills/releases or other significant emergencies involving hazardous/reactive chemicals. If you are not part of the emergency response team, you should evacuate the area and report the emergency. If you are part of the emergency response team, then you need to know:

• Emergency cleanup and disposal procedures;
• Required emergency response PPE;
• Proper use of cleanup and emergency equipment; and
• Fire-fighting, first-aid, and other emergency measures.

First Aid – Eye Exposure

If you handle any chemical that can become airborne, you also need to know how to respond to an emergency as a result of the chemical’s entry into the eyes. First-aid procedures for specific chemicals can be found in the SDS. Generally speaking, however, if you get any chemicals (solids, liquids, gases) in your eyes, follow these procedures:

• Don’t rub your eyes;
• Go directly to an eyewash station or other source of clean water;
• Hold eyelids open and flush the eyes with water for at least 15 minutes;
• Be careful not to contaminate the other eye with dirty hands if chemicals have gotten in only one eye; and
• Seek immediate medical attention after you have applied first aid.

Do you know where eyewash stations are located and how to use them in the event you or a coworker experience an eye-related exposure?

First Aid – Skin Exposure

If a hazardous/toxic chemical contacts the skin:

• Remove clothing and jewelry from the affected area;
• Flush the area with water for at least 15 minutes;
• Use an emergency shower if your whole body has been contaminated; and
• Finally, seek immediate medical attention.

First Aid – Inhalation

If you or a coworker inhales a hazardous/toxic vapor or gas:

• Get into fresh air immediately, and
• Seek immediate medical attention.

First Aid – Ingestion

Although, as we said earlier, no one would purposely swallow a hazardous chemical, you could do so unintentionally. If you or a coworker has ingested a chemical accidentally:

• Check the SDS for first-aid instructions;
• Call the poison control center for additional assistance;
• Induce vomiting only if directed by the SDS or poison control center; and
• Get immediate medical attention.

Safe Handling Procedures: Make the Safe Choice

Now let’s take a short multiple choice quiz to see how much you remember about the information presented in the previous slides. Complete each statement on the screen by choosing the best answer.

• Flammables should be kept away from: b. Ignition sources.
• When transferring flammable liquids containers must be: b. Bonded and grounded.
• If you get chemicals on your skin: a. Flush with water for at least 15 minutes.
• Mixing incompatible chemicals could cause: b. Fire or explosion.

How did you do? Did you get all the answers right?

Safe Handling Procedures (cont.)

Do you understand all of the information presented in the previous slides? Do you understand:

• The general rules for handling hazardous/reactive chemicals safely?
• How to handle flammable liquids safely?
• How to handle incompatibles?
• Emergency procedures?
• First aid for chemical emergencies?

Now let’s conclude the session with some key points to remember.

Key Points to Remember

Here are the main points to remember from this session on safe chemical handling:

• Most chemicals can be hazardous in some way.
• You can avoid injuries and illness if you know how to safely handle all chemicals.
• Always wear required PPE, and follow established safety procedures.
• Know what to do in the event of an emergency involving the hazardous/reactive chemicals.

This concludes the Safe Chemical Handling training session.