What Does
Chemical Safety Mean?
Chemical safety refers to the practice of safely using, handling, and disposing of chemical products.
Various chemicals, such as cleaning agents, machine oils, pesticides, and varnishes, are widely used across industries and in every type of workplace, from offices to industrial facilities. Depending on the type of chemical, it can pose a number of risks, including:
- Chemical burns
- Respiratory damage
- Damage to the eyes
- Chronic health conditions
- Combustion or explosion
- Harm to the environment
Chemical safety is a critical aspect of occupational safety. Chemical products are found in every type of workplace and many carry the potential for serious harm, from injuries and acute symptoms to chronic, long-term health effects.
Given the risks, workers must follow safety procedures when working with or near chemical products. This includes storing them properly, handling chemicals with care, and wearing adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) when dealing with chemicals.
Exposure to chemicals can carry a number of occupational health hazards, including:
- Respiratory illnesses
- Acute irritants
- Contact dermatitis
- Cognitive impairment
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Cancer
There are also risks associated with physical hazards, such as:
- Corrosion
- Flammability
- Explosions
- Environmental contamination
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), chemical exposure is responsible for more than 190,000 work-related illnesses every year and more than 50,000 deaths.
In addition to protecting workers, chemical safety also ensures the proper disposal of toxic substances. In doing so, it helps prevent the contamination of bodies of water and reduces harm to ecosystems.
While present in every type of business, chemical hazards are more prevalent and severe in certain lines of work. Industries with higher levels of chemical risk include:
- Oil and gas
- Mining
- Industrial manufacturing
- Agriculture
- Pharmacology
Safeopedia Explains Chemical Safety
OSHA has a number of regulations aimed at controlling chemical hazards and protecting workers from exposure to hazardous materials.
OSHA enforces Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) aimed to limit exposure to airborne concentrations of harmful chemicals.
Additionally, OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) ensures that workers are aware of chemical and toxic substance hazards in the workplace, as well as the preventive and protective measures that should be used when handling them.
The HCS requires the development of safety data sheets (SDS) for every hazardous chemical produced or imported into the United States. Specifically, an SDS must be produced for:
- Any chemical with an OSHA permissible exposure limit
- Anything listed with a threshold limit value by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists
- Any carcinogen listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer – Groups 1, 2A, and 2B
- Any carcinogen listed by the National Toxicology Program
- Any chemical regulated by OSHA as a carcinogen
Information disseminated as part of HCS includes:
- Container labels that convey information about chemical hazards. Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to use HCS-compliant labeling on all hazardous products.
- Safety data sheets (SDS) providing detailed safety information about chemical products, which must also be provided by chemical manufacturers and importers.
- Employers are required to properly label chemical containers in their workplace and make the SDS for every chemical found on the worksite available to employees.
Key Chemical Hazards and Potential Injuries
Harmful or dangerous chemicals fall into three hazard categories:
- Flammable or explosive (e.g. petroleum, TNT, plastic explosives)
- Irritating or corrosive to skin, lungs, and eyes (e.g. acids, alkali, paints, fumes)
- Toxic chemicals (e.g. carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, cyanide, ammonia)
Many hazardous chemicals are also classified as dangerous goods as they are capable of causing explosions, fires, corrosion, and other dangerous reactions if handled incorrectly.
Irritants and toxic chemicals can have health effects that range from mild (such as uncomfortable rashes) to serious (such as leukemia caused by exposure to benzene). While the acute health effects of these chemicals are immediately noticeable, the chronic conditions caused by chemical exposure manifest gradually and may not become evident until the condition is severe and debilitating.
Chemical Routes of Entry
Chemicals come in various forms, including solids, liquids, vapors, dusts, and fumes. Because of this, they can enter the body through different pathways. Once a chemical enters the body, it can make its way to the bloodstream and the internal organs.
Chemicals can also change form – from liquid to gas, for example, or from a solid to a liquid. These changes also affect how the chemical can enter the body.
Hazardous chemicals enter the body through four different routes:
- Inhalation – Chemicals can be inhaled as gas, vapor, mist, dust, fumes, and smoke. Inhaled chemicals reach the lungs first but can also make their way to the bloodstream. Following inhalation exposure, affected individuals can show symptoms like skin discoloration, difficulty breathing, dizziness, loss of consciousness, abnormal behavior, and death.
- Swallowing – Chemical substances can enter the body through the mouth. The majority of ingestion incidents result from food or drink that has become contaminated after being brought into a laboratory or industrial facility where chemicals are present. The risk of ingestion exposure can be greatly reduced by workers wearing gloves when handling chemicals and washing hands thoroughly before drinking or eating. Symptoms associated with someone ingesting workplace chemicals include erratic hear rate, breathing, and blood pressure. The affected employee may also experience a burning sensation in their throat or stomach. Contacting Poison Control as soon as possible is key when responding to a chemical ingestion incident.
- Ophthalmic absorption (exposure through the eyes) – Ophthalmic exposure can occur when vapors reach the eyes, a liquid chemical splash causes droplets land on the eyes, or an individual rubs their eye with hands that have been contaminated by chemicals. Once absorbed through the eyes, chemicals can quickly enter the bloodstream. This is generally followed by acute irritation in the eyes, temporary blindness, permanent blindness, or the loss of the eyes. It is imperative that the affected employee reaches an eyewash station as quickly and safely as possible.
- Dermal absorption (exposure through the skin) – While the skin is a protective barrier meant to protect the body from bacteria and other potential hazards, it can also absorb chemicals that come in contact with it. In fact, it is the second most common route by which toxic chemicals enter the body. Depending on the chemicals that make contact with the skin, this type of exposure can result in irritation, burns, or severe skin and muscle damage.
The route of entry determines which protective measures will be needed. Absorption through the eyes can be prevented by wearing goggles, for instance, while chemicals that can be inhaled might require ventilation or respirators.
Managing Chemical Safety
Labeling and Chemical Safety Symbols
Some hazardous chemicals are difficult to spot because they don’t come with proper labeling.
Chemical products are often poured into smaller containers for ease of use. These smaller containers don’t have the original product labeling and often have little information about the contents other than the name of the product scrawled on the side (or something even more generic, like “cleaner”).
Other hazardous chemicals are difficult to see and identify because they are byproducts of work activities and industrial processes. For example, heavy machinery can produce exhaust, decomposing materials can emit toxic gasses, and grinding can disperse particles into the air.
Chemicals that are decanted into smaller containers should still have proper labeling to ensure their safe use. If printing a detailed label is not an option, a copy of the SDS should be readily available to consult.
Employees who work with or around chemicals should also be trained on how to read and understand the information on chemical labels. They should be able to tell whether a chemical is, for example, flammable, corrosive, or requires eye protection when handled.
Airborne chemicals are difficult to spot, especially those that are odorless and colorless (e.g. Freon or carbon monoxide). Rather than relying on the five senses, they should be measured using gas monitors. For chemicals that can pose an immediate risk, like carbon monoxide, a detector that will sound an alarm if concentrations exceed a certain threshold is a good option.
Chemical Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)
Safety data sheets are necessary and indispensable sources of information when chemicals are present in the workplace.
Each SDS contains important information about a specific chemical product, including its composition, associated health hazards, safety measures when handling it, and how to store it safely.
OSHA requires employers to maintain “a safety data sheet in the workplace for each hazardous chemical which they use.” All SDS must be made accessible to employees, reviewed periodically, and updated when necessary. If a chemical is no longer used or stored on the premises, the SDS for that chemical is no longer required and can be discarded or archived. Archiving the SDS for at least ten years is recommended in case a current or former employee becomes sick. When this happens, the archived safety data sheets act as a record of potential causes.
Chemical Safety Software
Software solutions can help manage chemical hazards on the jobsite. Various options are available, but they generally offer some combination of the following features:
- Digital SDS database
- Tracking and managing the organization’s chemical inventory
- Access to compliance information (such as exposure limits)
- Creating compliant chemical container labels
Preventing Chemical Safety Incidents
Even in industries where hazardous chemicals are stored in large quantities or used frequently, there are steps employers can take to prevent exposure and greatly reduce the risk of harm to workers or the environment.
Here are some of the best practices to ensure the safe use of chemicals in the workplace:
- Keep an inventory of every chemical used in the workplace
- Follow labeling regulations and guidelines for all chemical containers
- Maintain a database of safety data sheets for all chemicals present onsite
- Ensure proper storage for all chemical products, including containers, drums, and storage buildings if necessary
- Implement a spill containment plan
- Train all employees who work with or near chemicals on how to assess chemical hazards and safely handle chemical products
- Provide adequate PPE to all workers who may come into contact with hazardous chemicals
- Where possible, substitute chemical products for less hazardous alternatives
- Observe all federal, state, and local laws pertaining to chemical safety
Ready to learn more? Check out our free webinar, It’s the Dose That Makes the Poison: The Cumulative Effect of Exposure to Hazardous Substances!
Sign up to the Safeopedia Newsletter for more safety info delivered right to your inbox!