Occupational Health, Safety

and Welfare

Working with Chemicals

Colin Daly
Workplace Services
 Why Bother with Chemical
Management?
The National Occupational Health and Safety
Commission released the Kerr Report in
1996.
This report estimates 2300 Australian
workers a year die as a result of exposure to
workplace hazardous substances.
Many others become sick, debilitated or
disfigured.
Working with Chemicals
This session covers

Philosophy
Legislative Context
Content
Application
 Philosophy

Identify the HAZARD

Assess the RISK
Institute Appropriate CONTROLS
Hazard or
Risk?

This is a HAZARD
Hazards may cause a
Risk to health or safety

This is a RISK
Hazard means the potential to cause injury or
illness and can apply to substances, methods or
machines.

Risk means the probability and consequences of

occurrence of injury or illness. Risk will depend
on such factors as the nature of the hazard, the
degree of exposure and individual characteristics.
 Eliminate the
Hazard at its Source

When you know that you are

dealing with a hazard, you
can take action to reduce
the risk.
 Substitute for
something less
hazardous

If it is not possible to
eliminate the hazard, it
may be possible to
substitute it for
something less
hazardous
 Engineering

It may be possible to bring

in engineering controls
such as exhaust
ventilation hoods or
isolation methods.
How effective do you think this is?
This approach
does not
improve safety
by much, but it
does let you
know what the
sudden pain is
and why you
are about to
die.
How effective would this be?

 Information Provision
Providing information in itself will not improve
safety, it must be accompanied by actions.
If the information cannot be understood (the
previous slide says look out serpent in the
dunes) it cannot be acted on. MSDS are
complicated and the average person may be
confused by much of the content.
Provision of MSDS is not a control
 SOP
Safe Operating
Procedures
Remember that
training is only one TRAINING
unit of an SKILL AQUISITION
inseparable trio SUPERVISION
If there are ten ways
of doing something,
ensure that the
safest way is
chosen.
 PPE
Personal Protective
Equipment
Personal protective
equipment should
be seen as a last
resort.
PPE is useful for
emergencies.
 Hierarchy of Control
Not Mutually Exclusive
Elimination
Substitution
Isolation
Engineering Controls
Safe Work Practices (includes training)
Personal Protective Equipment
 Risk to health if exposed to
hazardous substances
minor exposure to a hazardous substance results in a
correspondingly low risk of adverse health effects.
being covered in the stuff means a correspondingly
high risk of adverse health effects.
The question that needs to be answered is :
What is the substance and are you exposed?
 Identify the Hazard

Which one of these is a workplace snake? The legislation is framed to help us

find out.
 Legislative Framework
Act
Reducing obligation

Regulations
Approved Codes of Practice
Australian Standards
Guidance Notes
 Legislative Context
Blue and
yellow are H a z a r d o u s S u b s t a n c e s R e g u la t io n s
mandatory D iv is io n 4 . 1 G e n e r a l H a z a r d o u s S u b s t a n c e s
requirements. R e g u la t io n w h ic h m u s t b e c o m p lie d w it h
Green is the
preferred L is t o f D e s ig n a t e d A p p r o v e d C r it e r ia fo r
method but H a z a rd o u s S u b s ta n c e s C la s s ify in g H a z a r d o u s
an equivalent S u b s ta n c e s
alternative is A t m o s p h e r i c C o n t a m i n a n t s
acceptable. o f t h e O c c u p a t io n a l
E n v ir o n m e n t

C o d e o f P r a c t ic e C o d e o f P r a c t ic e C o d e o f P r a c t ic e
C o n tro l o f H a z a rd o u s L a b e llin g M a t e r ia l S a fe t y D a t a S h e e t
S u b s ta n c e s
What is a Hazardous Substance?
Very Toxic
Is it on the Worksafe list?
Toxic
Does it fit the Worksafe
Harmful
Criteria? (Suppliers only)
Corrosive

Does it say so on the label?

Irritant
Sensitising Does the MSDS give cause
Carcinogenic for concern?
Mutagenic Is there other information
Toxic to reproduction that gives cause for
concern?
 Information Provision
The Hazardous Substances Legislation
requires suppliers to provide material
safety data sheets (MSDS) to employers.
These MSDS contain information on the
nature of the substance, how to use it
safely and its health effects.
The label and the MSDS will let you know
if there is a hazard.
 Information Provision
T h e In fo r m a tio n C h a in

Some employers are

using Third Party M a n u fa c t u r e r /Im p o r t e r
electronic data
bases. This action
sits outside of the
W h o le s a le r
legislation. Good
management of D is tr ib u t o r
chemicals is to be
encouraged.
However, these third E m p lo y e r
party sources do not
replace the legal
requirement to have E nd U ser
the original MSDS
 Labels
Suppliers Manufacturers, Importers, Wholesalers Distributors
(Not Retailers) must label containers of hazardous
substances in accordance with the Worksafe standard
format (found in the Approved Code of Practice)
Employers to ensure that:
containers remain correctly labelled
any container into which the hazardous substance is
decanted is appropriately labelled
identify contents of pipes/enclosed systems (found in the
Approved Code of Practice)
 MSDS
MANUFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS:
Produce, Revise, Review, Provide to National Repository
MANUFACTURERS IMPORTERS, WHOLESALERS &
DISTRIBUTORS: Ensure supply on first purchase (unless going to
a retailer for sale in packages less than 30kg or 30L)
Ensure supply on request
EMPLOYERS: Obtain on or before first supply
Ensure one held for each haz substance
Ensure they are readily accessible
Ensure they are not altered except to reformat overseas version
 Content of an MSDS
Statement of whether this is a hazardous
substance
Supplier Details including emergency phone
Clearly Identify the Substance
Recommended Uses
Describe its Physical and Chemical Properties
Disclose Ingredients
Health Hazard Information
Precautions for Safe Use and Handling
 Elements of effective OHS
Management Systems
top level management involvement and commitment
line managers and supervisors assigned
responsibilities and held accountable
written statements of policies and procedures
effective employee consultation
hazard identification, risk assessment and control
induction and training of management and employees
 Application - Hazardous
Substances Risk
Assessment
We are now well informed about the nature of the
hazardous substance.
The next step is to assess the risk arising from the
use of this substance.
WE DO NOT ASSESS THE SUBSTANCE
Evaluate the exposure and
Assess the health risk arising from that exposure
 Assessment of Risk
Determine Routes of Entry

Inhalation -(breathing)
Skin and eye contact
Ingestion - (swallowing)
 Assessment of Risk
Evaluate Exposure

Dose -is the amount

absorbed. It takes into
account the
concentration, route,
frequency and duration
of exposure.
 Assessment Steps
How to do it

Step 1 - Decide who

Assessment Team
will do the
assessment

Step 2 - Divide the

work into units for
assessment
 Assessment Steps

Step 3 - Identify
substances at work
Step 4 - Determine
which substances are
hazardous
Step 5 - Obtain
information about
hazardous substances
 Assessment Steps
Step 6 - We have a check list to
help you do this. Inspect workplace
and evaluate exposure :
are workers being exposed?

how much; how long; how often are

they exposed? e nt
ess m
is it fumes, dusts, mists? A ss
m ain
of t
plan tion
what is route of exposure? reac
are there SOPs?
efficacy of control measures?
 Assessment Steps
Step 7 - Assess the health
risk the choices are:
1 no significant risk
2 significant risk but well
controlled
3 significant risk that needs
to be controlled
4 unsure about risk, need A hit and miss approach to
assessment is no good. Do
more information on the not guess, you must be
substance, work or degree able to justify your decision
of exposure
Assessment Outcomes
A s s e s s m e n t T y p e s a n d O u tc o m e s

T h e re a re th re e ty p e s o f a s s e s s m e n t
1 S im p le a n d O b v io u s
2 M o re In v o v e d
3 C o m p lic a t e d

C a n n o t D e c id e
T o o D iffic u lt
N o t e n o u g h I n fo r m a t io n
G e t h e lp g o b a c k a n d r e - a s s e s s

L it t le if a n y R is k T h e r e a r e H e a lt h R is k s T h e r e a r e H e a lt h R is k s
P r o b a b ly w ill N e v e r b e a R is k T h e R is k s a r e W e ll C o n t r o lle d T h e r e is n o C o n t r o l
P u t a n o t e t o t h is e ffe c t in t h e r e g is t e r U n d e r th e P re s e n t S y s te m A c t io n is R e q u ir e d N O W
M a in t a in C o n t r o ls
 Controls
Step 8 - Identify actions from
conclusions about risks eg
select appropriate control
measures
review induction and training
determine if monitoring is
required
determine if health
surveillance is required
 Monitoring
Atmospheric monitoring -is the
measurement of concentration
of a hazardous substance in
the atmosphere
Biological monitoring -is the
measurement of concentration
of a hazardous substance, its
metabolites or other indicators
in the tissues or body fluids of
the worker
 Monitoring

To check effectiveness of control measures

eg leaks in enclosed processes, extraction
systems
To determine if exposure standard is
exceeded eg as part of a risk assessment
Performed by a person with knowledge and
experience in monitoring techniques
eg occupational hygienist
 Monitoring
Health Surveillance

Definition - Means the monitoring of

persons to identify changes (if any) in
their health due to exposure to a
hazardous substance, including
biological monitoring but not including
atmospheric monitoring.
 Types of Health Surveillance
Biological monitoring
Medical tests
Medical examination
Review of present and
past work history
Review of medical
records and
occupational exposure
 Health Surveillance
Required for scheduled substances or
Reasonable likelihood of identifiable health
effect and valid techniques to measure
Must be supervised by a legally qualified
medical practitioner
Not to be used as an alternative to
maintenance of control measures
Employers expense
Employees notified of results
 Records
Step 11 - Record the assessment
Keep registers updated
Induction and training - 5 years
Simple and Obvious assessments -notation in register,
5 years; -
Assessment reports indicating monitoring or health
surveillance - 30 years
 Future Action
Review the assessment:
if process, plant or
substance is modified
new information becomes
available
inadequate exposure
control is indicated
control measures become
reasonably practicable
every 5 years
 Want Further Help?
There are a series of publications on
hazardous substances that may assist.