Environmental Health and Safety Whitman College Hazard Communications Your “Right to Know” Every American has the right to know the chemicals to which they may be exposed in their daily living. Right-to-Know laws provide information about possible chemical exposures.

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications The Four Stages of the Program  Employee Training  Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs)  Labeling and Marking Systems  Written Plan

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications Employee Training  The ANNUAL training must cover:  Requirements of regulations  Location, availability and use of MSDSs  Hazardous chemicals used in the workplace  Method to detect release  Physical and health hazards  Measures for personal protection  Details and location of the written plan

Environmental Health and Safety Where are your MSDS’s?  Art - above flammable cabinet in printmaking studio  Chemistry - in each lab and the stockroom  Geology- in the cutting room  Physics - see Alazar  Theatre-

Environmental Health and Safety Material Safety Data Sheets: Your Rights  Your employer must have an MSDS for every hazardous substance you use as part of your job.  If you ordered the chemical, it is your responsibility to obtain the MSDS and file it in the MSDS binder in your area.  These MSDS’s must be available to you the entire time you are in the workplace.  Storage in a locked office, filing cabinet, or computer inaccessible by those using the product is a violation of the law.

Environmental Health and Safety Material Safety Data Sheets: Your Rights  If you request to see a copy of an MSDS for a product you use, and your employer cannot provide it; after one working day, you may refuse to use that product or work in an area where it is being used.  If you request your own personal copy of an MSDS, your employer has 15 days to provide it.

Environmental Health and Safety Information found on Material Safety Data Sheets  Company Information Call the manufacturer to obtain an MSDSCall the manufacturer to obtain an MSDS Web based searches - based searches - Hazardous Ingredients and HMIS codes Hazardous Ingredients and HMIS codes Physical Data Physical Data Fire and Explosion Data Fire and Explosion Data Health Hazard Data Health Hazard Data LC50 or LD50 is the amount of material needed to kill 50% of the test organisms. The lower the LC50 or LD50 the more toxic the materialLC50 or LD50 is the amount of material needed to kill 50% of the test organisms. The lower the LC50 or LD50 the more toxic the material

Environmental Health and Safety Health Hazard Data Acronyms LC50 or LD50 (lethal concentration or dose 50).LC50 or LD50 (lethal concentration or dose 50). TLV (threshold limit value) -TLV (threshold limit value) - the level of exposure that most workers can experience without unreasonable risk of disease or injury.the level of exposure that most workers can experience without unreasonable risk of disease or injury. STEL (short term exposure limit)STEL (short term exposure limit) TWA (time weighted average)TWA (time weighted average) acceptable exposure over 8 hr work shift.acceptable exposure over 8 hr work shift. PEL (permissible exposure limit)PEL (permissible exposure limit) Maximum exposure limitMaximum exposure limit C (ceiling) - maximum concentration never to be exceeded at any time.C (ceiling) - maximum concentration never to be exceeded at any time. The smaller the number, the more toxic the material!

Environmental Health and Safety More information found on the MSDS Reactivity Data Reactivity Data Spill & Leak Procedures Spill & Leak Procedures Special Protection Information Special Protection Information Special Precautions Special Precautions

Environmental Health and Safety Hazardous chemicals in the workplace  Corrosives  Low or high pH that will burn skin. Name usually contains “acid” or “hydroxide”  Flammables  Produce enough vapor to burn at temperatures below 100 o F  Toxics  OSHA defines toxic as a material with an LC50 of mg/kg, highly toxic as LC50 less than 50mg/kg  Everything can kill you. The dose makes the poison.

Environmental Health and Safety Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace continued  Carcinogens  Cause cancer  OSHA does not give a safe exposure level for carcinogens. Avoid exposure.  Mutagens  Disrupt the genetic code  Teratogens  Harm the developing fetus

Environmental Health and Safety Methods to Detect Release  Use your senses  Is there a strong or unusual odor?  Do you see a pool of liquid, a broken jar?  Does a jar contain less material though it hasn’t been used?  Do you hear something dripping?  Do you feel something slippery, slimy, dusty etc?  Caution! Some compounds do not have good warning properties. You cannot see or smell them even at dangerous concentrations. Air monitoring must be done.

Environmental Health and Safety Recognizing Tasks Resulting in Exposure  Are you creating dust?  Sweeping, pouring powder  Are you using a solvent with a high vapor pressure without ventilation?  Does your process release fumes or mist?

Environmental Health and Safety Physical and Health Hazards  Acute - damage done after short exposure. Usually a large dose.  Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, burns, poisoning, etc.  Chronic - damage done after long term (lifetime) exposure at low dose.  Cancer, multiple sclerosis, memory impairment, etc.

Environmental Health and Safety Physical and Health Hazards  Mutagens -  alter male and female DNA in sex cells that are transferred to the child.  More damaging to women as a woman carries all the eggs she will ever have from childhood. Sperm are regenerated constantly and have a short lifespan. May result in sterility, birth defects  Teratogens -  only dangerous to the developing fetus. Caution must still be exercised in women of childbearing age as pregnancy can be unknown for the first two or three weeks after conception, and the majority of contraceptives are not fail-safe.  Both may cause birth defects or miscarriage.

Environmental Health and Safety Routes of Chemical Exposure  Inhalation  By breathing dust or fume  Absorption  solvents easily penetrate the skin carrying other compounds dissolved in solvent  Ingestion  failure to wash hands after work.  Injection  picking up contaminated broken glass with bare hands

Environmental Health and Safety Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)  Glasses/ Goggles  Face shields may be used with chemical goggles when significant splash hazards exist. They may not be used alone.  Laser work, welding, and glass work require lenses to block the specific infrared wavelengths of light  Impact goggles are required when cutting, drilling, sanding, grinding or performing other operations where flying objects could enter the eye.  Impact goggles have little holes on the side  Chemical splash goggles are required when working with chemicals which could damage the eye.  Chemical goggles have indirect vents. NEVER use impact goggles as chemical splash protection! impact goggles as chemical splash protection!

Environmental Health and Safety PPE continued  Gloves  One glove material will not protect you from all hazards.  Check a chemical compatibility chart like click on “Chemical compatibility for gloves” click on “Chemical compatibility for gloves”  Respirators  Anyone can use the white fiber N-95 dust masks. They only reduce exposure to dust. There is no chemical protection offered by them.  Half or full rubber masks should only be used when engineering controls are not adequate (I.e. fume hoods, fans, spray booths) and require fit testing.  Contact Kathy Rogers to be included in the respiratory protection plan. (x5946)

Environmental Health and Safety PPE continued  Clothing  Aprons, closed toed or steel toed shoes, no bare midriffs, etc.

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications Labeling and Marking Systems

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications Labeling and Marking Systems  NFPA Diamonds - hazards of a product in a fire situation  HMIS Labels - hazards of a product in normal use.  Uniform Laboratory Hazard Signage System

Environmental Health and Safety Labeling and Marking Systems NFPA Diamonds  Color coded, numerical rating system 0 (no hazard) to 4 (deadly)  Are required on all bottles that do not have an original manufacturer’s label  Provide at-a-glance hazard information

Environmental Health and Safety Labeling and Marking Systems NFPA Diamonds  Blue = Health  Red = Flammability  Yellow = Instability  White = Special hazard information

Environmental Health and Safety Labeling and Marking Systems NFPA Diamonds  4= Deadly Hazard  3= Severe Hazard  2= Moderate Hazard  1= Slight Hazard  0= No Hazard

Environmental Health and Safety Labeling and Marking Systems HMIS Labels  Designed to go on individual containers of products that don’t have manufacturer’s labels  Same color code/numerical rating system as the NFPA diamonds

Environmental Health and Safety Labeling and Marking Systems HMIS Labels  Blue = Health  Red = Flammability  Yellow = Instability  White = Personal Protective Equipment or special protection information  Numerical Rating of 0-4

Environmental Health and Safety Labeling and Marking Systems HMIS Labels  You should never have any unlabeled containers in your workplace!  Bottles without company labels must have an HMIS or NFPA hazard label.  Every bottle needs to be marked with the date received.

Environmental Health and Safety Labeling and Marking Systems Uniform Laboratory Signage  Located on laboratory and chemical storage area doors  Pictographs depict worst hazards present in lab or area

Environmental Health and Safety Labeling and Marking Systems Uniform Laboratory Signage  Always check with the appropriate personnel (lab manager, chemical hygiene officer, etc.) before performing work or maintenance in a laboratory!

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications Employee Training

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications Employee Training  Training is required:  Within the first 30 days of employment  Whenever new hazards are introduced  Annually

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications Employee Training  The training must cover:  Requirements of regulations  Location and availability of MSDSs  Hazardous chemicals used in the workplace  Method to detect release  Physical and health hazards  Measures for personal protection  Details and location of the written plan

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications The Written Plan You have a right to possess your own copy of Whitman’s written hazard communications plan.

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications The Chemical Hygiene Plan It is available from Kathy Rogers x5946, Karen Smith x5272 Or on the Dean’s webpage at

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications The Written Plan Annual chemical inventory lists are required from your department.

Environmental Health and Safety Hazard Communications The Written Plan If you are exposed to a hazardous substance at work, you should report it to your supervisor who will complete an “Employee Exposure Report Form” Return the forms to Kathy Rogers

Environmental Health and Safety Emergency Phone Numbers  Ambulance, Fire, Police  Poison Control (Spokane)   Security 5777  Health Center 5281  President’s Office 5132  Dean of Faculty 5397  Dean of Students 5158

Environmental Health and Safety Quiz Please return to my netfiles page, and take the quiz. Congratulations, we’re done! See you next year!