Frequently Asked Question

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1 Natinal Health and Safety Functin, Human Resurces Divisin Frequently Asked Questin Ref: FAQ:012:00 RE: Chemical Safety Issue date: July 2015 Review date: July 2017 Authr(s): NH&SF-Infrmatin & Advisry Team Nte: This infrmatin/advice has been issued in respnse t frequently asked questins arund a specific tpic and may nt cver all issues arising, shuld yu require mre specific advice please cntact the Health and Safety Help Desk. The management f any ccupatinal health and safety issue(s) remains the respnsibility f lcal management. What is a Chemical Agent /Hazardus Substance? A hazardus substance is smething that has the ptential t cause harm. The hazards f a substance are evaluated by examining the prperties f the substance such as txicity, flammability and chemical reactivity, as well as hw the material is used. What harm can chemicals cause? Chemicals may cause health effects, fr example be a respiratry sensitiser r skin irritant Chemicals may be a physical hazard, fr example a flammable, explsive r xidising chemical Chemicals may affect the envirnment, if they are used, stred r dispsed f incrrectly What are the main rutes f expsure? Healthcare wrkers may suffer health effects when hazardus chemicals enter the bdy. The main rutes f expsure are: Inhalatin: breathing in the chemical Absrptin: thrugh skin cntact r a splash in the eye Ingestin: via cntaminated fd r hands and Inculatin: when a sharp bject such as a needle punctures the skin Des the Manager have t cmplete a risk assessment? Yes, the Safety, Health and Welfare at Wrk (Chemical Agents) Regulatins, 2001 places a duty n the emplyer t determine whether any hazardus chemical agents are present at the wrkplace and t assess any risk t the safety and health f emplyees arising frm the presence f thse chemical agents. This duty extends t thers in the wrkplaces, wh are nt their emplyees, such as service users and visitrs. These must be dcumented in line with existing HSE risk assessment and management prcedures. The risk assessments must include any practice cncerns and take int accunt infrmatin arising FAQ: 012:00 Chemical Safety Page 1

2 frm health and safety audits, risk management data and the legislative and plicy framewrks specific t each service. Managers must ensure that agreed cntrl measures are put in place t eliminate thse hazards r reduce the risks as far as reasnably practicable. Cntrl measures shuld be reviewed peridically t ensure they are satisfactry. Click here t access the Chemical Agents Risk Assessment Frm. What are the key duties f Managers with regards t chemical safety? 1. List all hazardus substances in the wrkplace. Inspect the wrkplace and prepare an inventry f the chemicals yu have n the premises and the activities/prcesses that prduce chemicals. Remember that chemicals can be individual substances r mixtures. Please see table 1 belw as an example f an Inventry table. Name f preparatin r prcess Chemical cntained CAS Number Hw much? Where is it stred? What is it used fr? Hazard infrmatin Supplier s details SDS available? 2. Identify the hazards and decide wh may be at risk. 3. Assess the risks t emplyees and thers frm the presence and ptential expsure f the individual chemicals. Wh and hw many peple use the chemical Hw lng is each user expsed t the chemical Hw ften is the chemical used Hw is it used Hw will the user be expsed Hw much is used Can thers in the wrkplace be expsed 4. Identify what cntrls are required Ensure existing cntrls are adequate and/r additinal cntrls identified. Once yu have assessed the risk assciated with the use f chemicals, yu are required t identify what cntrl measures are necessary t reduce thse risks t a reasnable level. When identifying the apprpriate cntrl measures, it is imperative that yu utilise the hierarchy f cntrls belw: Eliminate the hazardus chemical D yu need t use the chemical/can yu change the prcess? Substitute fr a less hazardus chemical - replace yur hazardus chemical with a less hazardus ne r in a less hazardus frm Install engineering cntrls - aim t separate yur emplyees frm the chemical hazard by placing a physical barrier between them and the chemical e.g. fume cupbards/frced ventilatin/scavenging system where present are they effective and maintained regularly? Administrative cntrls Examine yur wrk prcesses/practices and cnsider hw emplyees are expsed t the chemical. Identify aspects f the wrk practices that maybe FAQ: 012:00 Chemical Safety Page 2

3 altered t avid expsures, measures t be cnsidered (please nte this is an nn exhaustive list): Minimise the number f emplyees invlved in a task Exclude ther emplyees nt invlved in the task frm the area where the chemical is being used Prvide training t yur emplyees n the hazards and safe use f the chemicals they wrk with Ensure chemicals are crrectly stred Ensure emergency prcedures are in place in the event f an accident e.g. spillage Ensure apprpriate hygiene arrangements are in place e.g. washrms, apprpriate level f husekeeping Where apprpriate ensure adequate waste dispsal arrangements are in place Health surveillance fr emplyees where necessary Prvide persnal prtective equipment (PPE) - The use f PPE shuld be the last line f defence. It is nt regarded as an alternative t ther suitable cntrl measures. It shuld prvide adequate prtectin against the risk frm the hazardus chemicals t which the wearer is expsed, fr the duratin f the expsure, taking int accunt the type f wrk being carried ut. In practical terms, yu may have t apply a number f cntrl measures t adequately reduce expsure t the hazardus substance. 5. Recrd and Review findings. 6. Cnsult and infrm yur emplyees: In summary, please refer t the Management f Chemical Safety Overview Flwchart belw FAQ: 012:00 Chemical Safety Page 3

4 Management f Chemical Safety Overview Cnsult and Infrm yur emplyees List all Hazardus Substances in Wrkplace Indentify Hazards and decide wh may be at risk Review findings and update as apprpriate Assess the risks Recrd findings including wh is respnsible fr any actins required Identify what cntrls are required Ensure existing cntrls are adequate /additinal cntrls identified Hw d I determine the ptential harm assciated with chemicals? The mst imprtant surce f infrmatin n the hazards that the chemicals may present can be fund n the cntainer label and the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). What is a Safety Data Sheet? The SDS has 16 sectins that prvide infrmatin required t cmplete a suitable and sufficient risk assessment as it includes detailed hazard infrmatin. It identifies hw the prduct is t be used as intended by the manufacturer r imprter It prvides infrmatin in rder t the apprpriate cntrls measures and prcedures t be applied The infrmatin n the SDS can be used t infrm elements f the chemical training prgram fr wrkers as it cvers hazards, infrmatin n safe handling and strage and emergency prcedures The SDS prvides infrmatin n regulatry Occupatinal Expsure Limits fr chemicals as apprpriate this infrmatin may impact n the cntrl measures in place FAQ: 012:00 Chemical Safety Page 4

5 The Safety Data Sheet must cntain the fllwing 16 headings: 1. Identificatin f the 6. Accidental release measures 12. Eclgical infrmatin substance/preparatin and 7. Handling and strage 13. Dispsal cnsideratin f the cmpany/undertaking. 8. Expsure cntrls/ persnal 14. Transprt infrmatin 2. Hazards identificatin. prtectin 15. Regulatry infrmatin 3. Cmpsitin/infrmatin n 9. Physical and chemical 16. Other infrmatin What infrmatin ingredients shuld the CLP label cntain? prperties 4. First aid measures 10. Stability and reactivity It cmprises 5. Fire-fighting f the name, measures address, telephne 11. Txiclgical number f infrmatin the supplier, prduct identifiers and where applicable, hazard pictgrams, signal wrd, hazard statements, precautinary statements and What infrmatin shuld the CLP label cntain? It cmprises f the name, address, telephne number f the supplier, prduct identifiers and where applicable, hazard pictgrams, signal wrd, hazard statements, precautinary statements and supplemental infrmatin. T ensure that custmers can easily take ntice f the hazard infrmatin n packages, general rules are set ut t determine the clurs, size f labels, frmats, legibility and lcatin f label elements. The supplier may chse the rder f the hazard and precautinary statements but they must be lcated tgether and be in an fficial language f the Member State unless the Member States state therwise. What des the new Classificatin, Labelling and Packaging Regulatins (EC) N 1272/2008 mean? The classificatin, labelling and packaging f substances and mixtures, hereafter knwn as CLP, intrduces the United Natins glbally harmnised system (GHS) fr classificatin and labelling f chemicals int Eurpe. When d these new Regulatins cme int frce? Substances must be classified and labelled in accrdance with CLP by 1st December, 2010, r December 2012 if already n the market, and likewise fr mixtures must be classified and labelled in accrdance with CLP by 1st June 2015 r 1 June 2017, if already n the market. Hwever CLP can be intrduced befre these deadlines. What are the main changes with these CLP Regulatins? CLP intrduces a new glbal terminlgy. The main changes in terminlgy are utlined in the table belw with the label elements being expanded further FAQ: 012:00 Chemical Safety Page 5

6 CLP (New Regulatins) CPL (Old Regulatins) Pictgram Symbl Hazard Statement Risk Phrase Precautinary Statement Safety Phrase Mixture Preparatin Signal Wrd ( Danger/Warning) Indicatin f Danger ( e.g. Irritant) Annex VI Annex I Hazardus Dangerus Hazard Pictgrams: The familiar range hazard symbls are replaced by hazard pictgrams in the shape f a square set at a pint, with a white backgrund and red brder. CLP als intrduces three new hazard pictgrams; the Exclamatin Mark which will replace primarily the St Andrews Crss, the Explding Man which is t be used t identify chrnic health hazards and gas bttle used t identify cmpressed and liquefied gases. Signal Wrd: There will n lnger be an indicatin f danger such as Txic r Dangerus t the Envirnment, instead CLP intrduces tw signal wrds Warning r Danger depending n the categry f the hazard class. Hazard Statements Hazard (H) statements will replace Risk (R) Phrases fr example H317 May cause an allergic skin reactin replaces R43 May cause sensitizatin by skin cntact. H350 May cause cancer replaces R45 May cause cancer. The CLP cdes are gruped depending n the hazards as fllws: H200 series- Physical hazards FAQ: 012:00 Chemical Safety Page 6

7 H300 series - Health hazards H400 series- Envirnmental hazards Precautinary Statements Precautinary (P) statements will replace Safety (S) Phrases fr example P102 Keep ut f reach f children replaces S2 keep ut f reach f children. Precautinary statements are gruped depending n their purpse as fllws: P100 series - General P200 series -Preventin P300 series - Respnse P400 series - Strage P500 series- Dispsal Supplemental Hazard Infrmatin (EUH Statements) This cmprises f a number f elements, including the fllwing (a) EU Leftvers; these hazard classes are nt included in the GHS but were retained in CLP. EUH001 (R1) Explsive when dry EUH066 (R66) Repeated expsure may cause skin dryness r cracking EUH059 (R59) Hazardus t zne layer (b) (c) Special Rules: which were taken ver frm the existing CPL Regulatins EUH201/201A Cntains Lead shuld nt be used n surfaces liable t be chewed r sucked by children. Warning cntains lead EUH204: Cntains Iscyanates, may prduce an allergic reactin Other infrmatin can be prvided in the supplemental infrmatin sectin prvided it des nt cntradict r cast dubt n validity f the infrmatin specified elsewhere n the label. What is an Occupatinal Expsure Limit Value (OELV)? An OELV is defined as the limit f the time-weighted average (TWA) f the cncentratin f a chemical agent in the air within the breathing zne f a wrker in relatin t a specified reference perid as apprved by the Health and Safety Authrity. In ther wrds, it is a defined limit where an emplyee can safely be expsed t a chemical withut causing any harm t that emplyee; in any case it must nt be exceeded. In sme cases it may be necessary t cmplete ccupatinal expsure mnitring (air sampling) f the wrkplace t determine the level f ptential expsure t hazardus chemicals r t validate that the cntrls measures are wrking effectively e.g. anaesthetic gases. The HSA Cde f Practice lists chemicals with ccupatinal expsure limit values. These can als be fund in Sectin 8 f the SDS. If it is determined that Occupatinal Hygiene mnitring is required then yu shuld cntact the Health and Safety helpdesk FAQ: 012:00 Chemical Safety Page 7

8 D I need t carry ut health surveillance? Where expsure t a hazardus chemical can cause an identifiable disease r illness (e.g. skin r respiratry sensitisers) and there is a reasnable likelihd f illness ccurring (e.g. where cntrl f expsure relies heavily n PPE and strict wrk prcedures), it may be necessary t prvide heath surveillance. This shuld be carried ut by an ccupatinal healthcare prfessinal. This requirement wuld als be determined by cmpleting a risk assessment. Additinal Resurce Infrmatin: FAQ 005:01 Frequently Asked Questin (FAQ) n Pregnant Emplyees SAGN 001:00 Safety Advisry/Guidance Nte n Cmpleting a Pregnant Emplyee Risk Assessment Legislatin: The Safety, Health and Welfare at Wrk Act The Safety, Health and Welfare at Wrk (Chemical Agents) Regulatins, Cde f Practice fr Chemical Agents Regulatins The Safety, Health and Welfare at Wrk (General Applicatin) Regulatins 2007 and Safety, Health and Welfare at Wrk (General Applicatin) (Amendment) regulatins Useful Cntacts and References: HSE s Chemical Agents Risk Assessment frm FAQ: 012:00 Chemical Safety Page 8