Hazard-Communication

[MUSIC PLAYING] Jobs at sea or ashore may require us to come in contact with hazardous chemicals and materials. It is our right to understand about the risks that accompany any hazardous substances we might handle, as well as the preventive measures necessary to secure ourselves from harm. When working with chemicals, first of all you need to be properly trained and understand the procedures, both with your company and with the local regulatory bodies. The Hazard Communication Standard or Hazcom, educates crew and personnel about the potential dangers of chemicals and substances used in the workplace through easy to understand symbols and product information sheets. While many port states have had their own HazCom standards for many years, the United Nations adopted the Globally Harmonized System, or GHS, in 2003, which creates a worldwide model standard for chemical identification and safety documentation. It officially went into effect in October of 2013, and has been adopted by 70 countries. In this video, we'll learn about the different kind of hazards workplace chemicals can present, as well as protective measures to avoid harm. We'll go over the updated HazCom 2012 standard, incorporating Globally Harmonized System criteria for warning labels, as well as the various warning label standards used in the United States. We'll see how the GHS aligned safety data sheets differ from the previous material safety data sheets, and we'll also take a look at personal protection from materials and substances, either through safe practices and/or use of personal protective equipment. A chemical hazard is any substance that can cause harm. These are typically divided into three categories-- physical, health, and hazard not otherwise classified. Examples of physical hazards include flammable substances or gases, corrosives, and gases under pressure. Flammables are considered to be materials that will burn or ignite, causing fire or combustion. A flammable chemical has a low flash point and will ignite easily. A combustible will burn, but requires a steady source of flame and has a higher flashpoint. Acetone and diesel fuel are examples of flammables and combustibles. Corrosives are chemicals that can damage or destroy living tissue, along with metals and other substances. Examples of corrosives include hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. Materials that burn or explode when exposed to air, water, or other chemicals are considered to be reactive. Chemicals that spontaneously ignite when exposed to air are called pyrophoric. Examples of pyrophorics rics include white phosphorus and metallic sodium and potassium. Examples of health hazards include chemicals that can cause skin irritation or damage, serious eye damage, respiratory damage, or acute toxicity. Chemicals that cause harm to the body and other living organisms are labeled toxic. Some of these substances can be further identified as carcinogens, or cancer causing, while others are considered to be poisonous, which can cause severe injury or even death. Hazards not otherwise classified is a category reserved for substances or compounds that can cause adverse health effects, but aren't specifically covered under physical or health hazards. Examples include dusts, gases that can catch fire at elevated temperature, and asphyxiants. The first step toward safely using hazardous materials is to accurately communicate the potential risk in handling. Standardized labels are an effective method to accomplish this. The challenge is to ensure this is done regardless of geography and language. Each port state has its own method of labeling and identifying potential hazards. In the US, chemicals are sometimes labeled with up to two standards. The HazCom 2012 standard is the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, or OSHA's, alignment to GHS. It uses a 1 to 4 rating system, with 1 as the most severe hazard and 4 the least hazardous. Any chemical product labeling used in the United States must conform to HazCom 2012. HazCom 2012 warning labels are required to contain six specific pieces of information-- a signal word, a pictogram, the product name and identifiers, a hazard statement, precautionary statements, and contact information. Each GHS aligned warning label will contain a signal word in the top left corner, either "danger" for the most severe instances, or "warning" for those less severe. Below this, you'll find pictograms. These symbols communicate the type of hazard found in the chemical, physical, health, or environment related. It is important to know what each of these symbols represent. The health hazards pictogram, for chemicals that pose a risk to your health if used improperly. Flammables, designated by a flame pictogram, which signifies the risk of fire and caution to be taken around ignition sources. The exclamation mark pictogram, used in combo with a health hazards pictogram for particular health risks that are less severe than the skull and cross bones pictogram, which signals acute toxicity. Pressurized gases are denoted by the gas cylinder pictogram, indicating caution with the use and storage of compressed gases. The corrosives pictogram, which signals to be aware of PPE and storage requirements. Explosives are represented by a bomb pictogram. The oxidizers pictogram, found on warning labels of chemicals that produce oxygen. And finally, the environmental hazards pictogram, which is not mandatory, but is used to signify chemicals that are hazardous to the environment if improperly disposed of. To the right, you'll find the product name and the hazard statement describing the chemical's nature and effects. Below that, any necessary precautions will be listed. Finally, the manufacturer's name and contact info will be provided at the bottom. Employers are required to label workplace containers containing any hazardous chemicals. There are two options. They can use the same GHS label provided by the manufacturer, or they can use a number of alternatives that meet the standards. The National Fire Protection Association or NFPA, uses what's officially referred to as NFPA 704, or more commonly called the fire diamond. Primarily designed for emergency first responders to quickly evaluate risk, the system also uses a 0 to 4 rating, with 4 describing the most hazardous materials. This is the reverse of the HazCom 2012 rating system. The blue refers to health effects, the red its flammability rating. Yellow describes whether the material is stable, and the white diamond signals special hazards, such as whether it's an oxidizer, reacts in water, or is highly corrosive. Use of NFPA 704 is usually determined by federal, state, or local regulations. Safety data sheets, once known as material safety data sheets, are now standardized under GHS. The GHS was actually adopted by OSHA to standardize things across the board as far as material safety data sheets being converted to safety data sheets. A safety data sheet is broken down into 16 sections. They include-- the identification of the substance and the manufacturer or distributor name, as well as contact information and restrictions; all hazards associated with the chemical are to be found here, as well as required warning label elements; composition of ingredients, including any proprietary claims; first aid measures to be taken in the event of contact, including symptoms, effects, and required treatment; firefighting measures, including extinguishing techniques and equipment, as well as possible chemical reactions from fire; accidental release measures, including emergency procedures and proper methods of containment and cleanup; safe handling and storage; personal protection controls, which details OSHA's permissible exposure limits, threshold limit values, engineering controls, and PPE; physical and chemical properties, such as the physical state, odor, appearance, molecular formula, boiling and freezing points, density, pH level, and more; stability and reactivity, which includes the possibility of hazardous reactions; toxicological information, including routes or pathways of exposure, acute and chronic effects; environmental impact data, should the material be spilled or released; disposal guidance, including information about recycling, if applicable; transport info, including proper classification for shipping by road, air, rail, or sea; any regulatory information that is specific to the product and not indicated elsewhere; and finally, up to date info on the preparation of the SDS at hand, including any of the latest revisions. Proper precautions must be taken when handling any chemical or compound. A substance on its own may not be especially hazardous, but when combined with another chemical, a dangerous reaction might occur. Don't mix substances without first checking any necessary warning labels or safety data sheets. Your ship's or company's safety management system, or SMS, will have detailed information regarding the procedures for safe handling of the chemicals you're working with. In addition to emergency precautions, always make sure you have proper ventilation whenever working in enclosed spaces. Vapors may build up in an area that is not properly ventilated, leading to inhalation hazards. Being able to detect unsafe levels of atmospheric components is critical to safety, especially in enclosed spaces. Atmospheric monitoring devices can be used to measure if the permissible exposure level, or PEL, has been exceeded, especially in the case of a spill or accidental release. Practice good housekeeping. Be sure to wash your hands after handling hazardous materials, especially if you are handling food. Even if you are not, make sure all traces of chemicals are taken care of immediately after completion of the job. Your ship will have personal protective equipment on hand that may be required when handling certain chemicals. Labels and safety data sheets will contain information on the necessary PPE for a certain job. Wearing in the proper personal protective equipment's really important for worker safety. If you don't wear it, you may become sick, ill, or get hurt. Don it properly, wear it, and make sure that you protect yourself. This may include gloves, eye protection, respiratory protection, and hearing protection. Hearing protection in a noisy environment actually may not hurt you that day, but down the road it'll affect your hearing. Certain chemicals, including toluene and xylene, can increase the risk of hearing loss when exposed to in a noisy environment, and may require additional PPE, such as chemically resistant gloves and respirators. Disposing of chemicals can be a challenge at times also. You don't want to intermix chemicals that react. Remember, good preventive measures don't end when a job is complete. It's always critical to follow proper storage and disposal procedures. The storage is essential. Keep it away from hot work. Make sure it's well ventilated and away from the work. Never store flammable chemicals near an open heat source. Store chemicals that emit toxic vapors in areas that are properly ventilated. And always dispose of leftover chemicals and containers in the proper manner. Before you use a chemical, you should refer to the safety data sheet. Remember, you will find the proper procedures for storage and disposal in the safety data sheet, as well as in your ship's or company's SMS. Today you've reviewed four important aspects of handling chemicals in the maritime workplace-- material hazards, including the different threats chemicals may pose, whether physical hazards, health hazards, or hazards not otherwise classified; the six standard elements of warning labels-- signal word, pictogram, product name, hazard statement, precautionary statement, contact info. We learned about the 16 section safety data sheets as standardized under GHS, and we learned about personal protection, including precautionary measures, personal protective equipment, and safe storage and disposal information. The number one cause of accidents with chemicals is human error. As always, having the knowledge and the tools you will need will make your job safer and easier.