Posts Tagged ‘ hazard control ’

Chemical Hazard List for the Chemical Industry

chemical-hazards-listWhen we are dealing with chemicals in the workplaces, we will be exposed to the chemicals-associated potential hazards that would harm our health and safety, environment and plant facilities. Adequate information about chemical hazards will greatly help us during hazard identification study and ensure no hazards left to be identified. The list below shows hazards those are associated with chemicals preservation, loading and unloading operation, transportation, usage or maintenance work.

  • Fire. This may be caused by flammable, combustible or reactive chemicals.
  • Explosion. It comes with flammable, combustible or reactive chemicals.
  • Heat. As the result of reaction of the chemicals with another one.
  • Toxic gas. Such gas is also possible to be introduced when two or more chemicals reacting or through decomposition reaction.
  • Corrosive vapors.
  • Harmful to human health: eye irritation, corneal damage, eye burn, skin irritation, skin burn, headache, dizziness, nervous system depression, liver damage, kidney damage, heart damage, tract irritation, death, etc. Each chemical may have different health effects and this information can be extracted from the MSDS.
  • Environment contamination. Chemical spill and waste are common environment contamination factors.

The first step that has to be followed is to make a list containing hazardous chemicals used in the plant site. After that, refer to each MSDS for identifying the hazards. From MSDS, we can recognize different hazard control for each chemical. Some chemicals that are commonly found in chemical plant operation are hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, phosphoric acid, formaldehyde, methanol, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen and etc. Don’t forget to update the chemical hazards list regularly or when change exists. This is so important and will directly affect the hazard identification list.

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Safety Tips on Compressed Gas Cylinders

compressed-gas-cylinders-safetyCompressed gas cylinders have to be handled properly. Otherwise, associated hazards such as fall, fire, explosion or hazardous gas leakage may happen. That’s why a safety guide on compressed gas cylinders handling is vitally important.

Here are some safety tips on how to handle gas cylinders safely:

  • Compressed gas cylinder should be kept in a special room, fenced and locked.
  • Authorized and trained workers can only have access to the gas cylinders room.
  • Protect gas cylinder against mechanical damage, by using appropriate racks or other means to hold them securely.
  • When the gas cylinder is not used, valve caps should always be in place.
  • To move the gas cylinders manually use sturdy hand trucks, which can hold one or two gas cylinders.
  • Do not handle gas cylinder with electromagnets, ropes or slings.
  • Put appropriate label and symbol on the cylinders, which describes content and pressure.
  • Do not allow cylinders to direct sunshine or expose to high temperature (>52degC).
  • Keep flame away from contact with cylinder surface.
  • Keep flammable materials away from the cylinders.
  • Use suitable piping, valves, fittings and others apparatus for the contained gas and pressure.
  • Make sure we have provided valves, regulators and safety relief devices.
  • Always open cylinder valve slowly to wide-open position.
  • Maintain gas cylinder and its accessories in good condition.
  • Never use defective safety relief device and leaked cylinder. Mark it and separate from the good ones.
  • Separate and mark empty gas cylinders from the stock.
  • Do not accept gas cylinders without clear gas name and good gas cylinder condition.
  • Calculate exactly your compressed gas consumption. It is unsafe to store many compressed gas cylinders for 1 year consumption.

Compressed gas cylinder is a typical source of hazards found in chemical plants. So take it into account when we will do hazard identification task. And the above safety tips are forms of hazard controls.

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Hazard Control Methods

hazard-contols In the previous post, we had talked about hazard control hierarchy. Now we are going to talk about each hazard control method in more detail and show up examples of their implementation.

Hazard Elimination

Hazard elimination is the process of removing the hazards completely from the workplaces. The hazards are not present anymore. That’s why hazard elimination is the most effective method in controlling hazard. Whenever possible use this method to control hazards.

An example of hazard elimination is to design a low-temperature and pressure reaction conditions instead of the high-temperature and pressure condition. High temperature hazard is completely removed and over-pressure condition will no longer exist.

Another example of this is using automatic mode operation rather than manual operation. So that hazards that are associated with manual operation removed to zero level. Elimination of hazards is usually performed at the design or preparation phase and implemented at the source of hazards.

Hazard Reduction

Hazard reduction is the effort to reduce or lessen hazard level from the workplaces to an acceptable level. In this case hazards are still present. It is generally chosen whenever hazard elimination is not feasible.

Hazard reduction is implemented during the design phase and in some cases as a result of evaluation on the existing equipments, jobs, tasks or activities. An example of this is to substitute a hazardous chemical with a less hazardous chemical.

Engineering Control

Including in engineering control are isolation, ventilation, containment and process control. Engineering control deals with the design of workplaces and their related processes.

Isolation of the hazards may come in the form of machine guard, blast shield, welding curtains and hot surface insulation. Exhaust fan that removes catalyst dust and hazardous chemical vapor from a building are examples of hazard control by ventilation, where at the same adds fresh air into that building. Another example of ventilation is fume hood inside the laboratory room.

In case of containment, hazards are enclosed by using enclosed cabs, enclosing noisy equipment, providing a noise-insulated work booth and installation of silencer at the discharge pipe of a compressor.

Process control is the most common hazard control method in chemical plant operation, such as isolation by interlock and safety valve to prevent over pressure.

Administrative control

Administrative control is selected when elimination and substitution is not feasible, and engineering control could not provide adequate control on hazards. Typical examples of administrative controls are provisions of operation procedures, safety signs, safety talks, setting up new safety policies, scheduling working hour to limit exposure to the hazard, implementing job rotation, work permits, alarms and training.

Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment provides a barrier between workers and the chemical, material, hot surface or noise. As I mentioned in my previous post about personal protective equipment video, it includes respirators, goggles, hand gloves, face shields, hard hat, ear plug and footwear.

Personal protective equipment shall be used when hazard elimination, reduction and engineering control are not feasible, and the administrative control could not provide sufficient additional safety protection.

The above hazard control methods can be applied in combination one with another in order to provide the most effective hazard control.

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Why We Should Follow Hazard Control Hierarchy

hazard-control-hierarchyHazard recognition-hazard control-and hazard assessment cycle is an ongoing process and should be improved continuously. Identified hazards are useless unless followed up and appropriate controls are provided. Hazard control ideally could eliminate hazards from the sources.

However, not all hazard controls have same capability in eliminating, reducing or controlling hazards. Some hazard controls are powerful than others. What we have to do is following hazard control hierarchy, which is mentioned below, ensuring that we have tried the most effective method to eliminate hazards.

1. Hazard elimination
2. Hazard reduction
3. Provide engineering controls
4. Using administrative controls
5. Wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Don’t try to jump to the lower hazard control in the above hierarchy when we are attempting to choose hazard control. We have to start from number 1, 2 and up to 5. Hazard control number 2 to 5 could not eliminate the hazards and it means the hazards still exist.

If hazard elimination, reduction and engineering control are not feasible, implementing administrative control, such as providing SOP, and appropriate personal protective equipment would be the choices. Next, we should evaluate their effectiveness on controlling hazards.

In the next post, we will learn in more detail about the 5 hazard control methods above.

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Top 13 Reasons Why We Need to Update Hazard Identification

hazard-identification-updateThere are many reasons why hazard identification has to be updated. Ideally, hazard identification or hazard recognition is done before unwanted events such as injury and illness health occurs, because there is still enough time to improve the hazard control.

Here are some reasons why we need to update hazard identification list.

  1. Because we have mentioned updating period in the hazard identification procedure. This is a regular updates. It is the time to evaluate if we had missed a hazard to be identified during the previous hazard identification period.
  2. A new job, task or activity is introduced.
  3. The existing process conditions will be changed.
  4. Current standard operating procedures need to be altered.
  5. We plan to modify plant facility or plant layout.
  6. A new equipment or machine will be installed in the plant site.
  7. When new safety equipment is introduced.
  8. Chemical, catalyst or fuel replacement.
  9. When a new product will be produced.
  10. Plant expansion project is scheduled.
  11. After an incident or accident occurrence.
  12. When a neighbor plant will be built near our chemical plant. It is especially associated with emergency condition, such fire accident or explosion.
  13. As a result of safety audit, safety inspection, safety patrol or self-inspection system.

To make an update, follow my previous post about hazard identification/recognition method. Hazard identification update has to be implemented in the whole workplace area in the plant site. Don’t forget to include contractors and visitor activities in the plant site, non-routine jobs and hazards caused by human factors when we are going to do hazard identification.

Always bear in mind that we have to be a step ahead from the potential hazard and immediately set up appropriate hazard control to manage the risks. Hazard identification is an ongoing process.

Note: get free printable safety signs and free safety slogans for the workplace.
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Personal Protective Equipment Safety Video

In this post, I am going to talk about safety video, which will show you about types of personal protective equipments.

In the hazard control hierarchy, usage of personal protective equipments (PPE) is the last protection choices. If engineering controls are neither technically impossible nor result incompletely hazard elimination, personal protective equipment shall be used.

If you are new in a chemical plant or chemical manufacturing operation, you need to follow training about personal protective equipment before you start working. It assures your safety.

To decide which safety equipment you should use, it depends on what kind of job you will do, source of hazard, nature of hazard, exposure time to the hazard and hazard exposure level. For instance, for protecting you from chemical hazards simply read the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) of the chemical to find out what personal protective equipments are recommended to use.

PPE comes in form of eye protection (eye goggle), hearing protection (ear plug), head protection (hard hat helmet), foot protection (safety shoes), face protection (face shield), etc. To understand more about the usage of PPE, you can watch the following personal protective equipment safety video.

Learn also how to do 5-minute safety talk and why safety is important.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d28VJYApUZM]

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Hazard and Hazard Recognition Methods

hazard-recognitionBy definition, a hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm to people, damage to property or environment, or loss to process. OSHA defines hazard as the potential for harm that is associated with a condition or activity that if left uncontrolled can result in injury or illness. Meanwhile, according to OHSAS 18001:1999, hazard is source or situation with a potential for harm in terms of human injury or illness health, damage to property, damage to the workplace environment, or a combination of these.

Hazard recognition or hazard identification is vitally important in accident prevention. By recognizing hazards’ characteristics and properties, we can clearly determine proper controls. Unfortunately, the majority of us sometimes overlook to recognize hazards.

Hazard Recognition Methods

There are many hazard recognition methods. The more hazard recognition methods we know, the bigger our chances to recognize all hazards that exist in workplaces. A hazard might not be identified by a certain method, but it can be detected by another method. Principally, we need to assure that hazard recognition is completely done.

The following are the most useful hazard recognition methods:
1. Pre-Use Analysis
2. Multi-Step Planning Process
3. Work Permitting
4. Equipment Inspections
5. Suggestion Method
6. Walk through Safety and Health Audits
7. Safety Patrol

Now, lets talks about these methods one by one.

Pre-Use Analysis can be applied before any new equipment, device, instrumentation, personal protective equipment, machine, tool, plant facility, etc are used. This method is applied before exposure to hazards.

Multi-Step Planning Process is applied before hazard exposure and applied to every task, job and activity. To apply this method simply asks a series of questions before doing the task, job or activity. The question should be similar to:
a. What am I going to do?
b. What is the purpose to do this job, task or activity?
c. How will I do that job, task or activity?
d. How could I get hurt doing this job, task or activity?
e. What will I do to prevent accident (injury, illness health)?

Work Permitting is issued before the job, task or activity done. Some questions asked and a checklist shall be completed to assured that hazards are not overlooked. Commonly, including in the checklist are analysis of toxic gas (such as carbon monoxide), oxygen sufficiency, flammable gas concentration, etc.

Equipment Inspection is implemented to any equipment before it is used or put into operation. Equipment inspection is planned and organized to check overall equipment conditions, safety protective equipment, guarding, emergency stop, etc.

In Suggestion Method, every worker is encouraged to propose or suggest potential hazard (and control) that are contained in a job, task or activity. Workers consider their past time experiences on the shop floor and field to give suggestion and this is very good safety habit. This method can be used for improving current hazard identification list.

Safety Patrol can be carried out by every worker in the plant site, not only by persons who are in charge of health and safety matters. Safety patrol may be done during an equipment running, plant operation, plant shut down or whenever it is intended to identify potential hazards.

The best way to use these hazard recognition methods is by combining these methods one with the others.

The next question is when is the right time to apply these hazard recognition methods? Of course before exposure to the hazards is the best time, because at that time no one was injured, ill or death, and no property damage. However, during a job, task or activity is being done hazard recognition is still important especially in accident prevention, and we can stop or cancel the job, task or activity at any time whenever we see a potential hazard to cause injury, illness health or plant facility damage.

Hazards may also be recognized after a job, task or activity has been completely performed and we can plan hazard control improvement to that job.

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