Businesses that use chemicals need to make workers’ safety from chemical exposures a top priority. So while as we know exposure to dangerous chemicals can cause serious illness in workers, businesses can act to protect both the air and their employees. Indeed, new industry data highlights the ongoing, substantial impact of chemical exposure on workplace health and safety. This underscores the critical need for prevention. To that end, following safety protocols protects workers and save businesses money by preventing liability and penalties.
Train Employees
The first thing businesses must do is train all staff in chemical safety rules. Workers need to learn what chemicals are in the workplace. They need to know how chemicals can hurt them if they breathe them in over time. Businesses should have mandatory training sessions where managers explain:
- What chemicals are in the workplace.
- The health risks of each chemical.
- How to use masks, gloves, and other safety gear.
- What to do if an exposure happens.
- Short and clear training helps workers remember the safety steps.
Control Chemical Exposures
Businesses also need to control chemical exposures directly. Managers should find out if staff breathes in chemicals from:
- Air – Spraying chemicals or machines giving off gas can put chemicals in workplace air. Even small amounts over time are dangerous.
- Surfaces – Workers get chemicals on clothes and bodies when spraying, spilling or touching them. The chemicals stay on fabrics and skin and get in the body through contact.
- Liquids and dust – Mixing powders or liquids lets loose dusts and vapors with chemicals. Staff breathes them in easily.
To prevent exposures from air, surfaces or liquids and dust, businesses must:
- Use safer chemicals and less toxic products.
- Switch spray methods to control which way chemicals go.
- Bring in local exhaust ventilation to capture gases.
- Make sure protective gear fully covers bodies.
Following these control methods is vital to limit how much contact staff has with risky substances in their daily tasks.
Monitor the Air
It’s also critical that work sites monitor chemical levels in the air regularly. This means taking air samples to send to a qualified lab for testing. The tests report back on what chemicals were found and at what quantities per volume of air.
Checking air quality should happen:
- At least once a quarter.
- When bringing in new chemicals.
- After spills or unusual exposures.
- More often in high-risk areas.
Recording all monitoring lets businesses confirm that chemical control methods keep contamination low. Documenting this data also helps meet health and safety regulations.
Getting external industrial hygiene services to handle sampling is highly recommended. Outsourcing to experts like those at Compliance Consultants lifts the burden from internal managers. It also brings in reliable data to make decisions with.
Respond to Exposures
Finally, businesses need response plans for any chemical exposures that still happen. If a worker breathes in chemicals or spills a dangerous mix, they should report it immediately as per company protocol.
Then managers need to act quickly to check if the quantity hit dangerous levels. This may require further emergency air sampling and testing.
Should exposures surpass safe limits, businesses need to:
- Give medical care right away.
- Investigate what went wrong.
- Update control measures to stop repeated issues.
Conclusion
Effectively ensuring the safety of staff from exposure to toxins necessitates comprehensive training programs, robust control methods, meticulous monitoring procedures, and well-defined response plans to mitigate any potential harm. But above all, businesses must make worker health the priority when managing chemicals. Staying prepared with these best practices is how workplaces avoid hazardous exposures that put people at risk. Maintaining safe conditions keeps staff healthy, prevents serious incidents and shows what responsible businesses should do.
