Industrial Hygiene Programs in Chemical Companies - Research Paper Example

Industrial Hygiene Programs in Chemical Companies As defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OHSA of the United States Department of Labor, industrial hygiene is the science of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling workplace conditions that may cause workers' injury or illness. But more than its easy-to-understand meaning, let us take a look at how important it is to establish a program for such and how that program will affect all the existing chemical companies today. Practitioners of industrial hygiene, called industrial hygienists, continue to put their best efforts in creating methods at which employees will not be overly exposed to any potential health hazards while they work for a chemical company. This concept is not something new to the world. Industrial hygiene has been at work since the olden labor days and has made a lot of impact to our history.   “In 1908, the public's awareness of occupationally related diseases stimulated the passage of compensation acts for certain civil employees. States passed the first workers' compensation laws in 1911. And in 1913, the New York Department of Labor and the Ohio Department of Health established the first state industrial hygiene programs. All states enacted such legislation by 1948. In most states, there is some compensation coverage for workers contracting occupational diseases.” (Informational Booklet on Industrial Hygiene, 1998) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is the leading developer of industrial hygiene all over the country. These people are the ones in charge of building up and then maintaining a set of health standards that shall be promoted to all relevant parties in the U.S. They are trained to anticipate, recognize, evaluate and recommend the environmental hazards that could affect the health and well-being of the people in a particular workplace. This concerns the control over toxic chemicals, harmful biological and physical agents that the employees get in contact with everyday. Let us then look into what the industrial hygiene protects the workers from. To do this, we need to go through the basics. There are a number of chemical hazards that are present in a chemical company work station namely: Irritants, Asphyxiants, CNS Agents, Specific Organ Agents and Genetic Activity. Irritants come in the primary form (at source of contact) and secondary form (travels through blood to another area). Both forms can create damages to one’s eyes, skin and even respiratory system. And what’s more dangerous is that irritants have delayed reactions to subsequent exposure, meaning a person may not immediately feel affected by it until it’s gotten worse. (Introduction to Industrial Hygiene Presentation, 2012) Meanwhile, asphyxiants take on simple and chemical forms that both affect one’s oxygen level, therefore affecting the respiration. Then there are the Central Nervous System or CNS agents that include narcotics, anesthetics and depressants that may give various side effects by continuously slowing down the brain activity. (Introduction to Industrial Hygiene Presentation, 2012) Certain chemical agents may also give out adverse effects to specific organs such as the liver, lungs, and kidneys, making them either Hepatotoxic, Pulmonotoxic or Nephrotoxic. Likewise, these hazards can also cause damage to one’s genetic activity. A worst case scenario may be a life with cancer, chromosome damage, birth defect and damage to the reproductive system. (Introduction to Industrial Hygiene Presentation, 2012) There is no better way to discuss the formulation of an Industrial Hygiene program in a chemical company other than stating a real-life, specific example. For this particular study, let us take Rohm and Haas, a multinational specialty chemical company. Rohm and Haas’ primary businesses and products include coatings, adhesives and sealants, plastic additives, performance chemicals, monomers, household products, detergents, electronic materials, etc. But aside from doing business, the company makes sure that their employees work in good hands, by developing a compliance program that details the steps the company officials will take to ensure the health safety of everyone under their roof. “We will conduct audits to assist management in assuring compliance with the environmental, health and safety laws, regulations, policies and standards applicable to the company’s operations and products. We will audit our performance and the Board of Directors and EHS Council will monitor our commitment and progress.” (Hirsh, 2006) In their list of Industrial Hygiene standards, Rohm and Haas Company ensure the application of the following: – Hazard Communication – Workplace Exposure Assessment and Control – Workplace Exposure Limits – Hearing Conservation and Noise Control – Respiratory Protection – Sanitation – Illumination – Ergonomics (Draft) – Chemical Specific Standards: Asbestos, --Chloromethylation of Ion Exchange Resins, Cyanotic Agents, Formaldehyde, Lead These audits are continuously executed together with follow ups on the company facilities to be sure that the policy is properly mandated. After inspections, summary reports are discussed by the senior managers and business directors as well. All in all, Rohm and Haas Company makes sure that all arising issues are being dealt with so that the necessary improvements can be worked on. After all, this program is significant to their plans on keeping their place in the globalized industry. Again, this is not a one-time implemented type of standards. This is something that must be continuously applied and kept to protect not only the company’s name but the people who work behind it. This policy is a continuous assessment for a continuous enhancement. To further show the importance of Industrial Hygiene, let us see how it affects the steel plant environment. The basic situation is that there is a huge cost of illness per claim in this industry. “In 2001, the average cost for an occupational noise-induced hearing loss was $14,000. For respiratory system–related pneumoconiosis, the per-claim loss was $115,000. For an occupational skin disorder, the per-claim loss averaged $5,300. These average costs do not include the possible related compliance penalties from regulatory agencies, the loss in production time, the loss in quality or the loss due to reduction in team morale.” (Safety First, 2009) In this Safety First publication, we can learn that chemical hazards take a lot of different forms and cause a lot of different sicknesses in the most basic and highest stages. In a work place like the steel industry, there are physical hazards that workers experience first-hand and give out immediate effects, while there are those that take time processing through the cells and nerves of the body. Of course, there are the biological and ergonomic hazards. “To better understand the processes that are involved in the control of industrial hygiene, let us look at the difference in effects of toxicity and hazard. The distinction between toxicity and hazard is an important one in assessing the workplace environment. The toxicity of a substance describes the nature, degree and extent of undesirable effects. Toxicity is a basic biological property of a material and reflects its inherent capacity to produce injury. Hazard describes the likelihood of this toxicity to occur” (Safety First, 2009). With this definition, we understand that the primary work of the health administration is to look into the physical and chemical properties of all the machineries and materials that the workers use. Identifying these will help monitor how much of the elements transfer to the body, the route by which it travels and how long it stays in the body. This monitoring is known otherwise as exposure, and this is what is being measured during evaluation. For safety and professional reasons, only the qualified industrial hygienists can do the work of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling all the necessary factors that affect a work place. These people have studied well on the field, earned a requisite degree and had a number of good experiences. Part of their responsibility is not only to implement the program and standards as mentioned, but also to troubleshoot and solve any kind of discomfort that the workers experience in his or her surroundings. This includes eliminating, or plainly controlling the problem. “A professional industrial hygienist is a person possessing either a bachelor’s degree in engineering, chemistry or physics, or a bachelor’s degree in a closely related biological or physical science from an accredited college or university, who also has a minimum of three years of industrial hygiene experience. A completed doctoral in a related physical, biological or medical science or in related engineering can be substituted for two years of the three-year requirement” (Safety First, 2009). But then again, the employees do not only owe their safety and well-being to the main industrial hygienists themselves, but also to many other officers in the different departments. In chemical companies in several industries, there are the medical, operations management, engineering, safety, purchasing, legal, human resources, employees and top managements that are all needed for a successful program that must work hand in hand to make the program work. Also according to the Safety First article, the basic process of Industrial Hygiene must cover the following key areas: • Health hazard recognition. • Health hazard evaluation. • Health hazard control. • Employee education and training. • Audit of the program’s effectiveness and update of the program for continuous improvement. These key areas must be backed up with a well-written plan that will last for long. The written plan must contain all the necessary records in all evaluations done. With this a few reminders on the step-by-step process is as follows: RECOGNITION To recognize the potential threats to the working environment, the point person must first have to be familiar with the operations in the plant. He or she must know how all the machineries and other equipment work and how they are used by the employees. Process flow diagrams, process descriptions and/or standard operating procedures, along with equipment reviews should be obtained and reviewed prior to any walk-through. Reference books or Internet sources describing the processes involved can serve as a source for the terminology used in the process (Safety First, 2009). After this, a preliminary survey is conducted. The survey must be comprehensive enough to record the details about the raw materials, products and byproducts, sources of the possible exposure contaminants, types of physical agents, control measures in place, occupational titles, the number of occupations per shift and the number of employees working each particular occupation per shift. Recording all these will help keep track of what has been happening within the confines of the environment. This assessment will also serve as an inventory. EVALUATION Then next phase concerns the opinions from the professional. They weigh up the level of threats in the specific environment by considering the records and studying the frequency levels of the threats. “Environmental conditions, both outdoor and indoor, must be observed. The movement, location and duration involved in various tasks of the employee being evaluated must be recorded and are invaluable in the evaluation of the exposure. Typically, a baseline or initial evaluation survey may involve the collection of samples over the course of several days or shifts or under several conditions” (Safety First, 2009). With this step, the industrial hygienist must take into consideration the interferences and limitations of all the results in the recognition stage. The numbers and frequencies may be misleading as it may change at a different time frame, especially because these are results of a sampling. CONTROL The control stage is where the resolution comes in. This is where the industrial hygienist removes or reduces the hazard in the work place in a particular method. “They also employ engineering, work practice controls, and other methods to control potential health hazards. Engineering controls minimize employee exposure by either reducing or removing the hazard at the source or isolating the worker from the hazard. Engineering controls include eliminating toxic chemicals and replacing harmful toxic materials with less hazardous ones, enclosing work processes or confining work operations, and installing general and local exhaust ventilation systems.” Aside from the engineering controls mentioned, there are the administrative controls, which is a method by which the employees are being controlled by “scheduling production and workers’ tasks in ways that minimize exposure levels. For example, employers might schedule operations with the highest exposure potential during periods when the fewest employees are present” (Safety First, 2009). Still, aside from the basic process, there is a need for some education and training as per the employees themselves. They must be knowledgeable and aware of their own environment and must somehow know the fundamentals of industrial hygiene. Keeping the employees equipped with the essential information, the prevention of threats and hazard may even be possible. Meanwhile, trainings conducted by the professional industrial hygienists themselves can also be helpful to the employees’ career growth. It would even be better to conduct them regularly to help retain the knowledge. “Elements of training include new employee training, periodic updates, hazard communication training, posting of hazardous areas, material safety data sheets and labeling” (Safety First, 2009). As per chemical exposure particularly, here are some additional notes and tips on a different method of controls: CONTROL AT THE SOURCE This may be done by substitution, wherein other types of harmful chemicals and processes that are available may be used as alternatives. But this may be tedious as it needs proper experimentation. Mechanizing the process is another thing. Robots and other mechanical “arms” are used as alternatives to humans in handling the dangerous chemicals here, to lessen the human’s exposure. Lastly, there is the isolation or enclosure method, at which the source can be separated from the worker. The chemicals are to be put in another room or building so that the workers are properly restricted. CONTROL ALONG THE PATH One method of controlling the path is through Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) – “A hood or intake near the point of a chemical release can capture or draw contaminated air from its source before it spreads into the breathing zone of workers involved in the operation using the chemical or workers at nearby operations” (Controlling Chemical Exposure Industrial Hygiene Fact Sheets, 2000). There is also the general or dilution ventilation that involves the presence of fresh air so that the chemicals become diluted, or not too concentrated. This way, the chemicals won’t directly mix with the working environment at high levels. Finally, there’s the good old housekeeping that involves the removal of chemicals from the work stations entirely. “For example, floors, walls, ceilings, doors, stairs, rafters, tables, chairs, machinery, equipment, and tools should be kept free of chemicals so that they do not get into the air or come into contact with employees’ skin or food” (Controlling Chemical Exposure Industrial Hygiene Fact Sheets, 2000). CONTROL AT THE WORKER Then of course there’s the management of the employees themselves. First is the worker’s education in which everyone who works with chemicals should know the chemical name as well as brand or trade name of each chemical or chemical mixture, their health hazards, and other hazards such as fire or explosion. “Employers are required by law to provide this information, along with training in how to use chemicals safely.” Knowing all these by heart will keep themselves away from the danger (Controlling Chemical Exposure Industrial Hygiene Fact Sheets, 2000). The workers may also be enclosed in some room. But of course, in a well-ventilated room at which the worker can still find comfort. This method is only to prevent the workers from being contaminated. All these presented methods are do not just present what we do not know about industrial hygiene in chemical companies and the professions behind it. These facts also provide us with an overview of its significance to the industry and to the well-being of the working public. Also, all these studies have been present in a long period of time, making them a good source and measure of the hygiene’s effectiveness. Works Cited Hirsh, Richard. “Globalization of an Industrial Hygiene Program at a Multinational Specialty Chemical Company.” Aiha.org Handouts. May 2006. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. No Author. “The Industrial Hygiene.” Iron Steel and Technology. n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. OSHA.gov. “Industrial Hygiene: An Introduction for Engineers.” OSHA.gov Presentation. n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. OSHA.gov. “Industrial Hygiene.” Informational Booklet on Industrial Hygiene. 1998. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. Senn, Eileen. “Controlling Chemical Exposure Industrial Hygiene Fact Sheets.” New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Division of Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Health Occupational Health Service. October 2000. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. Read More