Reprinted from the ACJ - March, 1999
To thine own self be true. I think that is Shakespeare, but I'm not sure. We didn't read a lot of Shakespeare in engineering school. But I know what it means and it is the basis of this article. Watch out for your own well being. No one is as motivated to protect you, as you are.
Everybody appears to be helpful. OSHA tells you what to do, and what not to do, to protect yourself. Industrial hygienists tell us about the health effects of hazardous chemical exposure. I rant from these pages regularly, trumpeting the benefits of being health and safety conscious. But when it comes right down to it, none of us really cares about you, I mean, not the way you care about you. Did OSHA bring in a spare machine guard that you needed? When was the last time I came to your shop to help you decide which respirator was required? Bottom line, it is up to you to protect yourself. CYA, cover your assets???
OSHA mandates that manufacturers of dangerous machinery guard the hazardous areas and point out to the user the dangers he will encounter. Chemical producers are required to place appropriate warnings on the label. Producers and distributors of these products are required to supply a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) to the user of the product. In the MSDS they provide a good deal of information designed to allow safe use of their product and warn of the hazards of misuse. The only problem is that no one watches to make sure you don't remove machine guards, or physically forces you to read the labels or the MSDS. Without this information, accidents can happen.
As a shop owner legally regulated by OSHA's Hazard Communication standard, you must have an MSDS for all hazardous chemicals and products in your shop. If your supplier hasn't provided one, you are required to request and obtain one. Even if your shop is not covered by the regulations, as a human being with family, friends, dreams and aspirations for a long healthy life, you should make sure you acquire health and safety information, usually an MSDS, for all hazardous chemicals in your shop.
Read and try to understand what these warnings are telling you. Call the producer and ask questions if you are unsure. Go to the library, or go online, to search for clarification. Talk to your doctor or perhaps a nearby university industrial hygiene department. Contact NARSA.
I am not saying you need to memorize the LD50 for intraperitoneal exposure in rats, but it is up to you to be sure you are working safely with this nasty stuff. Is it toxic, a skin and eye irritant, or flammable? Do I need gloves, a respirator, full body armor? There are a lot of people out there leading you to water, but nobody can make you drink.
Experience is an important part of accumulating knowledge. Make sure this accumulated knowledge is correct. I've worked with this stuff for years and it never hurt me. Few statements reveal as much about a person's knowledge, or lack of it. Remember, acute exposures equal chronic hazards. A single cigarette never hurt anyone, but lung cancer rarely just happens. A good MSDS will tell you this, Repeated exposures may cause kidney, liver damage or Chronic hazards.
If you don't read the MSDS or label, you won't know the long-term ramifications of your short-term behavior. Out of sight, out of mind's more like Out of sight, out of luck. Use the personal protective equipment (PPE) recommended; follow label directions; use in a well ventilated area; keep away from children; always minimize exposure as a precaution. There I go ranting again.
Realize that although we don't work with high explosives or acute poisons, we still utilize some nasty stuff. If a chemical etches metal, most likely it will etch skin. If a machine grinds weld spatter, it will grind bone.
Encourage your employees and coworkers to become interested in shop hazards and safety practices. You may have to answer a bunch of questions, but that beats paying worker's comp bills.
There are many, many informational resources out there available to you if you have the desire to learn. Any knowledge you accumulate benefits you directly, your family, your coworkers, your insurance rates, and your bottom line. Look out for number one.
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc. and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY
114 Lost Grove Road / PO Box 96 / Princeton, Iowa 52768-0096
Phone 563-289-5123 or Fax 563-289-3825