Reprinted from the ACJ - November, 1994
Every minute of every day we make decisions that affect our safety. We get into a car that we deem safe. We fight traffic to the shop. Both can be dangerous, but are within our individual safety guidelines. We trust that the cup of coffee we just filled is fresh and not last Friday's, still simmering away as some form of toxic primordial ooze.
It is important to realize that everything we do has some inherent danger. The media would have us believe that apple juice is a killer and that the air in certain cities is dangerously toxic, yet automatic weapons are relatively safe and necessary hunting guns. The point is that safety is a relative issue. So have a relative try that cup of coffee and then assess its safety.
How does a person gauge the hazards involved in any given situation? Past experience, the experience of others or testing. These are our best sources of information. But solid safety data is not always readily available, or presented in such a way that it is easily read and applied. So, let's look at assessing the hazards in our shop in the most thorough manner without getting a PhD in industrial hygiene or spending the kids' inheritance.
Using our own experience is the easiest and often our most valuable source. No child who has burned his or her hand on a hot stove needs a government sanctioned study to assure him that repeating the behavior is unsafe. Nor will he quickly forget the results.
NO SECOND CHANCES
The problem we face is that some of the dangers we see in an automotive repair shop won't give us a second chance. So we may turn to testing as a source of hazard assessment. But this is difficult for several reasons. Well developed and executed safety and health experiments take lots of time and money. For a small shop or business, this just is not feasible. Besides, the guinea pig in your experiment will probably be you, and now you are back to the problems associated with personal experience ...you have to experience the hazard personally.
OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCES
That leads us to our best source of hazard assessment information, other people's experiences. This is great because getting the information doesn't take a lot of time, doesn't cause you personal injury and is relatively inexpensive.
A recent Haz-Mat class I attended had a colorful instructor, who also worked on the local Haz-Mat response team. He described an interesting source of hazard assessment information based on the experience of others. He stated that the first thing a Haz-Mat team responding to a situation looks for is the cop on the scene. There is one at every incident and he is usually the first person to respond to the call.
He is also a valuable tool in the hazard assessment at the site. If he is standing around talking to the crew or bystanders, then the Haz-Mat team rushes in and does its thing. If, upon arrival, the team finds the cop lying unconscious near the incident, the Haz-Mat guys will take a bit longer assessing and preparing before moving in. They are using to full advantage another's experience in determining the hazards of the situation. A cold example I admit, but you get my point.
Other, more palatable, sources of hazard assessment information are available and a good deal more helpful. Membership in associations such as NARSA can provide a network of hundreds of folks who may have had experience with one hazard or another and would love to share the insight they have gained. Many of the programs and speakers sponsored by NARSA can also be a source of information.
READ THE LABEL
Product labels are good sources of preliminary hazard information. Basic, acute and chronic hazards are described. These may be detailed, but more often they are simple due to lack of room on the label. "Harmful if swallowed" or "Keep away from flame" are typical examples. They may be simple, but they do provide safety information.
More detailed facts can be found on the SDS for a given material. In my opinion (which along with 50 cents will get you a cup of coffee), the MSDS is your best source of hazard assessment information. Section II of the SDS lists the ingredients found to be hazardous and gives the permissible exposure limits (PEL) set for that substance.
Health hazards are described, as you might expect, in the health hazard section. This is also the place where the "Routes of Entry" may be listed. As we have said before (I know, I know, we have said it way too often), if you block the substance's route of entry into your body, you won't have to worry about its detrimental effects causing you harm. We block those entry routes by wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE).
Some specific PPE may also be described in the Special Protection section of the SDS, but let's say you yearn to learn more. Several publications can be very helpful, although they sometimes lean toward the technical side. Both OSHA and the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) put out lists of substances and their exposure limits. Also reported are skin absorption and cancer information.
The Merck Index and/or Industrial Toxicology by A. Hamilton and H. Hardy are both excellent sources of hazard data. Publications from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) or the National Technical Information Service (NTP) report the findings of carcinogenicity studies.
FIRST STEP (LAST HOPE?)
Now let's say your SDS gives little information and you don't feel like a trip to the medical library. Here is a generic hazard assessment method. Believe me, this is simplistic! It will give you the type of hazard involved, but not the degree of danger. But it may be useful as a first step or as a last resort. Ask these questions: Is the vapor pressure greater than 40 psi at room temperature? If so, it is a pressure hazard. Is the pH less than 4 or greater than 10? If so, corrosive. Look for the words poison, carcinogen, sensitizer or toxic on the label. Also, if the word oxidizer is mentioned, keep it away from flame.
Remember, this method is a first step (or a last hope). Next you need to assess the degree of the hazard and then decide on safety precautions. For that you will most likely need additional information, SDS, books, labels. You can also contact the supplier to ask questions. Now I suppose you could call 911, have the cop do a little bench work when he gets there, and, with a cup of "certified fresh" coffee, monitor his actions from the parking lot for possible hazards.
On second thought, stick with hazard assessment by the books.
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