Occupational Health & Safety

1. Occupational Health & Safety

2. History of Worker Safety Prior to OSHA • 1800’s – Industrial Revolution, number of workers increase exponentially, with little concern for worker safety • Mines, factories (ex. textile mills), industrial plants • Child labor a significant portion of labor pool • From 1880-1920, American work force increases from 28 to 42 million workers, mostly in manufacturing and heavy industry

3. History cont. • By 1900’s worker hours allow little to no time for life outside work (14-18 hr days) • Safety still an issue, in 1908, 1 out of every 50 workers were killed or suffered a major injury on the job • Unions begin forming successfully (1910-1920) and lobby to shorten work days to 10 hours • By 1920 all but 6 states have established workers compensation laws (by 1930 all states)

4. Pre OSHA Workers Rights & Safety • Unions organizing in part over worker safety • 1920’s, the Workers Health Bureau, a research & advocacy group for workers • 1935, the Social Security Act, for unemployment compensation & retirement • 1938, Fair Labor Standards Act, establishes first minimum standard of living for workers (wage) • 1966 & 1969, The Mine Safety Act, & Federal Coal Mine Safety Act, set basic standards for work place safety in mines

5. Occupational Safety & Health Act • “To assure every working person in thenation safe and healthy working conditions” • Act, passed in 1970, establishes the Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) • General Duty Clause- “safety- net,” is that it is overriding obligation of employers to provide a safe and healthy workplace • OSHA Standards take two (2) forms, specific standards & performance standards

6. Specific & Performance Standards • Specific standards: • Explain to employer how to specifically comply with regulation • Performance standard: • Lists ultimate goal of compliance, but does not explain how to accomplish the goal, up to employer to determine how they wish to comply with goal

7. Regulatory Framework for OSH Act • OSHA 200 Log, listing all workplace injuries • Training of employees of hazards & appropriate safety measures • Extensive record keeping by employer of the health & history of the employee • Bureau of Labor Statistics • Inspections & Enforcement by OSHA Compliance Safety & Health Officer (CSHO)

8. Health & Safety Regulations under OSHA • Hazard specific regulations • Specific standards for exposures to hazardous materials; ex. workplace air standards for chemicals • Workplace Hazard Communication Standards (HazCom – Hazard Communication Standard) • Requirement that workers are aware of hazards in their work environment. • Laboratory Safety Standard • Specific HazCom standard for laboratories • Hazardous Waste Operations & Emergency Response (HazWoper) • Applies HazCom to workers working with hazardous waste, ties up loose ends of HazCom

9. Hazard Specific Regulations: Airborne Contaminants • PELs – Permissible Exposure Limits, enforced by OSHA, based on TWAs – time weighted averages (8 hrs/day for 40 hr wk). Mathematical average of exposure conc. • TLVs – Threshold Limit Values, same as PELs, but are not enforced by government, developed by ACGIH. (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists) • RELs - Recommended Exposure Limits, established by NIOSH, for review by OSHA for revising PELs. (Natl. Institute of Occupational Safety & Health) • STEL – Short Tern Exposure Limit, time weighted average concentration to which worker can be continuously exposed for a short period (typically 15 minutes).

10. Hazard Specific Regulations: Airborne Contaminants cont. • C – Ceiling Limit, not a time weighted average, but instead a maximum concentration that should not be exceed at any time. • IDLH – Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health, defined as a concentration or condition that poses an immediate threat to life or health. • Difference between PEL & TLV – with various designations: OSHA – PEL, PEL-TWA, PEL-C, PEL-STEL, ACGIH – TLV-TWA, TLV-STEL, & TLV-C.

11. Other Hazard Specific Regulations • Relating to risks associated with energy, noise, heat, cold, radiation, vibration, repetitive motion, dust, and oxygen deficient environments • Example: Ergonomic regulations to alleviate the the development of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome • Example: OSHA Standard for oxygen deficient atmosphere is <19.5% oxygen, ACGIH defines it at 18% • At what concentration do we see physiological effects of oxygen deficiency ?

12. HazCom: Workplace Hazard Communication Standards • All businesses that use hazardous chemicals are covered by the HazCom standard • Labeling, MSDS’s, & employee training are the basic elements of hazard communication programs • The Laboratory Safety Standard is a hazard communication program for laboratories only • HazWoper covers hazardous waste clean-up workers TSD facilities, and emergency responders to chemical spills • 40-hr H&S training offered as part of OCC’s degree program falls under the HazWoper Standard.

13. MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheets • Informational sheet supplied by manufacturer for any hazardous material • No standardized format exists, but MSDS must provide information on 18 points (see pages 346-347 in text) • Including, specific chemical identification, CAS#, potential for fire/explosion, physical properties of substance, acute & chronic health risks, PEL, etc.

14. MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheets Cont. • Generally broken into 9 sections • Section I – Name & manufacturer identification • Section II – Information on ingredients, exposure limits, CAS#, if any components are considered carcinogens, and common names & synonyms • Section III – Physical data on material including its appearance and color • Section IV – Fire & explosion hazards, including flashpoint, LEL & UELs, and fire fighting procedures • Section V – General information on health hazards

15. MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheets Cont. • Remaining 4 sections • Section VI – Stability & reactivity data • Section VII – Provides information on precautions for safe handling and use (commonly called spill & leak procedures) • Section VIII – Recommendations for types of personal protective equipment appropriate with this material • Section IX – Special precautions section, catch-all for any important precautions

16. Informational Terms Included on MSDS’s • Flashpoint – the lowest temperature at which vapors above a flammable, volatile material ignite when exposed to an ignition source (e.g. flame) • Vapor pressure – a measurement of a liquids ability to volatilize • Vapor density – relative measure of density of a gas compared with standard air • LEL – Lower Explosive Limit, minimum concentration of a flammable gas require for ignition • UEL – Upper Explosive Limit, maximum concentration of a flammable gas require for ignition • Fire Triangle: Fuel – Heat – Oxygen

17. Actually a ‘fire tetrahedron, when you consider chemical reaction