Maintaining a Safe and Healthy Chemical Handling Environment
Working with chemicals can be an extremely safe career if the proper steps are taken for the safety of your employees. Industrial chemical supplier Bell Chem maintains its facilities under strict protocol to ensure the chemicals you receive are maintained and handled in the safest manner possible. Read below to better understand how you and your team can ensure your work and storage areas can maintain the best outcomes for hazard recognition and exposure reduction.
Overall strategies
Your workplace chemical safety plan should include the following measures:
Training: Ensure all employees who come into contact with chemicals know how to handle and dispense them safely by training everyone on standard operating procedures and the correct protocol in the event of spills. All employees must wear the proper personal protection devices determined by their level of contact with chemicals. Levels of care will change depending on whether employees are receiving, storing, processing, or disposing of chemicals.
Receiving: Check that labels fully explain the contents of the package. Never add a chemical to a container with an alternate label.
Storing: Like chemicals should be stored together, such as acids with acids, flammables with flammables, and so on. Corrosive chemicals should contain clear warning labels on their packaging.
Processing: Ventilation is key in handling many chemicals. Know which chemicals require a vent hood to process and turn the vent hood on before opening the chemical. Ensure ventilation systems in factories and large facilities are functioning properly.
Disposing: When a chemical’s usefulness ends, know how to dispose of it. Can it be safely diluted with water and flushed down a drain, or does it need to be buffered with another chemical for safe transport outside your facility?
Reduce chances of misuse
Regular inspections of your chemicals to ensure they have not exceeded their expiration date, they are clearly labeled, they are not leaking due to faulty seals or broken containers, and they are properly shelved is not just good practice, it is essential to meet many governmental standards.
In case of emergency
Clearly mark all eye stations, showers, and first aid centers in your building. Be cognizant of any alarms and treat them as emergencies every time. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, for instance. Remaining in a building while an alarm is blaring because your senses tell you it must be a drill might be highly detrimental. Check the chemical MSDs online or in the packages of each chemical sent to your organization.
The Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters reports one chemical-related incident every two days is average in the United States. Sadly, a vast number of these incidents are not reported. Don’t be a statistic. Work smart, read labels, and ensure incidents are reported to supervisors. Governmental oversight agencies for chemical safety such as the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) offer information to keep employees safe.
Bell Chem is your industrial chemical supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.