Environmental Health & Safety
Chemical Hazard Communication Program
Prepared by: University of Rochester's Environmental Health & Safety Department (EH&S)
Revised 2/2022
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PDF Version of Chemical Hazard Communication Program
SECTION 3: CHEMICALS - HAZARDS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE
- EXPOSURE LEVELS
Minimizing exposures to chemicals is important to worker safety. Consulting the SDS can provide valuable information on preventing exposures to chemicals. Adverse effects from chemical exposures can lead to long-term health effects. Exposures to chemicals are described in many ways. Acute or short term exposures are exposures that occur over a very short period of time, usually less than 15 minutes. Chronic or long-term exposures occur over a long period of time, usually weeks or years.
OSHA regulates the amount of a chemical an employee can be exposed to. OSHA’s Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for a chemical is a legal regulatory limit of airborne exposure, averaged over an 8-hour work period which cannot be exceeded. Short Term Exposure Limits (STEL’s) are 15-minute time-weighted average (TWA) airborne limits. STELs are typically defined for chemicals that have fast-acting acute effects.
The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist (ACGIH) publishes a list of Threshold Limit Values (TLV’s) for chemicals. The TLVs are widely recognized guidelines to assist in the control of health hazards intended to be used in the practice of industrial hygiene. The TLV for a chemical is the 8-hr TWA airborne concentration of a chemical that is thought most people can be exposed to, day after day, over a working lifetime, without adverse health effects.
Methods of detecting chemicals can include:
- Exposure monitoring by the employer
- Continuous monitoring devices
- Observation of the chemical’s appearance, odor, or other physical characteristics.
- MEDICAL CONSULTATIONS AND EXAMINATIONS
- Consultations
Consultations and medical examinations for work-related illnesses, injuries, and exposures are made available under the following circumstances:
- When an employee develops signs or symptoms associated with a hazardous chemical to which he/she may have been exposed
- Where exposure monitoring reveals any exposure levels routinely above the OSHA Action Level (AL) or Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for which there are exposure monitoring and medical surveillance requirements
- Whenever an unusual event takes place in the work area such as a spill, leak, explosion, or other occurrence resulting in the likelihood of an exposure above the PEL or STEL
- Chemical Exposures
- When an employee believes they might have had exposure to a hazardous chemical they are to immediately report their findings/incident to their supervisor
- The employee will seek immediate medical attention if required; phone University Health Service (UHS) at 275-2662. Identify yourself, state that a person has been exposed to a chemical (how and which one), and what preliminary precautions have been taken. UHS will provide triage and instruct the caller on where the employee should go for treatment. The nature of the exposure may necessitate a referral directly to the Emergency Department or the employee may be referred to the UHS Clinic. The employee should give the full name of the chemical exposed to and, if possible, a copy of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS), to the medical provider.
- For any serious situation at anytime, call x13 (Department of Public Safety) and request a MERT (Medical Emergency Response Team) Response.
- If an employee experiences symptoms or injury as a result of chemical exposure, the employee needs to document the incident through the Employee Incidnet/Injury Reporting System found on the web at http://www.safety.rochester.edu/SMH115.html
- For high severity incidents, the supervisor will notify their department head and contact EHS for an immediate incident review (275-3241).
- EH&S reviews each exposure incident reported in the Employee Incident Reporting System (Cority), where a cause and corrective action are documented.
- Medical Surveillance
Special medical surveillance programs are provided when indicated by the unique needs of a department or division (e.g. Hearing Conservation exams) and are available through UHS. The department can call UHS at 275-2662 for department charges and other information.
- SPILL CONTROL
Preplanning for a spill response saves time and minimizes hazards. Small spills are those spills, which by their small volume or low toxicity, are not deemed to present a health hazard to trained chemical users. Small chemical spills are to be cleaned up immediately by the chemical user. Some spills can create slippery conditions that can lead to additional hazards. The appropriate PPE must be worn when cleaning these spills to help prevent exposures.
Some hazardous substances necessitate special clean-up procedures to minimize hazards to clean-up personnel. Major spills are those spills, which by their large volume or high toxicity present a health hazard under normal conditions. Clean up of these spills should not be attempted by employees.
Spill Emergency Plan
- Emergency preplanning to be followed before working with hazardous chemicals
- Determine the potential location of releases
- Determine the quantities of material that may be released
- Know the chemical and physical properties of the material (physical state, vapor pressure, air or water reactivity)
- Know the material’s hazardous properties (toxicity, corrosivity, flammability)
- Have the required PPE and spill kits available
- In the event of a small spill, the following general procedures are to be followed
- Attend to any persons who may have been contaminated. If personal exposure may have occurred, have the person use the emergency eye wash station or safety shower. Direct the person to University Health Service if medical assistance is needed.
- Notify persons in the immediate area of the spill
- Mark off spill area and close the door
- Avoid breathing vapors of the spilled material
- Leave any local exhaust ventilation on
- Secure supplies to affect clean-up
- During clean-up, wear the appropriate PPE
- Place the collected waste in an appropriate container for disposal
- In the event of a major spill, the following procedures are to be followed
- Attend to any persons who may have been contaminated. If a direct exposure may have occurred, have the person use the eye wash station or safety shower
- Alert others in the immediate area of the spill. Evacuate personnel from the area
- Confine the fumes/vapors from the spill by closing the door to the room where the spill occurred
- Contact the Department of Public Safety (x13) from a safe location and provide information on the spilled material (what spilled, quantity, location of the spill, etc.)
- Stay available to provide information concerning the spill and other hazards that may be present in the spill area to the emergency spill response personnel
- Emergency preplanning to be followed before working with hazardous chemicals
Medical consultations and examinations are available for chemical exposures from University Health Service (UHS). In the event of a serious injury or an after hour's emergency, care is available from Strong Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department. All required medical examinations and consultations are performed by, and under the direct supervision of, a licensed physician and are provided without cost to the employee.
Contact the Occupational Safety Unit at 275-3241 with any questions regarding this program
QUESTIONS or COMMENTS?
Contact EH&S at (585) 275-3241 or e-mail EH&S Questions.
This page last updated 5/18/2022. Disclaimer.
