Whether you’re installing a chemical safety cabinet or laying down floor bunding, it’s vital that your HAZCHEM control measures are effective. To help you understand the importance of implementing hazardous chemical control measures in the correct way, we’ve listed some of most common mistakes we’ve seen in the workplace.
REMEMBER: Your WHS responsibilities are explained in the WHS Regulations as well as Codes of Practice including Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace. Connect with your local regulator to find out more about WHS laws in your state or territory.
A HAZCHEM risk control is a measure put in place to eliminate (or minimise) the level of harm associated with a chemical hazard.
Examples of HAZCHEM control measures could be using chemical-resistant goggles while decanting corrosive liquids, keeping paints and solvents in a dedicated flammable liquids cabinet, or placing your IBCs onto bunded pallets.
Mistakes can be made in the workplace, which can compromise the safety of hazardous chemical control measures.
WHS control measures are those which meet health and safety requirements and offer effective protection against chemical hazards. There are many levels of controls, which are explained in the Hierarchy of Controls.
By following the Hierarchy of Control, through the process of elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment, you can systematically reduce the risk of hazardous chemicals in your workplace.
For example, some WHS control measures may be:
However, sometimes the best intentions don’t equal best practice – and mistakes can be made.
There are some common mistakes that we see in workplaces who are looking to control the hazards created by hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods. We’ve compiled this list as a real-life example of the things you SHOULDN’T do when working towards risk reduction and chemical compliance.
The most effective way to deal with any hazard is to eliminate it completely. But it can be very difficult to eliminate a chemical hazard — and sometimes your find the risk has just been transferred to a different area.
Let’s consider the following:
EXAMPLE: Your laboratory conducts a daily test which requires a mixture of 2 x hazardous liquids. The mix must be done carefully as the liquids are volatile and can react violently if not prepared in the correct sequence using exact quantity ratios. Your aim is to eliminate the mixing hazard by purchasing pre-mixed chemicals from an external supplier. But you now have a handling and storage hazard as the pre-mixed chemicals are received from suppliers and then stored until required.
The most effective way of eliminating a chemical hazard is to stop using the chemical completely. This may not always be practicable because often the only way to do this is also eliminate several work processes and product lines from your manufacturing and sales inventory.
Sometimes HAZCHEM controls introduce new hazards to the workplace. As chemical hazards can be complex, it can be difficult to predict where they will emerge.
Here are some examples of new risks introduced after controls are implemented:
IMPORTANT: Chemical controls should always be supported with administrative procedures and training as well as reviewed when actually in place to ensure they remain effective.
Administration controls sit near the bottom of the Hierarchy of Control because they do nothing to eliminate a chemical hazard or reduce chemical exposure. We regularly see administrative controls being misused in several ways.
Administrative controls should only be considered when other higher order control measures are not practicable, or to supplement other control measures.
SAFEWORK AUSTRALIA
Let’s unpack this topic further by using a simple example that could occur at a worksite.
EXAMPLE: You carry out oxy-acetylene welding at the job site which requires a cylinder of oxygen and an acetylene cylinder. You are looking at ways to minimise the risk of fire, explosion, and chemicals burns.
However, there are some mistakes that could be made when attempting to control chemical risk through administrative controls. These include:
To ensure that your HAZCHEM control measures are always effective, we recommend using a 4 step risk management methodology. Find out more by accessing your copy of our free eBook How to manage the risk of hazardous chemicals in the workplace, which demonstrates the methodology in practice and how you can apply it to your own workplace.