To successfully manage the risks at your site, you must first identify chemicals which are hazardous. After all, you can’t control a safety risk or chemical hazard if you don’t know it exists.
This blog introduces you to the chemical identification process: locating and identifying the chemicals, then determining their hazards. This process is also the first step in the STOREMASTA risk management methodology IDENTIFY - ASSESS - CONTROL - SUSTAIN, and an essential requirement for meeting your Work Health and Safety (WHS) obligations.
LEGISLATION: A person conducting a business or undertaking must manage the risks to health and safety associated with using, handling, generating or storing a hazardous chemical at a workplace.
Section 351 Model WHS Regulations
Conducting a site inspection for hazardous chemicals
We recommend beginning the chemical hazard identification process with a thorough site inspection. An onsite inspection involves walking around the entire job site, entering work areas and consulting with workers and line supervisors.
Hazardous chemicals can be found all over a worksite. Therefore, we suggest printing out a floor plan so you don’t miss any work areas.
Some common areas include:
- Manufacturing and production lines
- Warehouses, raw materials and chemical stores
- Spray booths, decanting and lube stations
- Laboratories and testing facilities
- Repair and maintenance workshops
- Refuse and waste stations
- Engine rooms and vehicle depots
IMPORTANT: To comply with the WHS Act and Regulations, the hazard identification process should be carried out in consultation with your workers.
Identify the chemicals you are using
Identifying chemical hazards begins with correctly identifying the chemical itself. You do this by walking around your workplace and physically locating each and every chemical product.
Check the product labels and refer to the Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) provided by the chemical manufacturer or supplier.
You can then create a master list which details the name of each chemical product, as well as where they are stored or handled in your organisation.
REMEMBER: Identifying chemical hazards always starts from a knowledge of the individual properties of a chemical.
Identify the health hazards associated with the chemicals
Chemical health hazards are the ways that people can be physically harmed by the chemicals themselves.
Some examples include:
- Toxic gases - can be inhaled
- Poisonous liquids - can be swallowed, ingested or absorbed by the skin
- Corrosive liquids and powders - can contact the skin
- Carcinogenic dusts - can be inhaled
For each chemical on your list, you’ll need to identify every way it could cause physical harm to a person. The Safety Data Sheet (SDS) will detail this information in the sections “Hazards Identification” and “Toxicological Information”.
When identifying chemical health hazards, you need to be thorough. We mentioned earlier that chemicals are complex and many of them have more than one health hazard. A clear example of this are paint solvents which can cause respiratory damage and death from the toxic vapours. But solvent fumes have also caused many workers to lose consciousness or concentration and subsequently die from falls or operational errors.
REMEMBER: If you don’t have experience in chemical hazard identification, we recommend talking to your supplier, as well as professional WHS consultants who specialises in hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods.
Identify the physiochemical hazards present in the workplace
Physiochemical hazards are the way chemicals can cause damage to the workplace, as well as the external environment. Fires, explosions, and the destruction of an eco-system are all the results of physiochemical hazards.
Physiochemical hazards are usually identified by a chemical’s hazard class which you will find on the SDS.
Some examples may include:
- Flammable liquids
- Explosives
- Oxidising gases
- Self-reactive substances and mixtures
When identifying the physiochemical hazards present in your workplace, you’ll also need to include the ways you handle, store and use chemicals.
This can be achieved by observing workers and talking to supervisors. You can also review operating procedures and work methods.
Consider asking questions like:
- Do staff keep chemicals on workbenches?
- Are unlabelled portable containers left out overnight?
- Are all staff fully trained to use PPE correctly?
- Can unauthorised personnel access chemical stores?
- Are hazardous chemicals properly segregated and secured in safety cabinets?
- Are emergency showers and eye wash stations installed?
- Do site visitors smoke or use electronic gadgets near flammable stores?
REMEMBER: If staff don’t understand the dangerous properties of the chemicals they use or what to do in an emergency, this is also considered a physiochemical hazard.
Reading chemical labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)
When you have your master list of chemicals you should also check the products labels and SDSs for each of the chemicals to determine their physical or health hazards. The product labels contain clear symbols that quickly identify the chemical as hazardous.
These may include:
- Pictograms - recognisable symbols that identify hazards (eg, flames, bomb, skull and crossbones)
- Signal words - WARNING or DANGER
- Hazard and precautionary statements - instructions for people using, handling or storing the chemicals
The SDS issued by the manufacturer, supplier or importer of the chemical will also present a full list of known hazards. This document will also contain essential advice for safe chemical storage and use, such as PPE recommendations, workplace storage controls and any environmental concerns.
IMPORTANT: If you encounter an unknown chemical in an unmarked container you should attach a label stating Caution - Do Not Use - Unknown Substance. You’ll need to take steps to identify the substance so it can be either correctly labeled or disposed of safely.
Less obvious chemicals and hazardous substances
Identifying chemicals from labels and SDSs is relatively straight forward, but hazardous chemicals don’t always come in packaged containers with neat labels. Sometimes chemicals are generated in the workplace via work processes or emitted as chemical waste. Other chemicals are hidden from view in pipelines or operating plant and machinery.
1. Chemicals generated in the workplace
Welding fume, wood dust, metal grindings, factory emissions, solvent vapours, diesel exhaust, and sewerage are all examples of hazardous chemicals generated during manufacturing, work processes, and general operations. None of these chemicals will have a specific SDS or a product label, but they still need to be identified as hazardous and have their risks assessed. Therefore, it’s essential to consult with your staff in their work areas to determine all chemicals that may be used onsite.
2. Chemicals hidden from view
Other chemicals can be hidden from direct view inside chemical pipelines. Pipelines can carry flammable, explosive, and toxic substances that present a significant hazard to your people, your property or the environment if the pipeline was to fail.
Hazardous chemicals may also be present inside operating plant and machinery. You need to conduct a risk assessment on the actual equipment and how it is used to understand the nature of chemicals used for fuel or manufacturing. You'll also have to consider the emissions (mists, dusts, vapours, fumes, oil leaks) that could be released.
3. Chemical reactions
Some relatively benign substances become flammable, toxic, or explosive when exposed to incompatible chemicals or even water.
Safety cabinets can provide adequate segregation from incompatible substances.
Apart from an SDS you should consult with industry associations or external consultants who can help you identify chemical reactions common to your industry group. In many cases you may need to arrange safety cabinets or segregate chemical stores to prevent dangerous reactions.
IMPORTANT: Identifying hazardous chemicals correctly is not just for risk assessment purposes, you also have obligations under the WHS Regulations in your state or territory to ensure that all chemicals in the workplace are labeled correctly and work areas carry compliant warning placards, pictograms, and signage.
Correctly Identifying Chemical Hazards
Identifying hazardous chemicals and determining the risks they present to your workers, property, and the environment is best carried out following the steps of an approved risk management methodology. Download our free eBook How to manage the risk of Hazardous Chemicals in the workplace to learn how to apply our four-step methodology to the chemical hazards at your own job site. Read it today and get your workplace 100% chemical safety compliant.
