|  | Public Health Safety | Work Safety

The Risk of Using Chemicals at Work

The nature of your work may require you to use chemicals on a daily basis. Perhaps you're a chemist, a pharmacist or a factory employee. Even those who call a cubicle their second home are exposed to chemicals in the workplace, from the hand soap in the washroom and the air freshener to the hand sanitizer on their desks. Those who handle hazardous chemicals face more potential danger than office workers, but precautions should be taken in every workplace to ensure adequate personal and environmental safety.

  1. Personal Health

    • If your work requires you to come into contact with volatile chemicals on a daily basis, it can pose a risk to your long-term health. When new chemicals are approved for use on, in, or by humans, there has usually not been sufficient passage of time to determine whether they pose a long-term health threat. Daily exposure to chemicals has been correlated with increased cancer risk, particularly when chemical particles are inhaled or ingested, even in minute amounts. If your workplace provides on-the-job protection, such as protective suits, goggles, or masks, make sure you use them properly and consistently to minimize the risk of chemical exposure.

    Personal Safety

    • Chemicals in different workplaces can also pose a threat to your personal safety. Factories are particularly notorious for their use of dangerous chemicals that may be necessary to properly clean and prepare various parts and components of the product workers are employed to assemble. Chemicals can cause burns, rashes and irritation, and chemical fumes can cause psychological side effects including dizziness, headache, and disorientation. Sudden exposure to a large volume of volatile chemical compounds can even be fatal. Before you accept a job that requires you to handle chemicals, carefully review the terms of your employment to ensure you'll receive adequate compensation and protection in the event you're injured or incapacitated while on the job. Hire a lawyer if you need help understanding a contract or manual.

    Environmental Hazards

    • Chemicals used in many manufacturing processes to make products most of us take for granted, such as paper and plastic, can pose a significant threat to the environment if improperly disposed of or inadvertently released. In December 1984, a massive accidental leak at a pesticide plant operated by Union Carbide India Limited released massive amounts of methyl isocyanate and other chemical gases into the atmosphere in the middle of the night. The gas leak initially escaped detection but resulted in thousands of deaths and gas-related diseases. It also resulted in visible damage to surrounding trees, causing all their leaves to fall off, and it contaminated the local water and food supply. Safety systems and failsafes should be regularly inspected and maintained to ensure disasters such as this are prevented.

    Safety Hazards for Others

    • Chemicals used in the workplace don't always stay there once employees leave to return home. They can cling to clothing and skin, and transfer from employees to their families, bus drivers and other commuters, and bed if careful washing and removal of contaminated clothing doesn't occur. Although any effects of coming into direct contact with the chemicals will be secondary if they're transferred outside the workplace, health and safety concerns remain, as others can be sickened without knowing they're being exposed. It's best to remove contaminated clothing before leaving the workplace, and shower before changing into clean street clothes to minimize the risk of chemical transfer.

Work Safety - Related Articles