Hygiene and hazardous substances

I can remember my mother telling me to wash my hands as a child. Then, I thought this was overrated and going straight from handling the pet dog, lizards and frogs could not possibly be an issue.

Seems she was right and now hospitals and clinics have firm protocols on how to best wash and dry hands. In the workplace it is possible to come into contact with a wide range of dusts, hazardous substances, fumes and mists.

For effective health outcomes it is necessary to keep exposure to either an acceptable minimum or complete non contact.

There is no safe exposure for contact with say, hydrofluoric acid. Hydroflouric acid is a very strong acid that can be used in industrial processes. It is a highly corrosive liquid and is a contact poison. It dissolves calcium very well.

As our bones are made of calcium it is pretty critical not to get any on your skin. A total non contact safety management approach is vital for obvious reasons and substitute substances would be strongly considered before use.

Good hygiene keeps contaminants out of your body. This means all avenues for entry to the body are considered including ingestion, absorption and inhalation.

As part of the risk analysis and safe work procedure, all aspects should be considered and firm procedures established. Simple strategies such as washing your hands and, if required, keeping work clothing separate from private clothing, may be considered.

Remember all incidents and injuries are preventable. The better planned and prepared we are the less likelihood of an incident.

Kevin Bassett
Corporate Safety Manager