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Seven-Step Initial Response Strategy

1. Evacuate Gettoasafeareaimmediately

Moveupwindifrelease

isdownwindofyou

Movecrosswindif

releaseisupwind

ofyou

Movetohigher

groundifpossible

2. Alarm Callforhelp (Mandown),sound

bell,horn,whistleor

callbyradio

3. Assess Doaheadcount

Considerother

hazards

4. Protect Putonbreathing apparatusbefore

attemptingrescue

5. Rescue Removevictimtoa safearea

6. Revive ApplyCPR ifnecessary

7. Medical

Aid

Arrangetransportofvictimto

medicalaid ProvideinformationtoEmergency

MedicalServices(EMS)

AdaptedfromEnformsH 2SAliveCourse

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1 2

INTRODUCTION

Thepurposeofthisbookletistoalertemployersand

workerstothedangersinvolvedinworkingwithH2S

andtoprovideguidanceforcontrollingthesedangers.

Hydrogen sulphide gasisoneofthemostdeadly

occupationalhazardsinAlberta.Itgoesbymany

names:H2S,sourgas,sewergas,stinkdamp,and

sulfurettedhydrogen.AstheindustrywiththelargestsourcesofH2S,

workersintheoilandgasindustrymustbeawareof

itsdeadlyproperties.However,sewermaintenance

crews,blasters,minersandemergencyresponders

mustalsolearntorespectandworksafelyaround

thisgas.

Employersmustensurethatworkerswho

maybeexposedtoH2Sgasareabletorecognize

itslethaleffects.Proceduresmustbeinplacefor

activitieswhereH2Smaybepresentaswellastoensurethatvictimswhoareovercomearerescued

andgivenfirstaid.

BE ALERT! TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION

SOME PLACESWHERE H2S IS FOUND

Gas Plants, Refineries,Petro-Chemical Plants,Sulfur Recovery Plants

Underground Mines

Tank Cars, Tank Trucks

Oil & Gas Wells,Battery Stations

Commercial Laboratories

Septic Tanks, Sewers,Manure Handling Areas

Pulp & Paper Mills

Pipelines

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3 4

PROPERTIES OF H2S

Colour Colourless

Odour Veryoffensive,commonlyreferredtoasodourofrotten

eggsatlowconcentrations,no

odourathighconcentrations,

1.188at25oC

Vapour density 1.189(Air=1.0)H2Sinitspureformisheavier

thanair

Explosive limits 4.3to46.0percentbyvolumeinair

Auto ignitiontemperature

260oC

Flammability Formsexplosivemixturewithairoroxygen

Water Solubility 2.9percent(2.9g/100mL

waterat20oC)

Reactivity Canreactwithirontoproduceironsulfidewhich

willigniteinthepresenceof

airunlessitiskeptwet(found

asabrown/blackdepositin

vessels,tanks,pipes,fittings

andexchangebundles).

HEALTH EFFECTS OF H2S

1 ppm Canbesmelled.

10 ppm AlbertasOccupationalExposureLimit(OEL).Allowablefor8

hoursofexposure

15 ppm AlbertasCeilingOEL.Anunprotectedworkermaynotbe

exposedabovethisconcentration.20-50 ppm Severeeyeirritation.Nose,throat

andlungirritation.

Lossofappetite.

100-200 ppm Severenose,throatandlungirritation.

Abilitytosmellodourcompletely

disappears(150ppm)

500 ppm Severelungirritation.Headaches,

dizziness,staggering,collapse.

500-1000 ppm Respiratoryparalysis.Irregularheartbeat,collapseordeath.

ppm = Parts of gas per million parts of air by volume.

1% = 10,000 ppm

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5 6

Mild tomoderate

irritation ofeyes andbreathingpassages

750

ODOUR IRRITANCY IMPAIRMENT OF NERVOUS SYSTEM

Concentration of H2S in Air (ppm)

Effect

10Albertas 8-hour OEL

Distinctiverotten-egg

odour

Severeirritation ofeyes andbreathingpassages,

cough,

headache,nausea, lossof sense of

smell

Difficultybreathing,

fluid in lungs,vomiting,dizziness,

loss of

coordination

Stumbling,staggering,collapse or

knockdown,loss of

coordination

Death withinmoments tominutes due

to respiratoryparalysis

EFFECTS OF H2S EXPOSURE

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DETECTION OF H2S

Hydrogen Sulphideinlowconcentrationsiseasily

recognizablebyitscharacteristicfoulodoursimilar

torotteneggs.However,continuedexposureor

exposuretoconcentrationsover100ppmtemporarily

eliminatesapersonsabilitytosmellthegas.The

effectusuallymisleadstheworkerintothinkingthe

dangerhaspassed;oftenwithtragicresults.

TheacuteeffectsofH2Sonthebodyaretwofold.H2S

actsasanirritanttoeyes,nose,throatandlungs,and

itactsasaninternalpoisoncausingunconsciousness

byparalysisoftherespiratorysystem.

TodeterminethepresenceofH 2Sinyour

workarea,oneofthefollowingmeansofdetection

shouldbeused:

Continuous Monitors Inlargerplants,asystemisusedwherepotentially

hazardousareasaresampledbystrategically

locatedsensors.Analarmsystemisactivatedby

WARNING

You cannot rely on your nose to tell youhow much H2S is present!

Wear your respiratory protection.

anysensorandgivesawarningwhentheH2S

concentrationrisesabovepresetlimits.

Personal Monitors BatterypoweredH2Smonitorscanbecarried

orwornbyindividualworkerstoindicatethe

concentrationofH2Stowhichtheyarebeing

exposed.

Portable Monitors Portablemonitorsareinstrumentsthatcanbe

carriedtotheworksiteandmovedwithworkers.

Itisimportantthatyoufamiliarizeyourselfwith

thedetectionequipmentusedatyourworksite.

Learnitsproperoperation.Maintainandoperate

itaccordingtothemanufacturersinstructions.

YOURLIFEMAYDEPENDONIT.

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PERSONAL PROTECTION

WhenyouareinanareawhereH2Sisa

potentialhazard,youmustwearapprovedpersonal

protectiveandrespiratoryprotectiveequipmentas

requiredbyAlbertasOccupationalHealthandSafety

(OHS)Code.

Theemployermust:

ensurethatprotectiveequipmentdoesnotitself createahazardtoworkers

selectrespiratoryprotectiveequipmentin

accordancewithCSAStandardZ94.4-02,

Selection, Use and Care of Respirators

prepareawrittencodeofpracticeregarding

theselection,maintenanceanduseofrespiratory

protectiveequipment

ensurethatallrespiratoryequipmentused

isapprovedbyNIOSHoranotherorganization approvedbyaDirectorofOccupationalHygiene

ensurethatrespiratoryprotectiveequipmentis

storedandmaintainedproperly

fittestequipmentinaccordancewithCSA

StandardZ94.4-02,Selection, Use and Care of

Respirators

ensurethatworkersarecleanshavenwhere

thefacepieceoftherespiratorsealstotheskin

oftheface

ifconditionsattheworksitemaybecome

immediatelydangeroustolifeorhealth,workers

mustwearpositivepressureself-contained

breathingapparatusthatmeetstherequirementsin

section251oftheOHSCode.

provideotherpersonalprotectiveequipment

appropriatetothehazardsworkersmaybe

exposedto(suchassafetyeyewearor

protectiveclothing)

TWO COMMON TYPESOF RESPIRATORY

PROTECTION FOR H2

SSelf-Contained Breathing Apparatus(SCBA)

Thistypeofapparatussupplies

compressedairfromacylinderworn

onthebacktoafullfacepiece.This

apparatusmustbeofthetypethat

maintainspositivepressureinthe

facepiece.

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Thecylindermustberatedtosupplyairforatleast

30minutes.

Heavyphysicalworkwillconsumeavailableair

morequickly.

Allself-containedbreathingapparatusmustbe

equippedwithanalarmtowarnwhentheair

pressureislow.

Supplied Air Breathing Apparatus (SABA)

Thisapparatussuppliesrespirableairfromcylinders,

oracompressorinaremotelocation,viaahosetoa

fullfacepiece.Thisapparatusmustbeofatypethat

maintainspositivepressureinthefacepiece.

Anemergencyescapebottlemustbeworn

withthistypeofequipmentincase

ofaninterruptionofsuppliedair.

Theemergencyescapebottleis

forescapepurposesonlyandmust

neverbeusedalonetocarryout

workinanH2Senvironment.

NOTE: To prevent inward

leaks of contaminated air,

the worker must be clean shaven

here the facepiece contacts the skin ofthe face.

12

SPECIAL HEALTH AND SAFETYREGULATORY REQUIREMENTS

ThefirstconcerninanyareacontaminatedwithH2S

istheprotectionofthelifeandhealthoftheworker.

TherearecertainjobswhichcauseH2Stobereleased

intotheair.Whenworkinginsideequipmentsuch

asvesselsortanks,workersmustbeprotectedby

respiratoryprotectiveequipmentandpracticesafe

workprocedures.

Additionalhealthandsafetyrequirementsinclude:

Theemployermustconductahazardassessment

fortheirworksite(s).Workersmustbeinvolvedin

thisprocess.

Theemployermusttakestepstoeliminateor

controlthehazardfromH2S.

Iftheworkinvolvesentryintoaconfinedspace

orrestrictedspace,therequirementsinPart5of theOHSCodemustbemet.

SinceH2Sisaflammablegas,requirementsin

Part10oftheOHSCodeapply.

Iftheworkshiftislongerthan8hours,theOEL

forH2Smustbeadjusted,usingtheformulain

Part4oftheOHSCode.

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Awrittencodeofpracticeisrequiredforwork

siteswherethereismorethan10kgofH2S

presentasapuresubstance,orthereisamixture

inwhichthereismorethan10kgofH2Sandthe

concentrationofH2Sismorethan0.1percent

byweight.

Ifaworkerisworkingaloneataworksiteor

assistanceisnotreadilyavailableshouldaworker

beinjuredorill,theemployermustensurethatan

effectivecommunicationsystemisinplace

(seePart28oftheOHSCode).

WorkersmustbeprovidedwithWorkplace

HazardousMaterialInformationSystem(WHMIS)

training(seePart29oftheOHSCode)wherethey

usecontrolledproductsattheirworksite.

RESCUE AND FIRST AID

ALWAYS PUT ON RESPIRATORY PROTECTION BEFOREATTEMPTING ANY RESCUE.

YOU COULD BECOME A VICTIM!

ItisVITALLYIMPORTANTthateveryoneworking

aroundornearH2Shasagoodworkingknowledgeof

artificialrespiration(rescuebreathing):

Workersmustbeprovidedwithspecifictraining

onH2ShazardswheretheymaybeexposedtoH2S

attheworksite.

Part11oftheOHSCoderequiresthat

personnelbetrainedinfirstaid.Trainingin

C.P.R.(cardiopulmonaryresuscitation)isan

essentialcomponentofaworkersknowledgeand

skillsinfirstaid.

Whenworkersuserespiratoryprotective

equipmentforrescue,theymustbeawareofits limitations.

Regularpracticeandtraininginrescueare

necessarytoprovideappropriaterescuecapability

attheworksite.

Part7oftheOHSCodespecifiesrequirementsfor

emergencypreparednessandresponse.

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EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITY

Theemployerhaskeyresponsibilitiesforinjuryand

incidentprevention:

Knowandinformworkersaboutthecompany

policyonH2S.

Includesafeworkproceduresininstructionswhen

teachingjobmethods.

Identifyunsafeconditionsandactions.

TakeIMMEDIATEandappropriateactionwhen

H2Sissuspectedordetected.

Knowtheworkersunderyoursupervision

wellenoughtonoticeanychangesinattitudeor

physical/mentalconditionthatmaybeduetoH2S

exposure.Workersmustalsobetrainedto

recognizetheseconditions.

BeawareoftrainingrequiredforH2S environmentswhereworkmaybedonethat

couldendangeraworker.Aworkermusteither

becompetentordirectlysupervisedbya

competentworker.

ConductsessionstoinformworkersoftheCode

ofPracticeandSafeWorkProceduresthatare

usedonyourworksitepriortobeginningwork.

Ensurethatworkersafetymeetingsareheld.

Theseshouldbeusedforinstruction,reviewor

discussionofunsafeconditionsoractions

whichhavebeenobserved.Workersshouldbe

encouragedtotakeanactivepartinthese

meetings.Theirconstructivesuggestionshelp

keepsafeworkpracticesuptodate.

Ensureworkershaveappropriatefirstaidtraining.

Ensurethatspecificproceduresareinplacetodeal

withemergencypreparednessandresponse.

Ensurethatpersonalprotectiveequipment

usedbyworkersdoesnotendangertheirhealth

orsafety.

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WORKER RESPONSIBILITY

Theworker,aswellastheemployer,has

responsibilitiesundertheOccupational Health and

Safety Act.

Whenworkersmustwearpersonalprotective

equipment,theymustusetheappropriate

equipment.Theymustnotusepersonalprotective

equipmentthatisnotinaconditiontoperformthe functionforwhichitwasdesigned.

Workerswithequipmentundertheircontrolthat

doesnotcomplywiththeOHSCodemustremove

thatequipmentfromservice.

WorkersmustbeawareoftheCodeofPractice

developedforjobsinvolvingconfinedspaceentry

andmustnotenterorremaininaconfinedspaceif

controlmeasuresarenotinplace.

Workersmustparticipateintrainingprograms providedbytheemployer.

18

Getting copies of the OHS Act,Regulation & Code

Queens Printer

www.qp.gov.ab.ca Edmonton

780-427-4952

Workplace Health and Safety

www.worksafe.alberta.ca

Call any Government of Alberta office toll-freeDial 310-0000,

then the telephone number you want to reach

2009-2010,GovernmentofAlberta,EmploymentandImmigration

Thismaterialmaybeused,reproduced,storedortransmittedfornon-

commercialpurposes.Thesourceofthismaterialmustbeacknowledged

whenpublishingorissuingittoothers.Thismaterialisnottobeused,reproduced,storedortransmittedforcommercialpurposeswithoutwritten

permissionfromtheGovernmentofAlberta,EmploymentandImmigration.

Thismaterialistobeusedforinformationpurposesonlynowarranty

expressorimpliedisgivenastotheaccuracyorthetimelinessofthe

materialpresented.Incaseofanyinconsistencybetweenthisdocument

andtheOccupationalHealthandSafetyLegislation,thelegislationwill

alwaysprevail.

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How to contact us

Province-Wide Contact Centre

Edmonton&surroundingarea 780-415-8690

ThroughoutAlberta

1-866-415-8690

Deaforhearingimpaired Edmonton 780-427-9999

ThroughoutAlberta 1-800-232-7215

Website

www.worksafe.alberta.ca

CH026H2SHydrogenSulphide

RevisedFeb2010