SUMMARY 1.Productive process characterization 2.Health risks from hazardous chemical agents...

SUMMARY

1. Productive process characterization

2. Health risks from hazardous chemical agents

3. Prevention measures

4. Information, formation, consultation and participation

5. Personal protective equipment

6. Accidents, incidents and emergencies

PRODUCTIVE PROCESS CHARACTERIZATION

PRODUCTIVE PROCESS CHARACTERIZATION

•Raw material preparation

•Treatment

•Machinery work

•Assembly

•Finish

Raw material preparation

Barking – take off the trunk bark

Sawmill – saw cut operation


Retesting – trunk double cut with a pre determined length

Thicknessing – reducing boards thickness


Alignment – face preparing to turn it parallel to other face


During the operations described till now result several wood wastes, such as wood dust, bark, sawdust and wood shaving.

Treatment (Impregnation or preservation)

•To make wood with larger durability and greater resistance to fungus and insects

•Impregnant use (aqueous chromium and/or copper salts) in autoclave or tanks

•Control of treatment duration, temperature and pressure

Treatment (Impregnation or preservation)

During the treatment operations are used aqueous chromium, copper and/or arsenic salts.

Machinery work

Drawing – wood pieces were saw transversely to obtain different lengths

Thicknessing – reducing boards thickness

Calibration – make boards with the same thickness

Rigging – faces and corners of one wood piece are planed true and smooth

Machinery work

Profiling – operation in which are obtained pieces with well shaped profiles along the corners and/or top/bottom

Milling – making at surface or corners profiles with defined contour

Drilling – wood pieces are drilled

Machinery work

During these operations result several wood wastes, such as wood dust and wood shaving.

Assembly

Linking several pieces to obtain de final product

•Gluing

•Application of metallic or plastic elements

Assembly

From these operations result wood dust, and dangerous substances wastes, such as isocyanates, toluene and formaldehyde.

Finish

Bleaching – use of bleaching agents such as peroxides, acids and bases, to make wood pieces more clear than originally

Stain application – applying by immersing, pulverization or brush, organic or aqueous colorants to give wood the desired colour

Finish

Patching – application of bitumen to correct same wood defects and standardize the surface

Grinding – manual or mechanical operation to thinning or finish a wood piece

Lacquering – Electrostatic painting process, with the purpose of cover the wood with a term hardenable polymer pellicle

Finish

Varnishing – Varnish, ink or lakes application, by imersing, pulverization, rolls, curtain, etc.

Drying – Coating pellicle drying with UV radiation, in order to decrease the drying duration and the fast stacking of parts

Coating with melamine or laminate panels – plate consisting of a set of paper sheets impregnated with thermosetting resins and linked together by heat and pressure for wood coating.

Finish

From these operations result wood dust, and dangerous substances wastes, such as toluene, xylene and methanol.

HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL AGENTS

HEALTH RISKS


Many substances found in the woodworking industries are

hazardous to the health of the workers.

The main health risks described for this sector are asthma

and dermatitis.

Other risks are related to effects on liver, kidney and central

nervous system.

Some wood dusts are carcinogenic.

Some chemicals used are toxic for reproduction.


HOW MIGHT WORKERS BE EXPOSED?

- Breathing in vapours, gases, mist or dust;

- Contact with the skin;

- Contact with the eyes;

- Swallowing (accidental, “non hygienic behaviour”);

- Skin puncture (rare - accidents with punction instruments)

Results from mechanical action on the wood

It is an hazard present throughout the all production process phases.

Wood dust (from softwood, hardwood and wood composites)


Solvents (in varnish, paint, thinners, adhesive, stripper, stain,

wood preservative)

Production Stage: finishing and assembling operations

Examples of dangerous chemical agents:

Toluene, Xylene and Methanol


Glues and paints (Isocyanate-based products, eg 2-pack (2K)

paints, varnishes, adhesives,epoxy systems)

Production Stage: finishing and assembling operations


Isocyanates, formaldehyde


Preservatives (organic solvent or water based)

Production Stage: preservation treatment


Copper and chromium salts


Chemical agent Production stage presence Health risk

WOOD DUST

Hardwood, softwood and wood composites

All stages of production Can cause asthma and dermatitisHardwood dust can cause nasal cancer

SOLVENTS

Toluene, xylene, methanol Finishing (painting, varnishing, cleaning) and assembly

Liver or kidney damageCentral nervous system effects, dermatitis

PAINTS AND GLUES

Isocyanates, formaldehyde Finishing (painting), assembly Asthma, dermatitis

WOOD PRESERVATIVES

Solvent or water based products

Pre-treatment , finishing Dermatitis, Central nervous system effects


Woodworking industry


WOOD DUST

•Effects on the safety of workers

- Risks of fire and explosion

•Effects on the health of workers

- eye and skin irritation- dermatitis- respiratory system effects (including asthma)

- Nasal cancer (hardwood dust)


WOOD DUST

• Routes of exposure

- inhalation (most relevant)

By breathing in a wood dust containing working environment

- eye or skin contact

Through contact with wood dust (in the environment or not)


WOOD DUST

Signs and symptoms of exposure

Acute exposure: can result in eye and skin irritation, asthma, erythema, blistering, erosion and secondary infections of the skin, redness, scaling, itching, and vesicular dermatitis.

Chronic exposure: can result in dermatitis reactions, asthma, pneumonitis, and coughing, wheezing, fever and the other signs and symptoms associated with chronic bronchitis. Chronic exposure may also result in nasal cancer.


WOOD DUST

EXPOSURE LIMITS

European legislationHardwood dust – 5 mg/m3 (Dir 90/394/EEC)

Note: Measured or calculated in relation to a reference period of eight hours.Inhalable fraction; if hardwood dusts are mixed with other wood dusts, the limit value shall apply to all wood dusts present in that mixture.

Other references

Each European country may have established legal or normative OELVs, some based on American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)


SOLVENTS (TOLUENE, XYLENE and METHANOL)

Present mostly in finishing and assembly stages


- Risks of fire and explosion

•Principal effects on the health of workers

- upper respiratory system effects- central nervous system (CNS) effects- eye irritation- visual disturbances that can result in blindness (methanol)- serious injury threat to the CNS (methanol)- cumulative poison (methanol)


SOLVENTS (TOLUENE, XYLENE and METHANOL)


- inhalation (most relevant)

By breathing in a solvent containing working environment

- eye or skin contact and absorption

Through direct contact with the solvent

- ingestion

By accidental swallowing


SOLVENTS

Signs and symptoms of exposure to TOLUENETOLUENE

Acute exposure: may include fatigue, confusion, headache, dizziness and drowsiness. Peculiar skin sensations (e. g. pins and needles) or numbness may be produced. Very high concentrations may cause unconsciousness and death.

Chronic exposure: Liver and kidney damage may occur. reports describe anemia, decreased blood cell count and bone marrow hypoplasia. Repeated or prolonged contact has a defatting action, causing drying, redness, dermatitis. Exposure to toluene may affect the developing fetus.

XnF


SOLVENTS - TOLUENETOLUENE

EXPOSURE LIMITS

European legislation (DIR 2006/15/EC – second list of indicative occupational exposure limit values)

192 mg/m3 or 50 ppm (8 hours/day exposure)384 mg/m3 or 100 ppm (short-term exposure)

(skin absorption is significant)

Note

Each European country may have established other legal or normative OELVs

XnF


SOLVENTS

Signs and symptoms of exposure to XYLENEXYLENE

Acute exposure: include headache, fatigue, irritability, lassitude, nausea, irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, and motor incoordination and impairment of equilibrium. Flushing, redness of the face, a sensation of increased body heat, increased salivation, tremors, dizziness, confusion, and cardiac irritability have also been reported.

Chronic exposure: may include conjunctivitis; dryness of the nose, throat, and skin; dermatitis; and kidney and liver damage

XnF


SOLVENTS - XYLENEXYLENE

EXPOSURE LIMITS

European legislation (DIR 2000/39/EC first list of indicative occupational exposure limit values )

221 mg/m3 or 50 ppm (8 hours/day exposure)442 mg/m3 or 100 ppm (short-term exposure)

(skin absorption is significant)

Note


XnF


Signs and symptoms of exposure to METHANOLMETHANOL

Acute exposure: may include headache, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, blindness, coma and death.

Chronic exposure: Marked impairment of vision has been reported. Repeated or prolonged exposure may cause skin irritation

SOLVENTS

F T


SOLVENTS - METHANOLMETHANOL

EXPOSURE LIMITS

European legislation (DIR 2006/15/EC – second list of indicative occupational exposure limit values)

260 mg/m3 or 200 ppm (8 hours/day exposure)(skin absorption is significant)

Note


F T


PAINTS AND GLUES (ISOCYANATE-BASED PRODUCTS, FORMALDEHYDE)

Present mostly in finishing and assembly stages


- Risks of fire

•Principal effects on the health of workers

- upper respiratory system effects- eye and skin irritation- dermatitis- respiratory system effects (including asthma)

- possible carcinogenic effect of some compounds


PAINTS AND GLUES (ISOCYANATE-BASED PRODUCTS, FORMALDEHYDE)


- inhalation

By breathing in a contaminated working environment

- eye or skin contact and absorption

- ingestion

PAINTS AND GLUES

Signs and symptoms of exposure to ISOCYANATE COMPOUNDSISOCYANATE COMPOUNDS

Acute exposure: irritation of skin and mucous membranes ( resulting runny nose, sore throat and coughing) chest tightness and difficulty of breathing.

Chronic exposure: Occupational asthma, other lung damages Skin allergic dermatitis

Some isocyanate compounds are described as potential carcinogens


Xn

OR

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PAINTS AND GLUES - ISOCYANATE COMPOUNDSISOCYANATE COMPOUNDS

EXPOSURE LIMITS

European legislation

There is none

Note

Each European country may have established other legal or normative OELVsExample: In the UKMaximum Exposure Limits for isocyanate is 0.02 mg/m3 (8-hour time-weighted average, TWA) and 0.07 mg/m3 (15-minute TWA). These limits are expressed as total isocyanate and apply to the isocyanate functional group, whether present as monomer, polymer or partially cured aerosol.

PAINTS AND GLUES

Signs and symptoms of exposure to FORMALDEHYDEFORMALDEHYDE

Acute exposure: irritation of skin and mucous membranes ( resulting runny nose, sore throat, coughing and wheeze)

Chronic exposure: occupational asthma skin allergic dermatitis eye allergic reactions

Also described as potential carcinogen (nasal and lung cancer)


Xn

OR

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PAINTS AND GLUES- FORMALDEHYDEFORMALDEHYDE

EXPOSURE LIMITS

European legislation

There is none

Note

Each European country may have established other legal or normative OELVsExample: In the UKMaximum Exposure Limits for formaldehyde is 2.5 mg/m3 or 2 ppm (8-hour time-weighted average and 15-minute TWA).


PRESERVATIVES

Waterborne preservatives- Copper, chromium and arsenic salts

Oilborne preservatives – Creosote, Pentachlorophenol

• Principal effects on the health of workers

Can be diverse, depending on the chemicals used, including dermatitis, C.N.S. effects and cancer

IF PRESERVATION OPERATIONS ARE DEVELOPED PAY ATTENTION TO THE TYPE OF PRESERVATIVES – ASK FOR SAFETY DATA SHEETS


OTHER CHEMICALS USED

Bleaching agents / Stain removers

Hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide

Chlorine Bleaches (sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite)

Oxalic acid

…

BLEACHING AGENTS ARE HAZARDOUS – INFORMATION ON SAFETY MUST BE AVALIABLE (e.g. LABELING AND SAFETY DATA SHEETS)

PREVENTION MEASURES

PREVENTION MEASURES

Framework Directive – Council Directive 89/391/EECArticle 6 – General obligations on employers

General principles of prevention

PREVENTION MEASURES

Prior risk assessment – Identify the operations and workers exposure

Review the information contained in SDS and labels

PREVENTION MEASURES

•Change the production process•Total or partial substitution of dangerous substances•Automation and/or confined and closed process•Located exhaustion•Appropriate general ventilation•Organization of work•Safety storage•Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)•Emergency measures•Prevention and protection of fire and explosion

PREVENTION MEASURES

Change the production processAdapting the work to the individualThe design of workplacesThe choice of work equipmentThe choice of working and production methodsTo alleviating monotonous work

PREVENTION MEASURES

Total or partial substitution of dangerous substances

E.g.: Substitution of know dangerous substances for less dangerous substances, like the substitution of benzene by toluene or xylenes or the substitution of solvent based glues and inks by aqueous ones

PREVENTION MEASURES

Automation and/or confined and closed processEncapsulate machines or parts of them to avoid exposure of workers to wood dust

PREVENTION MEASURES

Located exhaustion / appropriate general ventilation

•If the other measures doesn’t work, the employers should guarantee/implement collective protective measures over individual protective measures, namely located exhaustion in sections/machines in which wood dust is produced •General ventilation should always be present to avoid/reduce accumulation of gases and vapours

PREVENTION MEASURES

Organization of work – Action in Man-Machine-Environment system

e.g.: the periodic rotation of workers exposed to dangerous substances in a specific job, like painting or varnishing

PREVENTION MEASURES

•Safety storage•Organize the storage•Guarantee compatibility between products•Appropriate ventilation, dry place and ambient temperature •Adequate labelling•Maintain the SDS near the chemical products

PREVENTION MEASURES

•Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)PPE should only be used when justified in the risk assessment, namely when is not possible to use collective protective measures

PREVENTION MEASURES

•Emergency measures•The employer must designate the workers responsible for the emergency procedures

•Prevention and protection of fire and explosionWood dust and organic solvents are easily flammable. Accumulation of wood dust should not be allowed and all chemical products must be stored appropriately

INFORMATION, TRAINING, CONSULTATION AND

PARTICIPATION OF WORKERS

INFORMATION, TRAINING, CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION OF WORKERS

Employers shall take appropriate measures so that workers and/or

their representatives receive all information and adequate

training concerning:

- The safety and health risks, protective and preventive measures;

- First aid, fire-fighting and evacuation of workers, serious and imminent danger.

Special attention - vulnerable groups of workers (pregnant, young workers, newly admitted, etc)


Concerning the risks related to chemical agents, the employer

should provide (1/2):

- Data obtained from the risk assessment;

- Information on the hazardous chemical agents:

- the identity of those agents;

- the risks to safety and health;

- relevant occupational exposure limit values.

Concerning the risks related to chemical agents, the employer

should provide (2/2):- training and information on appropriate precautions and

actions;

- access to any safety data sheet provided by the supplier.

ALSO, the employer must ensure that the contents of the containers and pipes, are clearly identifiable.

Employer must be encouraged to post relevant H&S information concerning the working place/operations performed.


The employer shall consult workers and/or their representatives

and allow them to take part in discussions on all questions

relating to safety and health at work.

By means of:

— Consultation of workers,

— The right of workers and/ or their representatives to make proposals,

— Balanced participation in accordance with national laws and/ or practices.



Workers or workers' representatives with specific responsibility for the safety and health of workers - 1/2

Shall take part or be consulted regarding:

•any measure which may substantially affect safety and health;

•the workers designated to implement first-aid, fire-fighting and

the evacuation measures;

•risk assessment reports;


Workers or workers' representatives with specific responsibility for the safety and health of workers - 2/2

Shall take part or be consulted regarding:

•protective measures, including Personal Protective Equipment

(PPE);

•list of accidents;

•reports on occupational accidents.

•the planning and organization of the training of workers.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT


Type of equipment usually used for chemical protection

1. Respiratory protective equipment (RPE)

2. Protective eyewear equipment

3. Protective Clothing equipment

4. Hand protective equipment (gloves)

Other usually used PPE in the wood transformation industry:

Protective shoes, helmets, ear protection

WOOD TRANSFORMATION INDUSTRY

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT – SELECTIONSELECTION

Respiratory Protective Equipment

TWO BASIC REQUIREMENTS

1. The RPE must be suitable for the purpose for which is used.

this means different RPE for different chemical agents exposure

2. RPE must be CE marked




THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RPE

1. Disposable respirator;

2. Re-usable respirator (half or full mask);

3. Powered respirator.





THREE MAIN TYPES OF FILTERS:

1. particle filters;

2. gas/vapour filters;

3. combined filters - particles and gases and vapours




GAS/VAPOUR FILTERS

Suitable when workers are only exposed to gases/vapours

usually divided according to the type of substance they can be used against (e.g. type A is for organic gases),and

the capacity of the filter (class 1 to 3).




COMBINED FILTERS - PARTICLES AND GASES AND VAPOURS

Suitable for situations where protection is needed against both particles and specific gas or vapour.

This type of filter will carry markings for particles and vapours, (e.g. A2P3 - organic vapour filter with capacity class 2 and high efficiency particle filter).



Protective Eyewear Equipment

For specific operations must be used specific eyewear protection



Protective Clothing Equipment

For specific operations must be used specific protective clothing.e.g., for painting a hooded full suit must be used



Hand Protective Equipment

The protective glove must be appropriate for the chemical agent (report to info on SDS) and the conditions where it is used


When can PPE be used?

Should only be selected and used after and when justified in

the risk assessment.



It can be used in the following situations:

• where an exposure risk remains after you have put in place

other reasonable controls (residual risk);

• Short-term or infrequent exposures where you decide that other

controls at source are not reasonably practicable;

• while putting in place other control measures (interim

measures);

• Emergency situations


PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT - MAINTENAINCEMAINTENAINCE

The equipment must be:

• well looked after and properly stored when it is not being used;

• kept clean and in good repair - follow the manufacturer’s

maintenance schedule

Make sure suitable replacement PPE is always readily available.

Also, make sure the PPE used are ‘CE’ marked


PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT - TRAININGTRAINING

• The worker using PPE must be aware of why it is needed, when

it is to be used, repaired or replaced and its limitations.

• The worker must receive adequate training and instructions on

how to use PPE properly.

• There must not be allowed exemptions for “short-period” tasks

• Safety signs “wear PPE” should be used


ACCIDENTS, INCIDENTS AND EMERGENCIES

ACCIDENTS Contact with moving machinery is the most common accident in

this industry sector.

However, accidents in result of:

• Exposure to, or contact with, a harmful substance• Exposure to fire• Exposure to an explosion

Are also typical in the wood transformation industry.




The employer,

must set appropriated arrangements (action plans) to deal with

emergency events related to the presence of hazardous

chemical agents at the workplace.

Including:

- Relevant safety drills performed regularly

- Appropriate first aid facilities



• The employer must designate the workers responsible for the

emergency procedures;

• All workers must be trained on the action plans / emergency

measures set out;

• Simple and effective warning / other communication systems

to signal the situation;

• Adequate cooperation with external accident and emergency

services

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

[email protected]

[email protected]

SUMMARY 1.Productive process characterization 2.Health risks from hazardous chemical agents...

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Transcript of SUMMARY 1.Productive process characterization 2.Health risks from hazardous chemical agents...