Management of Hazardous Materials and Waste - Review

Chemical Hazards Communication (HAZCOM)

orRight To Know

This is a law about chemical information being available to

employees from the manufacturers.

Hazard CommunicationRight to Know Law

Chemical Safety

• Material Safety Data Sheets

• All containers must be labeled

• Proper storage and handling

• Know specific health hazards

This Law gives YOU RIGHTS TO KNOW what?

What hazardous chemicals are in your workplace

What the associated hazards are

What Personal Protective Equipment is required

What to do in an emergency

EXAMPLES OFHAZARDOUS MATERIALS IN

HEALTHCARE

• Solvents

• Paint Thinners

• Pesticides

• Boiler Chemicals

• Glutaraldehyde

• Lead

• Formalin

• Chemotherapy Drugs

Hazardous Materials That Are Present Within Maine Medical Center

• Asbestos ( Most in Richards Building)• Lead (Maine General Building, 1929&1956)• Ethylene Oxide (ETO) (Central Sterile

Dept.)• Liquid Nitrogen (Clinics, Blood Bank)• Oxygen (Hospital)• Silica (Hospital)

Silica Dust

• Is a known Carcinogen

• Causes Silicosis (scaring of lung tissue)

• Reduces the ability to get oxygen from the air

• Silica exposures may come from brick, block, concrete or sand dust

Dust Generation in a Construction Area

• Area must be under negative pressure

• Before cutting, grinding, jack hammering of concrete, bricks or blocks contact project manager.

• Utilize proper engineering and work practice controls (example wet methods for cutting)

Exposure to chemicals can occur by the following routes:

- Ingestion (eating)

- Inhalation ( breathing)

- Absorption (soaking)

- or Injection (such as a needle stick)

If You Feel That You Have Had a Chemical Exposure

1. Follow Maine Medical Center’s Indoor Air Quality Policy

2. Communicate Concerns to Supervisor/Manager

3. Supervisor/Manager Determines Urgency:

- Emergent - Urgent- Non Urgent- Preventive

Supervisor/Manager may need to:

1. Call a Code Orange2. Evacuate Area 3. Ask you to make an

Appointment with Employee Health Services

4. Contact Safety Dept.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

To use on the job, PPE:• Must be correct for the job and

protection needed• Must fit you comfortably• Must be available for your use• Must be supplied by MMC with

training on how to use

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Examples

• Eye - glasses or goggles

• Face - face shield• Skin - protective clothing• Hands - special gloves• Feet - special footwear• Breathing - respirators• Hearing - earplugs

or earmuffs

Respirator Program

• You may need a respirator if you work with patients who might have an airborne illness, an example would be TB, SARS or if you work with hazardous chemicals.

• The Safety Office trains instructors who then offer respirator instruction and fit testing on several types of respirators to their department.

Respirator Program Requirements

• All staff must be medically cleared by EHS prior to respirator usage

• Attend respirator training

• If using N95, must pass “fit” testing

• Periodic health screening for respirator

• Attend mandatory annual fit testing class in their department, or through Safety

THE BEST SOURCES OF CHEMICAL INFORMATION FOR MMC WORKERS

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) from the Intranet

• Container Labels• MMC Pharmacist • Northern New England

Poison Control Center(1-800-222-1222)

On MMC home page Click here to go to

MSDS Source

You can search by typing in

chemical name

Search by “My Binder”then Highlight Dept. and CLICK

NFPA WARNING LABELS are used at MMC; colors and numbers define hazard

• FLAMMABLITYREACTIVITYREACTIVITY

• HEALTH• SECIFIC HAZARD (example

= do not mix with water)

• 0=no hazard• 1=low hazard• 2=moderate hazard• 3=high hazard• 4=extreme hazard

ALL CONTAINERS REQUIRE A LABEL!

(primary AND secondary)

HAND WRITTENLABELS

On secondary containers, hand written labels need to be permanent,

accurate and complete

DO NOT STORE CHEMICALS ALPHABETICALLY or acids and

bases will be next to each other

What Is Hazardous Waste?• It Is:

– A useless, unwanted, or discarded hazardous substance or material

– whether or not such substance has any other or future use

– includes spilled, leaked, pumped, poured, emitted, disposed, emptied, or dumped onto the land or into the water or ambient air

– Questions about proper disposal? Contact the Safety Office 662-2513

We Recycle! i.e. Paper and Universal Waste

• Paper: blue, green, purple, newspaper if it’s paper we recycle it

• Computers / Electronics• Fluorescent Light Bulbs • Batteries ( NiCad,

Lithium, Rechargeable)• Alkaline Batteries go in

regular trash

CYLINDER SAFETY• Cylinders must be:

Restrained…Chained, Strapped or Racked

• Do Not Leave a Oxygen Bottle on a Stretcher

No more than (12) O2 cylinders in approved storage area

Potential Hazards:• Explosion• Projectile• Chemical Content• Weight of Cylinder

EYE WASH & EMERGENCY SHOWERS

Tested weekly by the Dept.

Each Dept. keeps record of testing

You should learn how to operate the eyewash

Never block access to the eyewash

Keep it clean