Chemical Spills Training Guide
(Taken from the "Tailgate Meetings that Work : A Guide
to Effective Construction Safety Training" series) |
|
Robin Baker, Robert
Downey, Mary Ruth Gross, Charles Reiter
Labor Occupational Health Program
(LOHP) School of Public Health,
University of California, Berkeley Ca.
These tailgate/toolbox
talks were developed for use under California OSHA regulations. The
complete set is available from the Labor Occupational Health Program
at UC Berkeley. For ordering information, visit the website (www.lohp.org)
The American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)
has adapted these talks to apply to federal OSHA regulations. To contact
ACGIH, visit its web site (www.acgih.org). |
Before you begin
the meeting...
- Does this topic
relate to the work the crew is doing? If not, choose another topic.
- Has the crew
completed basic Hazard Communication training? It will help them understand
this topic.
- Did you read
this Training Guide and fill in the blanks where the
appears? (To find the information you need, look over the Safety Walkaround
Checklist for this topic.)
- Did you bring
labeled containers and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) for a few
of the adhesive and resin products used on the site?
Begin: Youve
all seen the news stories. Recently in Richmond, California, a chemical
spill from a railcar sent a toxic cloud over the whole community. And
many of us remember what happened in 1984 in Bhopal, India, where a leak
from a chemical plant killed 2,500 people and injured over 100,000.
Chemical spills, leaks, and explosions are all too common on construction
sites. Of course, our first priority is to prevent emergencies
like this. But if they do happen, we need to know how to respond. Following
state and local requirements, management has drawn up emergency plans
for this site. At todays meeting, well look at what those
plans say.
You or a crew member may want to add a personal story about chemical spills,
leaks, or explosions.
Continue:
On sites with a significant amount of hazardous chemicals, we are required
to
have a Hazardous Materials Business Plan. Even a 55 gallon drum
of a liquid hazardous
chemical is considered a significant amount.
These plans are different in different communities (depending on local
agency regulations).
However, most of them contain similar types of information.
|
On
this site, we: ___do ___do not have a Hazardous Materials Business
Plan.
(If applicable:)
Show the crew the copy of the plan that you brought to the meeting.
You can see
a copy of our plan anytime at-
|
|
Point
out location:_________________________________ |
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On this
site, we have these hazardous chemicals at these locations-
(If applicable:) Give chemical names and locations:_______
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
|
ASK
THE CREW THESE QUESTIONS:
|
After each question,
give the crew time to suggest possible answers. Use the information
following each question to add points that no one mentions.
1. Were
also required by Cal/OSHA to have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for the
site. It describes the procedures we should follow if theres any
type of emergency whom to notify, whos in charge, who should
do what, and how to evacuate. Everyone on the site needs to be trained
on our EAP. Has everyone here been trained?
- If not, see me
after this meeting.
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On this site,
we: ___do ___do not have an EAP.
(If applicable:)
Show the crew the copy of the EAP that you brought to the meeting.
|
|
You
can see a copy of our EAP anytime at-
Point out location:__________________________________ |
2. What should
you do if there is a chemical spill?
- Follow the procedures
spelled out in the sites Emergency Action Plan. On most sites,
the EAP will list steps similar to these:
- Notify
your supervisor.
- Notify
coworkers and others in the area.
- Activate
emergency alarms.
- Call 911
(or other emergency phone number) to get help.
- Dont
try to rescue or help injured people unless youre sure
you will be safe.
- Keep people
out of the area.
- Leave
the area if the spill cannot be readily contained, or if it
presents an
immediate danger to life or health. Follow the evacuation rules
in the EAP. In
general, evacuate upwind, not downwind.
- Dont
try to clean up a spill yourself except where permitted by site
rules and the
EAP. Leave the cleanup to trained personnel, such as a Hazardous Materials
(HAZMAT) team.
On the job, emergency
phone numbers (fire, police, medical, HAZMAT) are posted-
|
Point
out locations:__________________________________ |
3. How can you
tell if a spill is hazardous or requires special cleanup procedures?
- Identify
the chemical(s) involved in the spill.
- Use Material
Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) for the chemicals involved to find out
the effects of exposure, what protective equipment is needed, and spill
cleanup procedures. Since some chemical spills can lead to fires or
explosions, the MSDS may also give you firefighting instructions. The
law requires the site to have MSDSs for all chemical products in use.
Everyone working on the site has a right to see MSDSs.
|
On
this job, you can get MSDSs from-
Give the name and location of the person to see:_________
(MSDSs are covered in more detail during basic Hazard Communication
training, which everyone on the crew should already have completed.) |
4. What emergency
equipment do we have on this job, and where?
•
First aid kits
• Fire extinguishers
• Fire blankets
• Eye washes |
•
Emergency showers
• Communications (radios, alarms, etc.)
• Stretchers or baskets for moving injured people
• Confined space rescue equipment |
|
For each
item above, explain what types are available on the site and their
locations:
_________________________________________________
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Explain:
Most of the safety measures weve talked about are required by Cal/OSHA
or by
other state and local agencies. We have to take these precautionsits
the law. I have a
Checklist of the various regulations related to chemical spills. If youd
like to know more, see
me after the meeting.
(Only if applicable.)
We have some additional company rules about chemical spills.
|
Discuss
company rules:_______________________________
__________________________________________________
|
Ask:
Do you have any
other concerns about chemical spills? Do you see any problems on
our job? (Let the steward answer first, if there is one.)
What about other jobs youve worked on? Have you had any experience
with
chemical spills that might help us work safer on this job?
GENERAL
SAFETY DISCUSSION
|
This is a time
to discuss all safety concerns, not just today's topic. Keep your notes
on this page before, during and after the safety meeting.
Are you aware
of any hazards from other crews? Point out any hazards other crews
are creating that this crew should know about. Tell the crew what you
intend to do about those hazards.
Do we have any
old business? Discuss past issues/problems. Report progress of
investigations and action taken.
Any new business?
Any accidents/near misses/complaints? Discuss accidents, near misses,
and complaints that have happened since the last safety meting. Also recognize
the safety contributions made by members of the crew.
Please remember,
we want to hear from you about any health and safety issues that come
up. If we don't know about problems, we can't take action to fix them.
To complete the
training session:
- Circulate Sign-Off
Form.
- Assign one
or more crew member(s) to help with next safety meeting.
- Refer action
items for follow-up. (Use the sample Hazard Report Form in the
Reference Section of this binder, or your companys own form.)
Date Prepared:_________________________ |
By:______________________ |
Project
Name/No.______________________ |
Location:__________________ |
NAMES
OF THOSE WHO ATTENDED THIS SAFETY MEETING
|
Tailgate
Meetings That Work : Collection
Published in June, 1994 by: Labor Occupational Health Program, School
of Public Health, 2515 Channing Way, University of California, Berkeley,
CA 94720. Phone: (510) 642-5507.
Permission is granted to duplicate these materials for non-profit educational
purposes, provided that copies are not offered for sale.
This paper appears in the eLCOSH website with the permission of the author
and/or copyright holder and may not be reproduced without their consent.
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