Fiberglass 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: Did
you ever hear of itching powder? You could buy it years ago
in stores that sold
gags and jokes. If you have ever worked with fiberglass, you wont
be surprised to hear that
it was the main ingredient in itching powder. Fiberglass and
similar insulation materials
can cause severe itching.
But itching isnt the only problem. If you inhale high concentrations
of fibers from these
products over a long period of time, theres a chance they may cause
lung disease. Right now,
nobody knows for sure. On this job site the rule will be to keep exposure
to a minimum.
Wed rather be safe now than sorry later.
You or a crew member may want to add a personal story about fiberglass.
|
Next, discuss
with the crew what types of fibrous insulation material aer used
at this particular job site, and where:
_________________________________________________
|
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. What symptoms
can you get if you work around fiberglass?
- Skin and eye
contact: In addition to itching, fiberglass can cause skin irritation,
redness, and swelling. Some people get fiberglass warts,
a type of skin inflammation. The fibers can also irritate your eyes
and even cause serious eye injury if you dont get proper treatment.
- Breathing:
Inhaled fibers may cause coughing, throat irritation, bronchitis, or
lung irritation. Small fibers can stick deep in your lungs. Long-term
exposure to high concentrations of these fibers may possibly lead to
permanent lung disease. Cal/OSHA requires fiberglass products
to be labeled with a warning that they may cause cancer.
|
Show
the crew the sample labeled containers you brought to the meeting. |
2. For some people,
fiberglass gets less irritating over time. They get used to it.
Is fiberglass safe once it stops bothering you?
- No. Remember
the possible danger of lung disease if you breathe high concentrations
of the fibers over a long period of time. You may still have this risk
even if youve stopped getting immediate symptoms when you work
with fiberglass.
3. What about
new insulation materials that can be used instead of fiberglass? Are
they safer?
- No one knows
yet. Whether or not these materials (like refractory ceramic mineral
fibers) pose a real health hazard is currently being studied. Until
the results are known, its best to be cautious.
4. How can you
get more information about the hazards of a particular fiberglass
product (or similar insulation product)?
- Read the Material
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the product. MSDSs are required
by law. Theyll tell you the ingredients and possible health and
safety hazards. Be
sure the MSDS youre using is up to date, since the ingredients
in insulation products
often change. 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:__________ |
|
Let's look
at some MSDSs for fiberglass (or similar) products we use on this
job.
Show the crew the sample MSDSs you brought to the meeting. Explain
them briefly:
________________________________________________
|
(MSDSs are covered
in more detail during basic Hazard Communication training, which everyone
on the crew should already have completed.)
5. What are some
ways to protect yourself from fiberglass and similar materials?
- Work in a well-ventilated
area if you can.
- Stop what
youre doing if you notice symptoms. You may need to change the
way youre doing the work, or wear protective equipment (like a
respirator or gloves).
- Keep fiberglass
and similar products off your skin and out of your eyes.
Wash any exposed skin frequently with cold waterthis keep
your pores closed. Wear clean work clothes every day. (If you take your
contaminated work clothes home, wash them separately from other laundry
to keep your family from being exposed.)
- Dont
eat, drink, or smoke on the job. Anything you put in your mouth
could have been contaminated by fibers. Wash up first.
- Use personal
protective equipment (PPE), if needed.
6. What personal
protective equipment might you need?
- Skin and eye
protection. If skin or eye contact with fiberglass is a danger on
your job, wear gloves, a long sleeve shirt, a neck covering, eye protection,
and similar personal protective equipment (PPE). We have to supply it
if its needed.
|
If
required, this equipment is available at:__________________ |
- A respirator.
If your exposure to fibers may be higher than Cal/OSHA limits, we must
provide the right type of respirator, make sure it fits properly, teach
you how to use it, and give you a physical to make sure youre
able to wear it safely.
|
We
___will or ___will not require respirators on this job.
If required, respirators are available at:____________________ |
- An eye wash
station. Flush your eyes with water immediately if you get fiberglass
or
similar products in them.
|
Our
eye wash stations are located:______________________ |
|
On this job,
we will also be using these additional precautions:
__________________________________________________
(PPE and
Respirators are covered in more detail in separate Training Guides.)
|
Explain:
Most of the safety measures weve talked about are required by Cal/OSHA.
We have to take these precautionsits the law. For example,
for fiberglass and most other fibrous insulation materials, Cal/OSHA says
we must make sure no one on the site is exposed to more than 10 milligrams
per cubic meter of air, averaged over an 8-hour shift. This is called
the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for fiberglass. But there
are lower limits if the dust is very fine and easy to breathe deep
into the lungs. I have a Checklist of the Cal/OSHA regulations on fiberglass.
If youd like to know more, see me after the meeting.
(Only if applicable.)
Besides the Cal/OSHA regulations, we have some additional company
rules about fiberglass and other fibrous insulation materials.
|
Discuss
company rules:______________________________ |
Ask:
Do you have any
other concerns about fiberglass? 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 fiberglass 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.
eLCOSH is an information clearinghouse. eLCOSH and its sponsors are not
responsible for the accuracy of information provided on this web site,
nor for its use or misuse.
eLCOSH
| CDC | NIOSH
| Site Map | Search
| Links | Help
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy
|