Hazardous substances come in all sorts of mediums gases, liquids, solids etc. In the workplace people could be exposed to chemicals by eating, drinking, breathing or touching hazardous substances. This may occur through accidental or intentional release.
A strong odour, a visible vapour cloud, could mean that a chemical has escaped containment and is in the environment. However, some toxic substances do not have any odour or a vapour cloud at all.
Signs and symptoms of chemical exposure could be but not limited to;
- Tearing eyes and burning of the eyes, nose, throat, chest and skin.
- Headache, sweating,
- Blurred vision, stomach/muscle aches and pains or diarrhea.
- Increased heart rate
It is common for even mild symptoms from a hazardous substance to make people feel anxious. Some chemical exposure signs and symptom onset could occur immediately while others may take hours to develop. The worst effects from the most harmful substances are sudden collapse, convulsions, and possibly even death.
Treatment:
If you or your work colleague has been exposed to a hazardous substance it is important to act quickly if you or a work colleague has exposed to a hazardous substance:
- If you have inhaled the substance, immediately move to fresh air.
- If liquid chemicals have soaked your clothing or skin, then take the clothes off right away and wash the skin with large amounts of water to flush away the chemical (hose or shower).
- If eyes are affected, flush the eyes with water.
- People feeling sick should lay down and seek medical care immediately.
- A review of the Safety data sheet (SDS) should also be conducted to ascertain the right first aid response.
If the emergency services have not already been called then they should now no matter how much or how long the exposure was for. Or take the affect person to the nearest medical facility.
To prevent the exposure of more people to the escaped hazardous substance (or damage to the environment) your emergency response plan should be implemented.
- The area affected should be isolated.
- Containment of any substances from entering the drains or environment
- Avoid touching any contaminated clothing.
- A review of the Safety data sheet (SDS) should also be conducted to ascertain the correct emergency response, correct PPE and spill kits are used
- Notify the local authorities
- Start an incident investigation to ascertain what went wrong
As the representatives for Chemwatch in WA (and health, Safety and Environmental auditors) we understand chemical management very well. If you would like any assistance with your chemical management drop us a line, we’d love to help.
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/hazards/chemicals
https://www.industrialchemicals.gov.au/about-us/how-and-why-we-assess-risk