2019 Meeting WHMIS Coordinator's - University of Manitoba
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WHMIS Coordinator’s
Meeting
2019
WHMIS Coordinator’s Meeting 2019 Overview • Review of WHMIS program at the University of Manitoba • *New WHMIS Training on UMLearn – What’s new? • Incidents at the University this past year… • Chemical Safety Permit Applications and New WHIP Placards • Feedback about the WHMIS Program
WHMIS Legislation
Requirements
• As it is written in part 35, “the employer is responsible for
educating and training workers who are using, producing,
storing or handling hazardous products in the workplace…”
• In order to carry out effective training, the employer must first
have an understanding of WHMIS
• This includes:
• Supplier labels
• Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
WHMIS at the University of Manitoba
• Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) identified University
Departments and Units where hazardous products are used,
stored or handled
• Offer support in providing online training options (UMLearn) for WHMIS
Coordinators to use
• Offers better training record keeping (certificate)
• WHMIS programs are to be implemented in each of these
Departments or Units
• WHMIS Coordinators are to be appointed by the
Deans/Department Heads/Directors or at the request of the
Vice-President (Administration).
WHMIS at the University of Manitoba WHMIS Coordinator’s Role The essential role of the WHMIS coordinator is to assist departments in achieving regulatory compliance under Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System legislation. As such WHMIS coordinators are expected to: • Provide effective training with competency testing • Maintain training records • Implement SDS access systems • Maintain an updated inventory system (in their area) • Ensure WHMIS compliant labelling system
New WHMIS Coordinators Starting a WHMIS program in your area What are the hazards? • Chemical inventory (used and produced) • SDS for each chemical • Labels are on each chemical • Workplace • Supplier • Identify who works with chemicals • Ensure they are trained
Starting a WHMIS program in your
area
How do you protect yourself and others?
• SDSs
• Evaluate work processes for hazards (Health or Physical)
• Prevention Plans
• Engineering Controls
• Administrative Controls
• PPE
• Training
• WHMIS 2015
• Spill procedures
• Safe Work Procedures
• Establish appropriate chemical and waste storage facilitiesNew WHMIS Training on UMLearn
New Slides
• Health Effects
• Reversible and irreversible effects – Range
• Types of Effects
• Acute
• Chronic
• Routes of Entry
• Identify the four routes of entry
• Inhalation
• Ingestion
• Absorption
• InjectionNew WHMIS Training on UMLearn
New Slides
• Lab Specific Training
• In addition to the general education requirements under WHMIS
legislation, it is wise to have lab specific training
• Items in this type training may include but are not limited to the
following:
• Safe Work Procedures
• Spill procedures
• Handling and use procedures
• Personal Protective EquipmentNew WHMIS Training on UMLearn
New Slides
• Safety Controls
• Controls are put in place to help minimize or eliminate exposures
to hazards. This is achieved in the following (decreasing) order of
effectiveness
• Elimination/Substitution
• Engineering Controls
• Administrative Controls
• Personal Protective EquipmentProtective Measures
PPE
Elimination or Administration
Engineering Controls (Personal Protective
Substitution Controls
Equipment)
Personal protective
equipment (PPE) can be
considered a “last line of
defense” in protecting
Administrative Controls
Engineering controls are oneself from the hazards
If a process that uses a include work practices,
used to remove a hazard or associated with the
hazardous product can be policies, procedures, training
place a "barrier" between the chemicals or hazardous
eliminated entirely, then the and other guidelines that
worker and the hazard. products
hazard will effectively no individuals must follow.
longer exist. PPE includes important
While these may be less
items such as safety glasses,
effective than eliminating
Engineered ventilation respirators and gloves
Substitutions can also the hazard altogether, they
systems can provide
mitigate the hazard entirely, are an extremely important
exceptional protection Personal Protective
if so, the control is equally as element in reducing the
from certain chemical Equipment should fit
effective as elimination. likelihood of an incident
exposure. properly, be maintained
occurring.
regularly, and all employees
should be trained in its
proper storage, maintenance
and use.New to WHMIS Program Workplace Labels
Incidents at the University of Manitoba
Nitric Acid “Explosion”
Sodium Hydroxide Reaction
• Each incident was reported to Manitoba Workplace Safety
and Health as a “Serious Incident”
• Investigated internally (Chemical Safety Committee Co-
Chair and EHS)
• Investigation Report recommendations provided by the
Chemical Safety CommitteeIncidents at the University of Manitoba
Nitric Acid “Explosion”
• Lab Staff was preparing 4 bottles for use in the “mobile phase” of
the Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry system
• Required cleaning of 4 bottles with residual contents ( methanol,
formic acid, acetonitrile).
• Lab staff followed the manufacturers SOP (for cleaning
glassware.
• First, disposed of residual contents into an HPLC Waste Bottle
• Rinse bottles (5-6 times with distilled water and dispose into HPLC Waste
bottle)
• Following rinsing, added 10% Nitric Acid (swooshed to contact all sides of the
bottle, then poured into a “waste nitric acid bottle” located in a fume hood in
the lab
• Then poured milli-pore water into 4 bottles (90% full) added nitric acid to fill
bottle (capped) and placed in the same fume hood. Posted signage “do not
open”Incidents at the University of Manitoba Nitric Acid “Explosion” continued… • Lab Staff left to tend to work in office close by • After 15 minutes, heard a loud thud… • Returned to lab to find…
Incidents at the University of Manitoba Nitric Acid “Explosion”
Incidents at the University of Manitoba
Nitric Acid “Explosion”
Cause
• Not familiar with the procedures to prepare the glass bottles,
skipped some rinsing steps
• Turns out the water/ nitric acid rinse was poured into a copper
sulfate contaminated nitric acid waste bottle in the fume hood.
• The capped bottles of nitric acid/water mixture more than likely still
containing residual amounts of methanol and acetonitrile reacted,
over pressurized and “exploded” .Incidents at the University of Manitoba Nitric Acid “Explosion” Recommendations • Safe work procedures are developed for nitric acid use in cleaning glassware for LC/MS use • Universal waste labels for bottles containing nitric acid. Label will be detailed with information pertaining to the potential hazards of nitric acid mixtures.. • Rinse mobile phase bottles (used in LC/MS) immediately and allow for extended drying periods • Ensure all waste containers are labeled with the appropriate workplace labels to avoid cross contamination of incompatibles and dispose of experimental chemical mixtures involving nitric acid immediately following work (Do not store or collect for long periods of time)
Incidents at the University of Manitoba Sodium Hydroxide Reaction • Lab Staff prepared solution A for an outreach program. The mixture contained 8 M Sodium Hydroxide in 50% Aqueous Ethanol. • The solution was carried to an office space outside the lab to present to program technician. • While in the office, lab staff shook container due to distinct layer of solution. • Cap was opened and solution sprayed on to lab staff’s chest and hand. • Lab staff rinsed off in a sink in adjacent lab, but did not use emergency shower.
Incidents at the University of Manitoba Sodium Hydroxide Reaction continued… • Lab staff, realizing that the sink rinse was not enough decided to shower at home because they did not want to activate lab ER shower and potentially cause lab damage. • Lab staff informed to use a shower located in basement of building rushed downstairs, but shower was not working. • Then ran up the stairs (unfortunately falling) hurt their wrist. • Escorted to an ER shower in lab nearby and rinsed for extended period of time. • Lab staff sustained burns to hand and chest.
Incidents at the University of Manitoba Sodium Hydroxide Reaction Cause • Dissolving Sodium Hydroxide in water is an exothermic process, when adding a mixture of aqueous ethanol without allowing the (sodium hydroxide) mixture to cool, will cause an additional exothermic reaction • The incomplete mixture caused a layering, which when shook, activated the reaction and release from the cap.
Incidents at the University of Manitoba Sodium Hydroxide Reaction Recommendations • Departmental revision of Emergency Response procedures for chemical exposure incidents. • Designate a shower on each floor (if privacy is an issue) or activate closest lab ER shower. • Ensure chemicals are not handled or present in office spaces or areas outside labs. • Transfer chemicals between lab spaces in secondary containers • Wear the appropriate PPE when transporting or handling chemical preparations. • Lab staff to keep a notebook or log of experimental mixture preparations.
Incidents at the University of Manitoba
• Fire Safety
• Winnipeg Fire Prevention Office performs
regular inspections of all University buildings.
• Common Violations:
• Appliances and Power bars
• Appliances such as
kettles, coffee makers,
microwaves must be
plugged directly into the
wall. Make sure these
appliances are not being
used near power bars.Incidents at the University of Manitoba
• Common Violations:
• Sprinkler heads must have 18 inches of
clearance. This also means everything must be at
least 18 inches below the sprinkler head, even if it
is more than 18 inches away.Incidents at the University of Manitoba Common Violations: Electrical panels must have 1 meter of clearance around them for access by the fire department or Physical Plant.
Chemical Safety Permit Applications
and New WHIP Placards
• Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) has been emailing out
Chemical Safety Permit Applications to Principal Investigators
(PIs) or Departmental Designates
• New Workplace Hazardous Information Placards (WHIPs) will
serve as the Chemical Safety Permits (to be posted outside each
lab or work area)
• The Chemical Safety Permit applications can be filled out by PIs,
Departmental Designates or Lab Workers on EHSA database.
• PIs can grant access to designates
• EHS will add the designate to the PI profile (EHSA database)
• Access to the questionnaire provided with UMNetID and password
(JUMP Portal)NEW WHIP Placard
Questions? http://umanitoba.ca/chemsafety
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