CHEMICAL EXPOSURE

CHEMICAL EXPOSURE

INTRODUCTION

Legislation and compliance requirements are essential in chemical industries. They revolve around making sure that all the processes are up to standard .safety is one of the significant concerns looked on. The legislation and compliance requirements are several and vary with the type of company

LEGISLATION AND COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS

One of the requirements is disposal. It is the company’s responsibility to come up with an excellent safe strategy of disposing of its waste remnants. It should be in a position to treat the waste before disposing of it. Disposing of untreated waste will degrade the environment, which might cause complications to the life present in the area. Otherwise, the company should store the remnants in safe places, which will not lead to contamination before dealing with it. The company should also ensure that the company compound is well enclosed to avoid potential leaks to the outside space. By doing this, the environment outside is safe. (Handford et al., 2015)

Handling and safety is also a critical issue in legislation and compliance requirement. Human health is so much important. The company must ensure the safety of its workers. Right from handling, the workers need to be safe from these chemicals, which can cause adverse health conditions. It is the responsibility of the company to provide proper dressing for its workers, which helps protect from the occurrence of any contamination. (Handford et al., 2015)It is also the responsibility of the company to educate its workers on how to handle the chemicals and stay safe

Environment risk assessment is also an essential requirement in legislation and compliance. It involves doing intensive research on how the presence of the company in the area affects the environment around it. Conducting environment risk assessment processes considers many factors. The human population and nearby life is a factor. It is the responsibility of the company to ensure that the processes running in the company don’t have adverse effects on the life and environment around it

Quality check is also an issue that concerns legislation and compliance requirements. It is the company’s responsibility to make sure that the products used are up to the required standards. It will ensure the quality of the produced products .it will also help to reduce any chemical contamination which might be caused by the reaction of unstable compounds

Location is also a critical issue in concerns to legislation and compliance requirements. The site of the company predisposes it to so many factors. Some of these factors can be either positive or negative. The company needs to be away from the human population and busy traffic roads. The busy traffic roads predispose the company to potential accidents, which lead to severe outcomes. (Handford et al., 2015)

Transportation is also a critical issue in concerns to legislation and compliance requirements. Full safety and compliance conditions are to be met during transport by the company. The terms help to avoid any instances of accidents like spillage. Such spillages will cause environmental degradation as they are highly poisonous. In the case of a spillage, the chemicals will have adverse effects on living organisms. Rectifying the process is quite a hard task; hence, prevention is better than cure. The containers should be airtight and of the required standards to be able to withhold the chemicals

Emergency preparedness is also a part of legislation and compliance requirements. The company must ensure that it is prepared and ready if an emergency arises. It will be by coming up with strategic ways on how to deal with the potential crisis. (Handford et al., 2015) Different emergencies require different preparation strategies. Preparing for possible emergencies is essential as it makes it easier to control it and thus less fatal. The company must fit the company structures with adequate emergency kits.

RISK ASSESSMENT

In the legislation and compliance requirements, there is also risk assessment. It involves a systematic way of checking potential hazards made prone by the company. The risk assessment can either be qualitative or quantitative. The risk assessment procedure contains several procedures that are followed to get correct and precise results. The risk assessment process includes four methods

Hazard identification is the first process in the risk assessment process. It involves identifying contaminants in a specific area. The contaminants vary from place to place, depending on the cause. With the primary pollutants, it gives a clear go-ahead strategy on how to deal with it. It also makes it easier for researchers to find possible solutions. (Lewis et al., 2016)

Exposure assessment is the second procedure in the risk assessment process. This process involves taking samples of the found contaminants and finding their correct percentage and concentration. The results emerge after an in-depth analysis of the samples. It is vital as it gives a clear picture of how much of the contaminant is in the area. Different concentrations or percentages have a different level of effects on living organisms. Contaminants that are found to be in large portions have more adverse effects compared to pollutants with less concentration. The results found will, therefore, dictate the level of urgency to be treated while solving the issues. Some low concentrations of particular threat contaminants may be ruled out not to be harmful to the environment and hence can be assumed and declared threat free

The third procedure in risk assessment is the dose-response assessment. (Lewis et al., 2016) This process involves representing the effect of the contaminants on the living organisms using a mathematical plot. The evaluation shows the different changes in behavior due to the intake of the contaminated substances. (Adeleye et al., 2015) Unlike living organisms have different responses in normal conditions. The process, therefore, is accurate and precise to be able to identify any slight behavior change that might have been caused by the intake. With this it possible to access the level of damage or harm caused by the contamination

The fourth procedure in risk assessment is risk characterization. This process involves estimating the potential harm caused to the organisms due to the exposure of the contaminants. It is a general view of how the pollutants have affected the living organisms present. (Lewis et al., 2016) With this report, public figures on the impact generated. The report provides estimate statistics of the extent

RISK ASSESSMENT TOOLS

The risk assessment process requires some tools to take place. The different tools differ and vary depending on the task. There are several risk assessment tools commonly used.

Control branding models are one of the tools used in risk assessment tools. It involves grouping the chemicals in the company according to their similarities. It is in terms of their chemical and physical properties. The substances are according to their dangerous and poisonous levels. The process puts a control band on the hazardous chemicals. A control brand on a compound involves finding a way to regulate and control the effects of a particular chemical from affecting living organisms. (Suciu et al., 2016)

Hazard information systems are also tools used in the risk assessment process. The process involves doing research and analysis on all the chemicals in the company. All the information gathered is therefore filled in sheets. The substances are, consequently, grouped according to their hazardous nature. Each hazard is then put in a controlled unit to manage it. It is advantageous as it does not require the user to transfer sods data

Mathematical models are also tools used in the risk assessment process. They use mathematical approaches to try and figure the extent of exposure. They are more precise as they give theoretical values on the size of the disclosure. (Suciu et al., 2016) The analysts require a lot of the background information so as produce accurate results

Job exposure matrices are also a tool used in the risk assessment process. It is a tool that shows the type of risks one is predisposed to depending on their job type. The tool gives correct and detailed information and hence, a better fast tool in risk assessment. Risk controls mostly use the device to have several branches. The hierarchy of power is one of the main branches. It contains risk control methods which are according to their level of effectiveness

RISK CONTROL

The elimination method is the first one. It is the most effective method of risk control. This method involves removing chemical with the hazardous effect completely. It used in instances of highly poisonous chemicals(Bernardes et al., 2015)

The substitution method is the second method of risk control. It is the second most effective method. It involves substituting the chemical risk with suitable compounds that are not a significant threat. This method can sometimes become challenging as finding an appropriate substitution is not that easy.

Isolation is also a method used in risk control. This process applies in cases where substitution has become a significant challenge. The poisonous chemicals are, therefore, isolated from the living organisms to avoid harm. Isolation of the substances can be done storing the chemicals in safe containers away from humans

Engineering controls are also a method used in risk control. This process plays when the isolation process is not a success. It involves using physical and mechanical means to help protect humans from chemical contamination. The process works by reducing the exposure to specific biochemical effects. Ventilation systems can be used to achieve the success of the process. (Bernardes et al., 2015)

Administrative controls are also a method used in risk control. The supervisory authority is quite a weak way of risk control. It works by controlling human habits and behaviors. Supervision is essential for its success. Administrative controls contain sets of rules which need to be followed to the letter so as progress to be delivered.

Personal protective pieces of equipment are also a method used in risk control. It’s the most basic type of risk control. In the hierarchy of risk controls, it is the least effective. It involves putting on unique gadgets which protect humans on the risk of exposure

The second main branch of risk control is coming up with software and programs that help monitor the level of exposure. Humans can be exposing themselves to different dangerous chemicals without their knowledge. It poses a high risk to their health. (Bernardes et al., 2015)With these monitoring devices, humans are safer as they are alerted of any exposure. Such exposures may be due to spills or wrong storage. With feedback from the monitoring devices, humans can take the needed measures.

The third main branch of risk control is sampling and analyzing airborne. It gives a well-detailed report of the components in the air. In case any contamination is noted necessary precautions triggers. It is quite an essential process as it helps prevent inhalation of dangerous substances into the body unknowingly.

The fourth main branch of risk control is biological monitoring. It involves analyzing chemical contents in biological samples. After Exposing living organisms to chemicals leaves traces in the body, the chemical traces appear after assessing the biological samples, such as urine. It is quite a precise way of noticing and identifying any contamination that might have occurred. With the detailed report, the contaminants re discovered .this report help find a better and lasting solution to the problem. All of the above risk control measures are important, as they all work to achieve the same objective.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the existence of a company has adverse effects on the environment and living organisms around it. The results are either long term or short term depending on the level of exposure and the chemical processes happening. Some exposure effects are not spotted using the naked eye. Some exposure effects lead to corrupting biological processes. The chemical exposure appears after in-depth research and analysis of the organic compounds. Some chemical exposures are detected directly. (Bernardes et al., 2015)Death or discoloring of plants is quite a physical, biochemical effect exposure that is spotted instantly. The vulnerabilities pose a high risk to the living organisms around

It is the chemical company’s responsibility to own up and rectify their messes. The company first needs to do intensive research on their products. The products need not pose an excellent exposure risk. In occurrences of significant risks, the company needs to be aware and take maximum control measures to prevent exposure risks. The companies need to regulate their activities and ensure all their processes are per the standard and safety compliance requirements. The safety and compliance requirements include even in the disposal of their waste materials. The waste materials are either in the form of liquids, solids, and gases. The company must ensure it’s waste materials do not cause any advance effects to degrade the environment. The company must ensure that they have a reliable, safe plan to deal with their waste. (Bernardes et al., 2015)

In the safety and compliance requirements, the worker’s health comes first. It is the company’s responsibility to ensure that the workers stay in a pleasant conducive environment away from any risks. All these safety conditions will result in a good life away from any chemical hazards.

Reference

Adeleye, Y., Andersen, M., Clewell, R., Davies, M., Dent, M., Edwards, S., Fowler, P., Malcomber, S., Nicol, B., Scott, A., Scott, S., Sun, B., Westmoreland, C., White, A., Zhang, Q., Carmichael, P.L., 2015. Implementing Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century (TT21C): Making safety decisions using toxicity pathways, and progress in a prototype risk assessment. Toxicology, Quantitative in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (QIVIVE): An essential element for in vitro-based risk assessment 332, 102–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2014.02.007

Bernardes, R.A.B., Chiavegato, L.D., de Moraes, M.V., Negreiros, A., Padula, R.S., 2015. Lung function and functional capacity among foundry workers using effective risk control measures. Work 52, 581–587. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-152124

Handford, C.E., Elliott, C.T., Campbell, K., 2015. A review of the global pesticide legislation and the scale of the challenge in reaching the global harmonization of food safety standards. Integer. Environ. Assess. Manag. 11, 525–536. https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.1635

Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D.J., Green, A., 2016. An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Hum. Ecol. Risk Assess. Int. J. 22, 1050–1064. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242