j.a.velez on tue 26 feb 02
Mr. Jaeger wrote:
"Does anyone know if I should be concerned that they (the Risk =
management
Company) listed on their inventory sheets the health hazard as mostly
"irritant"?"
Mr. Jaeger I do not know how to take your question. Are you concerned =
that the Risk Management Co. is understating the hazards of the =
materials you use? Or are you concerned the Risk Management Co. is =
reporting you are not properly safeguarding from the hazards associated =
with handling these materials? I assume you work at an educational =
institution. I am familiar with using MSDS in an industrial setting and =
my advise would be to take the MSDS very seriously. This is how I would =
handle them if I were in your situation:
1- Make sure I have a current MSDS for every material in inventory.
2- Keep binder(s) with all MSDS accessible to all material users.
3- Conduct training sessions to make sure potential user have at least =
an awareness of the types of hazards involved, the protection needed and =
how to reference the MSDS when in need of additional information.
4- Conduct a brief safety sessions prior to using the materials to =
review the potential hazards and protective measures.
5- Establish RIGID rules about the use of protection equipment.
Assuming that these substances only have health impact after frequent =
and prolonged use and therefore you and your students (if in fact you =
work at an educational institution) do not need to protect yourselves =
establishes a dangerous precedent and does disservice to your students. =
In our modern world we come in contact with substances that are =
environmental, safety and health hazards every day. We need to learn =
how to follow the rules and be able to handle them in accordance with =
the best information and technology available. Teaching young people =
the discipline and principles involved will be a valuable lesson to =
them.
Excuse me if I got into a"soap box sermon", but it is really important.
Best regards, Jose A. Velez
Nevin Murtha on tue 26 feb 02
You could not have said it better.
If you think an MSDS is in error, follow it until you have a very reliable
source (or better yet two or three) that say otherwise. Then you should
take it up with your supplier. Also you should be aware that the limits in
MSDS sheets are for average individuals. Many materials will cause a range
of reactions in different individuals. I work in the business of cleaning
up hazardous waste sites. We use a rule of thumb that any exposure over
10% of the applicable limit calls for action.
A final thought, people should be aware of what the different standards used
on MSDS sheets. They are for different kinds of exposures for different
lengths of time and measure different kinds of reactions. For instance if
you read that a compound had an LD50 of 10 ppm and you exposure was 5 ppm
you would be in serious danger as an LD50 stands for lethal dose for 50% of
the population. It is not a safe level. So know your MSDS sheets and what
all the acronyms are.
-----Original Message-----
From: j.a.velez
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 7:21 AM
Subject: Re: MSDS and Risk Management Company
Mr. Jaeger wrote:
"Does anyone know if I should be concerned that they (the Risk management
Company) listed on their inventory sheets the health hazard as mostly
"irritant"?"
Mr. Jaeger I do not know how to take your question. Are you concerned that
the Risk Management Co. is understating the hazards of the materials you
use? Or are you concerned the Risk Management Co. is reporting you are not
properly safeguarding from the hazards associated with handling these
materials? I assume you work at an educational institution. I am familiar
with using MSDS in an industrial setting and my advise would be to take the
MSDS very seriously. This is how I would handle them if I were in your
situation:
1- Make sure I have a current MSDS for every material in inventory.
2- Keep binder(s) with all MSDS accessible to all material users.
3- Conduct training sessions to make sure potential user have at least an
awareness of the types of hazards involved, the protection needed and how to
reference the MSDS when in need of additional information.
4- Conduct a brief safety sessions prior to using the materials to review
the potential hazards and protective measures.
5- Establish RIGID rules about the use of protection equipment.
Assuming that these substances only have health impact after frequent and
prolonged use and therefore you and your students (if in fact you work at an
educational institution) do not need to protect yourselves establishes a
dangerous precedent and does disservice to your students. In our modern
world we come in contact with substances that are environmental, safety and
health hazards every day. We need to learn how to follow the rules and be
able to handle them in accordance with the best information and technology
available. Teaching young people the discipline and principles involved
will be a valuable lesson to them.
Excuse me if I got into a"soap box sermon", but it is really important.
Best regards, Jose A. Velez
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Numo Jaeger & Michael Miller on tue 26 feb 02
At 12:26 AM 2/26/02 -0600, you wrote:
>Mr. Jaeger wrote:
>
>"Does anyone know if I should be concerned that they (the Risk
management
>Company) listed on their inventory sheets the health hazard as mostly
>"irritant"?"
>
>Mr. Jaeger I do not know how to take your question. Are you concerned
that the Risk Management Co. is understating the hazards of the materials
you use?
I am concerned that the Risk Management Col is understating
the hazards of the materials that we use in the field of
ceramics. Is irritant the appropriate labeling? Or
is a more serious hazard labeling appropriate?
-Numo
Numo Jaeger & Michael Miller on tue 26 feb 02
At 12:26 AM 2/26/02 -0600, you wrote:
>Mr. Jaeger wrote:
>
>"Does anyone know if I should be concerned that they (the Risk management
>Company) listed on their inventory sheets the health hazard as mostly
>"irritant"?"
>
>Mr. Jaeger I do not know how to take your question. Are you concerned
that the Risk Management Co. is understating the hazards of the materials
you use?
I am concerned that the Risk Management Co. is understating the hazards of
the materials that we use in ceramics. Is irritant the appropriate labeling
or is a more serious health hazard labeling necessary?
-Numo
Jose A. Velez on wed 27 feb 02
> I am concerned that the Risk Management Co. is understating the hazards of
> the materials that we use in ceramics. Is irritant the appropriate
labeling
> or is a more serious health hazard labeling necessary?
> -Numo
>
Mr. Numo:
I do not know what materials you have in stock, but assuming you have the
typical supply to mix glazes, then if the Risk Mgt. Co. is lumping
everything together and calling them "irritants" I would say they are
missing the boat. The MSDSs are specific and do establish if a material is
a topical irritant, or if it is toxic if vapors are inhaled, toxic if
absorbed through the skin, or if they have long term health effects if air
borne particles are inhaled (as is the case with silica), etc. As it has
been mentioned in this group many times, the raw materials present one set
of hazards, and another when fired in a kiln, so there is more than the eye
meets. I do not know what is the purpose of the survey, but if it will be
used for dictating mitigating practices, safety equipment purchases,
budgets, etc. I would use the MSDS to point out you have needs beyond those
presented by "irritants". For instance if their classification means that
you can only buy gloves and aprons to protect your students, but you will
not be able to afford adequate dust masks, then by all means challenge their
classification. To do so, use your MSDSs. I think you can build a very
solid case with a few examples, silica for instance.
Best wishes, Jose A. Velez
william schran on thu 28 feb 02
Numo - The MSDS for each material/chemical should state whether it is
an irritant or more serious health hazard. I have a stick on label on
each and every container in my chemical storage room and many are
listed as "irritant" as found in the MSDS for the specific material.
Bill
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