Industrial Hygiene Incident Report
Professional Services Laboratories responded to a hazardous incident in our local town that involved a spill incident at the GPM Chemical Facility. Professional services has a contract laboratory located within the facility to assist with environmental and safety sampling. On March 1, 2007 a spill occurred that involved methanol. It was the result of an employee who did not follow recommended procedures in the transfer of the substance from one container to another. The onsite industrial hygienist from Professional Services Laboratories responded to the scene of the spill within 5 minutes and initiated emergency and sampling procedures. The results of the sampling performed by Professional Services Laboratories revealed a short duration, high concentration exposure by inhalation in the immediate area of the spill. Due to the volatility of the methanol vapor, the explosive hazard and inhalation hazard dissipated within 1/2 hour after the spill. The employee was transported to the local area emergency room for care as a result of vapor exposure and skin contact. The hospital kept the employee for 48 hours observation and released him to go home. The plant has proper procedures and precautions in place to pr
The situation and conditions of the spill were similar to those reported in this incident. An LEL meter is used to determine air concentrations at the time of the spill. Outside storage, in this case occurs in an open-air, covered area. The second employee, upon arriving at the scene of the spill took proper precautions and followed procedure as specified in training. Static discharge can also ignite the material (JT Baker, p. 134 for respiratory protective equipment. The PEL recommended by OSHA is taken using a TWA of 8 hours. A representative of the EPA arrived on site 1 1/2 hours after the spill occurred. He first removed the injured employee to fresh air, used the safety shower as directed, and called for assistance in cleaning up the spill. Employees receive 40 hours of training prior to beginning work in this area. The exact amount of spillage is not known, but it appears to be a considerable amount. Upon investigation, it was found that employee who caused this spill incident had been with the company for 10 years. Conclusions/ Recommendations This exposure occurred as a result of failure to follow proper procedure on the part of the employee responsible for the incident.
Common topics in this essay:
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Conclusions/ Recommendations,
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Standards Methanol,
Act RCRA,
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