National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme

14.3.3Education and training

The Model Regulations stipulate that training and induction should be appropriate for the workers concerned. It is important that each workplace implement a program that is suitably designed to accommodate the needs of different workers.

Training should be given to the workers at induction and repeated at regular intervals to reinforce the information. Training and education needs for workers should be reviewed on a regular basis.

For trichloroethylene, the training program should address:

acute and potential chronic health effects of trichloroethylene;

skin absorption potential and skin effects of trichloroethylene following prolonged exposure;

explanation of MSDS and labelling of trichloroethylene and trichloroethylene products; and

use and maintenance of personal protective equipment.

In addition, training for workers involved in vapour degreasing should include:

basic plant operation, covering start up procedures, checking cut outs, cooling and solvent condition, loading, unloading and jigging work and delays in the freeboard zone;

procedures to be followed during cleaning of degreasing tanks, particularly regarding procedures for working in confined spaces when entering the tank is required.

Information obtained for assessment indicates that very few places have written instructions or formal training for workers. Most of the worksites provide “on the job” training where the supervisor trains the new employee in the various activities involved. Only one of the six workplaces visited had a training manual and operating procedures and the training was repeated every 12 months.

Most importers of trichloroethylene provide technical bulletins which give information about the specifications of trichloroethylene, it’s physical properties and uses. One importer provides a Product Stewardship Manual for chlorinated solvents to end users. The manual includes information on precautions for the safe handling, storage and use of chlorinated solvents including trichloroethylene. It also includes information on safe work practices to be followed while operating a degreaser and cleaning of a degreasing tank. These bulletins and manuals may be used as aids to draw up training programs that would be useful to workers.

14.4Monitoring and regulatory controls

14.4.1Atmospheric monitoring

Under the National Commission’s National Model Regulations for the Control of Workplace Hazardous Substances (National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC), 1994), employers need to carry out an assessment of the workplace for all hazardous substances, with methodology for the assessment provided in the Guidance Note for the Assessment of Health Risks arising from the use of Hazardous Substances in the Workplace (National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC), 1994). When the assessment indicates that the risk of inhalation exposure is significant, atmospheric monitoring should be conducted to measure trichloroethylene concentrations in the workplace. Monitoring provides an indication of the effectiveness of the control measures in place and whether there is a need to improve measures to reduce worker exposure. Atmospheric monitoring should be repeated if any changes are made to the process or equipment.

Analytical methods for the measurement of trichloroethylene in air are detailed in Chapter 6.

14.4.2Exposure standard

irritation, headache and dizziness at 50 ppm while controlled laboratory studies reported anaesthetic effects may begin to occur at about 100 ppm and would be mildly felt at 200 ppm. The STEL is recommended on the basis that it is low enough to protect against early anaesthetic effects. The documentation states that these levels should provide a safety margin for preventing other health effects such as liver toxicity.

Table 36 lists the exposure standards in various countries.

The hazard assessment indicates that:

the critical effect is renal toxicity;

the inhalation NOAEL for renal toxicity is 100 ppm and the LOAEL is 300 ppm (these values do not incorporate any safety factor);

a classification of carcinogen Category 2 is appropriate;

a classification of mutagen Category 3 is appropriate; and

trichloroethylene is absorbed through the skin.
Table 36 - Occupational exposure limits

Country	TWA	STEL	Year adopted
Australia Canada Ontario British Colombia France Germany	50ppm 50 ppm 50 ppm 75 ppm 50 ppm C	200 ppm for 15 min 200 ppm 150 ppm for 15 min 200 ppm 250 ppm with a maximum duration of 30 min/shift occurring maximally twice per work shift.	1990 1995 1991
Netherlands	35 ppm	190 ppm	1992
New Zealand	50 ppm	200 ppm for 15 min	1994
Sweden	10 ppm	25 ppm for 15 min	1993
U.K.	100 ppm, skin notation	150 ppm for 10 min	1993
USA ACGIH	50 ppm	100 ppm	1992
NIOSH	25 ppm
OSHA	50 ppm	200 ppm	1993

14.4.3Biological exposure index

Biological monitoring is the assessment of exposure through measurement of the chemical or its metabolites in biological specimens. Estimations of trichloroacetic acid and trichloroethanol in urine and blood are recommended by ACGIH (ACGIH, 1992) and Germany (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, 1996) for biological monitoring of exposure to trichloroethylene. These are non-specific indicators of exposure to trichloroethylene as they can be metabolites of other chlorinated ethanes and ethylenes. Methods available for biological monitoring of trichloroethylene are detailed in Chapter 6 of the report.

The following biological exposure indices to determine exposure to trichloroethylene have been recommended by ACGIH and Germany.

Germany (1991): Trichloroethanol in blood 5 mg/L at end of exposure
or end of shift.

Trichloroacetic acid in urine 100 mg/L at end of

exposure or end of shift.
ACGIH: Trichloroacetic acid in urine 100 mg/g creatinine at the (1991-1992) end of shift at the end of the workweek, as an indicator

of integrated weekly exposure to trichloroethylene.

Trichloroacetic acid and trichloroethanol in urine 300 mg/g creatinine with sampling time end of shift at end of workweek, as an indicator of integrated exposure to trichloroethylene.

Free trichloroethanol in blood 4 mg/L at end of shift at end of workweek, as an indicator of recent exposure.

14.4.4Health surveillance

Health surveillance is not routinely conducted for workers exposed to trichloroethylene.

Trichloroethylene was reviewed by the National Commission’s Expert Working Group on Health Surveillance in 1993. It was decided not to include trichloroethylene in Schedule 3 (substances requiring health surveillance) of the National Model Regulations for the Control of Hazardous Substances (1994) as atmospheric monitoring was considered adequate to assess worker exposure and thus health surveillance was not warranted. There is therefore no formal requirement for health surveillance programs for workers.

Under the National Commission’s National Model Regulations for the Control of Hazardous Substances (1994) health surveillance is required for employees where the workplace assessment has shown that there is a likelihood of an identifiable disease or health effect occurring under the particular conditions of work following exposure to a hazardous substance. The employer is responsible for providing health surveillance.

Directory: data -> assets -> word doc -> 0017
word doc -> Rail safety news issue 6 – October 2011
word doc -> Review of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Identifying
word doc -> Board Endorsed October 2009 amended 13-09-11 with extra units
0017 -> Rail Safety News Edition 8, December 2012
0017 ->  Commonwealth of Australia 2010
0017 -> Real-Time License Plate Localisation on fpga
0017 -> Careers network bulletin issue 6 July 16 2012
0017 -> Wiser science: Finding References inspec for Physics and Engineering
0017 -> Part A: Depth Study: The globalising world Popular culture and public policy

Download 1.35 Mb.

Share with your friends: