asecos Main catalogue - Working safely with hazardous substances

11 From the 1st June 2015, DSEAR also includes: 1. Substances that are corrosive to metals – Substances that can corrode metals could cause structural damage reducing integrity of structures if not suitably contained. 2. All gases under pressure. Gases that are under pressure (eg gas in a cylinder) may present a risk of explosion if not correctly handled in the workplace. Hazardous materials are materials with the following properties: highly toxic oxidising reprotoxic toxic explosive mutagenic hazardous to health extremely flammable dangerous for the environment corrosive highly flammable releasing hazardous materials when handled irritant flammable chronically harmful in any other way sensitising carcinogenic These terms can be explained as follows: HIGHLY TOXIC materials which can cause temporary or permanent damage to health or even death, even in very small quantities e.g. hydrogen cyanide, phosgene. TOXIC materials which can cause temporary or permanent damage to health or even death in small quantities e.g. methanol, chlorine. HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH materials which can cause temporary or permanent damage to health or even death, e.g. glycol, iodine. CORROSIVE are materials, which can cause destruction of body tissue upon contact with the skin or mucous membranes, e. g. hydrochloric acid above 25 %, sodium hydroxide above 2 %. IRRITANT materials which can cause inflammation upon contact with the skin or mucous membranes, e.g. hydrochloric acid between 10 and 25%, sodium hydroxide between 0.5 and 2%. SENSITISING materials which may cause hypersensitive reactions when inhaled or absorbed through the skin, e.g. cobalt, nickel, various diisocyanates. OXIDISING materials which can maintain a fire without air supply, e.g. sodium chlorate, sodium peroxide, nitric acid above 70%. EXPLOSIVE materials which can be brought to explode e.g. due to heat, friction, impact or initial ignition, e.g. nitroglycerine, dynamite, TNT. EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE gases or materials whose vapours form potentially explosive mixtures with the surrounding air and which are extremely flammable in the presence of an ignition source; with a flash point - below 0 °C and boiling point below 35 °C, e.g. acetylene, hydrogen, diethyl ether. HIGHLY FLAMMABLE materials whose vapours form potentially explosive mixtures with the surrounding air and which are highly flammable in the presence of an ignition source; with a flash point below 23 °C, e.g. acetone, petrol. FLAMMABLE materials whose vapours form potentially explosive mixtures with the surrounding air and which are flammable in the presence of an ignition source; with a flash point between 23 °C and 60 °C, e.g. styrene, turpentine oil. CARCINOGENIC a material which can prompt the body’s own cells to form carcinomas e.g. asbestos, benzene. REPROTOXIC materials which cause non-heritable damage to the progeny or increase their frequency and/or which may cause an impairment of the male or female reproduction functions or capability e.g. benzo[a] pyrene, 2-ethoxyethanol. MUTAGENIC materials which may cause heritable genetic damage, e.g. acrylamide, diethyl sulphate, ethylene oxide. DANGEROUS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT materials which may damage animals, plants, microorganisms, climate, air, water or soil, e.g. diesel fuel, mercury, dichlorofluoroethane. During the manufacture or use of substances, hazardous materials may arise or be released, e.g. welding electrodes. Other chronically harmful materials can cause damage to health when repeated or longer exposure occurs. Such substances are common in industry and include solvents, paints, varnishes, hydrogen, acetylene or liquid petroleum gas (LPG), organic peroxides, to name just a few. DSEAR places a formal requirement on employers to assess the risks for substances if classi ed for these properties and put in place suitable control and mitigation measures. Materials and chemicals of the nature speci ed in the regulation can be found in nearly every workshop, factory, laboratory or workplace and few companies are exempt from the DSEAR legislation. Please observe local legislation and regulations.

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