Chapter 6 Homework
Page 166# Exercise 3
Cases of environmental illness or environmental sensitivity seem to be becoming more common. Search
out contemporary cases in which employees have been exposed to chemical or biological agents with
long-term consequences. Could these exposures have been prevented? Could the workers have been
protected?
Employee suffering from environmental illness or sensitivities connected to workplace are more
increased and cases where they are exposed to chemical or biological agents resulting a long-
term health hazard. Some examples that relate these issues are 9/11 first responders, Dupont
chemical plant workers where workers exposed to chemical linked to causing cancers, damage of
livers and respiratory illness.
Yes, such kinds of exposures could have been prevented and some preventive measure includes:
Make sure all employee has access to and have knowledge of using the PPE correctly.
To make all employee aware of the risks, arrangement of proper safety training programs
Timely screening the health and monitoring of any detection related to exposure to
chemicals.
Managing efficient ventilation, proper air quality and proper governance of work
environment
For Protecting workers:
Worker must be aware about the use of PPE correctly
Worker must be aware about the immediate response plans in case of any potential risk
exposures.
To Sum, implementation of such measures reduces the risk of illness among the workers and
bring out the idea for early intervention.
Case Study 2 Unexpected Gas Page 167#
A man was killed by an explosion when another worker attempted to cut through the top of one of two
old steel drums using a handheld grinder. Both barrels had contained a fruit concentrate but were never
cleaned. The sparks generated by the grinder ignited hydrogen gas that had been generated from the
contents’ residue after standing for many years. Because there was a defective sterile coating separating
the walls of the drum from the concentrate, the acid in the fruit concentrate reacted with the metal of
the drum and formed hydrogen gas. The gas accumulated, and the pressure caused the drum ends to
bulge. This deformation made it impossible to open the drum with the drum opener, and a hole was
punched into the top of each drum. One worker was attempting to add water to one drum in order to
displace the remaining gas, while another worker attempted to open the other drum with a grinder.
Sparks ignited the hydrogen gas, causing an explosion and a fire. The fire was extinguished, but one
worker lost his life. The defective drums had been recalled years before by the supplier, and only three
remained unaccounted for before the accident. What steps would you take to ensure that this event was
never repeated?
To prevent such tragic incident, several steps can be applied which are listed below:
I would create a detailed inspection of all drums and separate the drums if identified as
hazardous to avoid further accident
Arrangement of comprehensive training focusing on proper inspection of old containers
and its handling
For handling the old containers and drums, establish a strict standard operating procedure
(SOPs) and make sure all old containers are disposed in proper waste disposal areas.
Incorporating of gas detection equipment for identifying flammable or hazardous gases in
containers.
Proper recording of all equipment and material so that any defective items can be
removed and any useful items can be recalled.
Timely conduction of safety audits to foster a safer work environment to reduce risk to
employees
To sum, by taking such measures can reduce the risk of similar incidents and a foster a safe work
culture.