Page 38 - OHS, September 2020

TRAINING: CHEMICAL SAFETY
Chemical Safety in the Times of Sanitization
As companies increase the amount of cleaning chemicals and sanitizers at their facilities, it is important to consider how these products are handled and stored.
BY JENNIFER WEYANTIndustrial sanitization practices have quickly become a vital part of every organization’s critical pandemic response. As companies increase the amount of cleaning chemicals and sanitizers at their facilities, it is important to consider how these products are handled and stored to ensure appropriate chemical safety protocols are followed. While preparing for a pandemic does increase to your cleaning and sanitizing practices, consider the following storage and handling best management
practices to keep your employees and facility safe.
Storage Considerations for
Sanitization Chemicals
Although your facility may have various types of cleaning agents and sanitizers on site, it is important to recognize that not all products may be able to be stored together. As part of your written hazardous communications plan, keep an accurate and up-to- date chemical inventory which outlines the name, chemical properties, current Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and designated storage areas for each of the chemicals. To create a more robust chemical inventory, include how and where each chemical is being used as well as how much is kept onsite.
When reviewing your chemical inventory, it is helpful to group chemicals that have similar and compatible properties together. Because cleaners and sanitizers may have more than one chemical property, take all properties into consideration when deciding the proper storage requirements for those liquids. Always refer to the chemical manufacturer’s information including the SDS for the most thorough and up-to-date information regarding the liquids at your facility. After the chemicals have been properly grouped together, it is important to understand which properties can be stored near each other and which need to be separated.
Storing incompatible materials together can greatly increase the risk of dangerous outcomes such as fires, explosions or the formation of toxic or flammable gas. Establishing a risk profile and completing a total risk analysis that independently reviews all chemicals at your facility to ensure that they are safely and properly stored is a critical component of any chemical safety plan.
After the full chemical inventory and risk assessment is complete for all liquids managed at your facility, make a determination of how to segregate chemicals to minimize interactions. This can be done
by physically separating the chemicals or by putting a physical barrier between incompatible liquids. Many chemicals, cleaners and sanitizers can be stored with like-chemicals and placed on secondary containment sumps or stored in flammable safety cabinets. The sump will then capture any material that may result in the primary container failing and will ensure that it cannot mix with other materials beside or below it.
Chemical Safety Considerations for
The Use of Cleaners and Sanitizers
As many facilities are introducing new sanitizers and cleaners to their chemical inventory, they are looking for ways to not only manage and mitigate the risks posed by these chemicals in storage, but also while they are in use throughout the facility. Because sanitation is occurring more frequently than ever, companies find themselves scrambling to put together a plan to address workplace hazards associated with pandemic response regarding cleaning and sanitation.
Because there are a variety of sanitation chemicals on the market, carefully review the SDS of those brought into your facility to ensure that your organization is able to provide the necessary PPE to all employees who may use or come into contact with the cleaning agent. When training employees on proper PPE usage, be sure to write a policy that outlines what PPE is needed for contact precautions and where workers can obtain the necessary PPE.
Create a clear and concise plan for your employees on how to prepare and use these cleaners in your facility. Starting with donning appropriate PPE, inform and train your employees on how to dilute or prepare cleaning solutions as necessary. When considering solution preparation, be sure to appropriately bond and ground any containers that may contain flammable solvents or cleaners and take appropriate safety precautions in the transferring of flammableliquids.
When training employees on how to properly use sanitizing agents, include information on the importance of dwell times and any additional rinsing steps that may be required at the guidance of the chemical manufacturer. When considering the appropriate type of rag or disposable wiper to use with your sanitizing solution, review the chemical components of your cleaning agent. If using a quaternary ammonium disinfectant, be cautious with using cotton or cellulose-based wipers as they may negatively impact the efficacy of the cleaning solution.
34 Occupational Health & Safety | SEPTEMBER 2020
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