How to Handle a PPE Breach with Chemicals

Hundreds of thousands of chemicals are used in research labs, manufacturing, and other tasks, and the specific health hazards aren’t always known.

When you consider the fact that labs often generate new substances with unknown properties and unknown toxicity, the risk of a breach or accident only increases. Many of these chemicals have a wide range of health and safety threats including radioactivity, biohazardous, flammability, reactivity, corrosivity, explosivity, and more.

To be prepared for the worst, the following provides information about what to do in a PPE breach when handling chemicals.

What is a PPE Breach?

It’s critical to ensure that PPE is always worn properly when team members face risks of chemical, biological, and other types of exposure. Any breach in the integrity of personal protective clothing or equipment allows dangerous materials to make skin contact, enter the lungs, and damage the eyes or ears.

The most common PPE breaches involve gaps, holes, and rips to the outer layer of a hazardous material (HAZMAT) suit. It’s not uncommon for people working with chemicals to be put in harm’s way when gloves corrode, breathing apparatuses aren’t properly fitted or fit-tested, and workers do not wear the appropriate PPE for the task – or wear PPE incorrectly.

Common Examples of PPE Breach

Although accidents may occur in the workplace, it’s essential for employers to stockpile a complete inventory of PPE that is suitable for known and possible worksite hazards. The personal protective clothing and accessories must be stored in a safe and orderly manner that complies with the items’ storage guidelines. Improperly stored items may be inadvertently damaged, degraded, or later worn by employees.

It’s also important to keep in mind that PPE, like any product, has a life expectancy. Bringing out old and tattered disposable or reusable clothing creates a perfect storm for rips, tears, or seams to come apart.

In particular, multi-use PPE can suffer the effects of damage from repeated use, laundering, and transport. With repeated use and laundering, protective coatings and fabric can slowly degrade making them less effective or ineffective at protecting against the hazard they are designed for.

These are ways PPE breaches occur.

• Torn Gloves; Gaps Between Gloves and Sleeves: Accessories such as protective gloves must adequately address hazards in terms of thickness and durability. Lifting heavy or abrasive materials can quickly wear away the protective materials in gloves. Chemicals can also corrode or degrade gloves, leading to skin contact. In laboratories, sharp objects routinely puncture the PPE.
• Worn Footwear: Employees generally do not realize their protective footwear has been breached until they feel the moisture or burning sensation from chemical agents. Unfortunately, feet are just as susceptible to burns, allowing chemicals to penetrate the skin.
• PPE Suit Tears:It’s easier than people realize to walk past a sharp object or get snagged on something. Tears to unseen areas of a chemical splash coverall are among the more common and riskiest breaches.
• Chemical Seepage: Heavy-duty, corrosive chemicals have the potential to compromise the integrity of a personal protective suit. Products that meet or exceed industry standards have testing and/or ratings that determine seepage. The problem that leads to a PPE chemical breach stems from the fact that workers sometimes clear off hazardous liquids and believe the danger has been mitigated.
• Heat Exposure: Top-tier PPE can withstand intense heat and is flame-retardant. Organizations that cut corners with lesser PPE put people at risk of injury.
• Improper Fit: When personal protective clothing items do not fit properly, they lend themselves to breaches. Loose-fitting items are more easily caught in machinery or snagged and torn. When the PPE is too tight, it is more likely to rip at the seams.
• Improper Layering: Employees who perform duties in cold environments typically wear undergarments to stay warm. When these additional layers are used, they may lead to burst seams, stretched zippers, and accessories not attaching properly. Certain undergarment materials, such as cotton, should not be used with chemicals because cotton holds liquids against the skin.

These are reasons why employers are tasked with providing the best possible PPE available to prevent chemical exposures. Additionally, safety supervisors and staff members should understand and enforce a company’s chemical exposure protocol in accordance with OSHA.

How To Prevent Workplace PPE Breaches

The first step toward minimizing the risk of a PPE breach calls for adopting an organization-wide chemical exposure protocol. Typically created by departmental leaders and safety specialists, the directive covers everything from types of protective clothing, having a spill kit(s), and gear to engineering controls.

The chemical exposure protocol must also address how to respond to PPE breaches and workplace injuries. These are items that are typically included in a company’s chemical exposure protocol.

• Risk Assessment: Consider taking an inventory of the hazardous materials that are used in the workplace. Outline how they are handled, properly stored, and how employees could potentially be exposed. Understanding risk is essential to making informed decisions regarding your chemical exposure policy.
• Housekeeping: A safety policy can only be successful if the environment remains free of unknown dangers. Best practices require supervisors to ensure chemicals are stored properly in designed areas and that spaces are free of clutter, sharp objects, and other hazards.
• Labeling: All chemical containers must be assigned the appropriate OHSA designated labeling. This allows employees to know how to handle materials, what’s inside the container, and gives them an opportunity to take precautions.
• Safety Data Sheets:All employees should have access to safety data sheets for all chemicals onsite. Safety data sheets provide detailed information on proper handling, storage, disposal, possible chemical reactions with other chemicals, medical treatment guidelines, and more.
• Transport:It’s also essential to follow strict guidelines when transporting materials. Labeled containers signal the dangers to warehouse workers, truck drivers, and machine operators, among others.
• Engineering Controls: Company mandates must include details about ventilation, protective barriers, enclosed spaces, fume hoods, cleanup, and more.

A comprehensive chemical exposure protocol also provides details about the types of PPE, accessories, and equipment employees are required to wear in designated areas.

Types of PPE for Chemical Protection

The importance of maintaining an inventory of industry-leading personal protective equipment and clothing cannot be understated. The appropriate use of PPE is the last line of defense in workplace safety. These are products safety officials need to consider when creating a PPE inventory to deal with chemical agents.

• Respirators: Breathable masks and respirators are crucial in areas where airborne chemicals and/or vapors can be inhaled.
• Goggles and Face Shields: People working in places prone to fumes, steam, or chemical splashes must be provided with eye protection and wear it at all times.
• Coveralls: Full-body chemical splash suits with hoodies typically meet the industry standard for skin protection. The materials used must provide adequate seepage defenses, allowing workers to change out of the disposable personal protective clothing.
• Gloves: The hands are the places most likely to come in contact with hazardous agents. Gloves must be sturdy enough to withstand hard contact and cuts. It’s often recommended that workers wear two layers of gloves, known as “double gloving”. This offers added protection from seepage or glove deterioration.
• Disposable Shoe Coverings: Organizations tend to rely on disposable shoe coverings for protection. They rank among the most cost-effective ways to prevent chemicals from contacting the skin or workers cross contaminating their vehicles and homes.

What to Do in a PPE Breach When Handling Chemicals

If a chemical breach occurs, time is of the essence. The person must be quickly moved to a safe, nearby area where the PPE can be removed and disposed of properly. Depending on the agent, flushing the eyes, face, or skin with cool water may be required.

Call 911 or transport the victim to an emergency room for evaluation and treatment. It’s also important to call a contamination cleanup crew to remove the compromised PPE and cleanse the area where the accident happened.

• Eyewash stations: If a worker experiences a potential chemical splash into the eyes, immediately flushing it with water at a designated location is a must. It may be necessary for another worker to escort or guide the worker to the eyewash station to prevent additional injuries caused by tripping or slipping when vision is obscured.
• First Aid Kits: First Aid Kits should be readily available to cleanse and bandage a wound, when applicable. If alcohol is to be used as a cleansing agent, ensure it does not react with the chemical on the worker. Depending on the severity, promptly transport the affected worker to a medical facility. Alert medical professionals to the chemical the worker was exposed to so injuries can be safely and properly treated.
• Double-Gloving: It’s often recommended that workers wear two layers of gloves, often of two different thicknesses. This is known as “double gloving”. This offers added protection from seepage or glove deterioration. Some workers wear two different colored gloves—the contrasting colors allow them to quickly identify punctures, tears, or degrading material of the outer glove.
• Layering of Protective Clothing: The use of lightweight, breathable layers of disposable protective clothing helps reduce seepage and offers an added layer of protection between the skin and hazardous chemicals.
  
  It’s common for professionals to wear disposable frocks or aprons underneath their coveralls and/or work uniform. Cotton is not a recommended undergarment when handling chemicals—it absorbs liquids and traps or holds them against the skin.
• Spill Kits and/or Emergency Clean-Up Crews: Spill kits or an emergency clean-up crew should be readily available. Ensure the proper cleanup materials are selected and that they do not react with the spilled chemical. All cleanup crews should also be equipped with PPE and disposable protective clothing.
• Safety Signage: If your facility commonly handles a few select chemicals, consider posting signage that includes what the chemical(s) react with, proper storage guidelines, proper disposal, and exposure protocols. This information can all be found in the SDS. Having this information readily available and in sight helps prevent accidents and gives workers critical information in the event of exposure.