Looking to confirm S.O.P.’s for being around berylium ,cobalt ,mercury.
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berylium: http://macdl.org/safety/safety.htm
http://croetweb.com/links.cfm?topicID=5
cobalt: http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/metalsheavy/cobalt.html
http://www.inchem.org/pages/icsc.html
mercury: http://www.nyu.edu/environmental.services/pdfs/policies/mercury.pdf
http://croetweb.com/links.cfm?subtopicID=7
If you are asking about safety in a workplace (I see your IBEW name) your employer is required by law to provide you with training and PPE to be working around any hazardous material. If there is resistance, your union should go to bat for all of you.
By law, OSHA and some states, the employer is required to keep on file a MSDS, Materials Safety Data Sheet, on all materials that employees are exposed to and to allow access to these files. These sheets define the hazards each materials present such as composition and the reactivity, toxicity and fire hazard associated with each component.
It also defines the accepted exposure level versus time, the LD50 (Lethal dose 50%), any special materials or procedures needed to put them out if they are on fire and any personal protection equipment or procedures necessary during normal use.
Of course your union steward and/or representative should, if he or she is doing their job, know this and be able to advise you on these issues. Go through them first.
Edited for clarity.
Edited 1/7/2004 8:45:09 PM ET by 4Lorn1
ya what they said above, plus all of the heavy metals are not good for you. they can be absorbed through the skin(mercury), and fumes can be absorbed through the eyes even when you are wearing a respirator. heavy metal poisoning can cause violent behavior and insanity. nasty stuff
Thanks for the response.I've been doing some googling to find out about these materials,they are in a government facility I'm working in now. We have an EPA guy there at all times and I just wasn't sure how to take his answer that because the materials are in sealed containers we "could" wear protective equipment if we wanted to but that it wasn't required.Was just looking to see if someone had hands on experience.
One thing that I do know is that the homeland security types aren't kidding around these days.They sent my security paperwork back the first time because they couldn't confirm the address of my elementary school that was demolished 25 years ago.Another thing I'm pretty sure of, is ,that if the Iraqis are waiting for us to run out of lead,they probably shouldn't hold their breath.
I've worked with them all over the years. Mostly when OSHA was very new and not well enforced. Nasty stuff. A few drops of mercury is no cause for great concern. A spilled flask means evacuate the building. If you have an on-site OSHA guy, that's good. My major concerns would be: are the people handling the stuff trained and experienced? Are there adequate monitoring systems? Evacuation procedure and training? Respirators and other protective equipment? Spill remediation?
Mercury is a vapor hazard. Spill some and the vapor is everywhere. Cobalt and beryllium are exceptionally toxic as fine powders, but I'd not be quite so concerned if they're ingots. So, depends on what the processing is. If its just being stored, exercise due caution. If its being machined with a dirty process like grinding, be very very concerned. Waste collection and disposal is critical. If you feel that anyone handling the stuff is not fully competent or any procedure is risky, report it loud and often before any actual incident. That would be my greatest concern. Next, there should be proper monitoring. Vapor detectors, counters, alarms. If you don't see them, ask where they are. When in doubt, get out. The protective gear and remediation or cleanup kits are for specialists. If there's any concern that you might need to wear them during routine work, I'd consider the process too dirty for me. No possible way I'd want to risk bringing home any contamination on my clothes. When working with that sort of stuff, the facility should be clean like a hospital. If there's a problem, leave. None of the gear or training is worth anything without common sense.