Strategies to Control Exposure to Harmful Substances

Strategies to Control Exposure to Harmful Substances Control of exposure to substances harmful to health by the UK government was first implemented during the late 19th century (Piney 2001). Today, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessments are used to address the risk associated with chemicals and how they may be used safely. This report considers three cleaning products which are used on a daily basis in the office environment in which I work: Freshline Bleach, Lifeguard 3 Way Toilet Cleaner and Mr Muscle Professional Kitchen Cleaner. COSHH assessments for these products are included in Appendix I. 1. Chemicals used in office cleaning products and the processes involving these products The three cleaning products assessed in this report contain a number of different chemicals. The components of each of these products are listed in Table 1, together with their toxicity, targets organs/organ systems and the recommended occupational exposure limits for these chemicals. The main targets organs for the chemicals in these products are the eyes and skin but the respiratory and digestive systems may also be affected if these products are inhaled or ingested. Freshline Bleach is used for general cleaning and disinfecting purposes. In the office, it is used dilute for cleaning floors (e.g. corridors and toilet floors). A working solution is typically prepared in a mop bucket using tap water for dilution and the floors mopped. At the end of the procedure, the dilute solution is emptied down the drain and both mop bucket and mop rinsed in clean tap water. This bleach is also used neat for cleaning toilets and drains into which it is poured straight from the 5 litre container. Lifeguard 3 Way Toilet Cleaner is a cleaner, disinfectant and deodorizer that is used in the office to remove limescale and uric acid deposits on toilet bowls and urinals. The product is typically poured neat into the toilet bowl/urinal from the 1 litre container. Mr Muscle Professional Kitchen Cleaner is a cleaning spray used to clean all kitchen work surfaces, utensils and other equipment. This is sprayed neat onto surfaces and then wiped off using a disposable cloth. 2. Potential hazards for workers during handling of chemicals The COSHH assessment included in Appendix I identifies the risk associated with the chemicals in each of the three cleaning products. There is the potential for all workers (both cleaning staff and office workers) to be exposed to these chemicals in the workplace. Cleaning staff are at the greatest risk of exposure at they will be handling the concentrated products. There is a risk of splashback from the bleach and toilet cleaner when pouring this into the toilet. There is also the potential for individuals to come into contact with undiluted chemicals during disposal of empty containers. Workers using bleach may inhale vapour if this is used in a poorly-ventilated area. If cleaning cloths are used for multipurposes with a variety of different cleaning products without being properly rinsed between uses, there is also the potential for reactions to take place between chemicals in the different products which could be hazardous for workers. For example, if bleach comes into contact with acid, toxic gas may be liberated which could then be inhaled. There is also the potential for chemical reactions to take place if different cleaning products are used together, e.g. when cleaning toilets. 3. Monitoring workplace exposure and minimising the risk of exposure The COSHH assessment identified Freshline Bleach and Lifeguard 3 Way Toilet Cleaner as medium hazards and Mr Muscle Professional Kitchen Cleaner as low hazard. For both the bleach and toilet cleaner in particular, it is essential that correct safety precautions are taken during the handling, use and disposal of these products. Monitoring workplace exposure to the chemicals in these products is difficult and levels of exposure cannot be measured qualitatively. Regular inspections of the office kitchen and toilets will detect spillages that have not been cleaned up thoroughly which could mean workers are exposed to higher than normal levels of concentrated products. Keeping a record of the quantities of each product used (e.g. by asking staff to complete a log when they take a new container) would provide an indicator of the amounts being used within the office as a whole on a monthly/annual basis which may provide some indicator of occupational exposure levels. There is a designated health and safety officer within the office but regular inspections are not conducted and no formal training sessions are held to ensure that new staff joining the company are familiarised with correct office safety procedures. A number of measures can be taken to minimise the risk of exposure. The COSHH assessments for all chemicals should be kept in a place where they can be found easily and all workers should familiarise themselves with these assessments and be aware of first aid measures and correct procedures for cleaning up spillages and disposal of solid waste. Training sessions for staff should be arranged if necessary. All workers using cleaning products must wear suitable personal protective equipment as detailed in the COSHH assessment (e.g. eye protection when working with concentrated toilet cleaner and eye protection, PVC/rubber gloves and protective overalls when working with concentrated bleach). Regular inspections would monitor whether correct working procedures are being followed and written reports from each inspection would provide a record over time. In case of spillage of concentrated bleach or toilet cleaner on clothing, bags should be available to contain the soiled article(s) of clothing to send for cleaning and these should be clearly labelled with the hazard. PVC or rubber gloves should be replaced regularly and should be rinsed well with water if they have come into contact with concentrated solutions of bleach or toilet cleaner ensuring that no door handles or other surfaces are touched and contaminated with concentrated product. All spillages should be cleaned up thoroughly to minimise the risk of workers exposure to concentrated product and both spilt product and any solid waste associated with the spillage disposed of safely. The risk of splashing is reduced by using spray containers (as in the case of Mr Muscle Professional Kitchen Cleaner), rather than the larger bottles or containers which hold the bleach and toilet cleaner, and less of the product is likely to be used with these types of containers. If concentrated bleach or toilet cleaner is spilt on toilet seats, it is important that this is cleaned up thoroughly to minimise the risk of skin contact. In all cases where concentrated bleach has been used in sinks, this should be rinsed thoroughly with copious amounts of water to reduce the risk of workers’ exposure and also to ensure safe disposal of the product. Previously, cleaning staff used to clean the office in the early evening when many staff were still working. This meant that neat bleach or toilet cleaner would be poured into toilet bowls or urinals and workers may then wish to use them, which significantly increased the likelihood of exposure to concentrated products. We have now req uested that cleaning staff work later in the evening two nights per week when staff have already left and it is only on these occasions that the toilets are cleaned. Cloths used for cleaning the kitchen should be rinsed thoroughly at the end of each use and not left where workers or even food could come into contact with concentrated products. Empty containers should be rinsed out well with water before disposal and the top of the container should be replaced to minimise the risk of individuals (i.e. office workers or waste disposal workers) coming into contact with undiluted chemicals. Products should be used in a well-ventilated area, particularly in the case of bleach. The office kitchen is poorly ventilated and has no windows that can be opened but the windows in the toilets can be opened before using products in these areas. Correct storage of products will minimise the risk of workers’ exposure to chemicals. These products should ideally be stored in a locked storage area for which only suitable trained staff have access, and all products stored in original, closed containers, kept upright, in a cool place away from direct sunlight. 4. Plan of action for improvement An audit showed that many staff were not aware of the risks from chemicals in cleaning products used in this office and that correct procedures for their safe use, disposal and storage were not being followed. Following this, a number of new measures have been, or will be, implemented. Training sessions have been arranged for all existing office staff to ensure they are familiar with COSHH assessments and safety procedures and these will be repeated when new staff join the company. Ensuring cleaning staff are correctly trained poses a greater challenge as these staff are recruited from an external agency who are responsible for their own training and quality control; however, the health and safety officer has worked with this agency to ensure that staff are familiar with safety procedures. No sand or other inert absorbable material was available in the office in case of large spillages. This has now been obtained and all staff are familiar with where this is stored. A small, lockable cupboard was previously used for storing cleaning products but this was sometimes left unlocked. Furthermore, containers of kitchen cleaner were left in the cupboard under the sink in the kitchen close to where clean crockery is stored, and toilet cleaner was also frequently left in toilet cubicles. The COSHH assessment identified that Lifeguard 3 Way Toilet Cleaner should be kept away from chlorine-releasing agents and sodium hypochlorite; therefore bleach and toilet cleaner should not be stored together in the same cupboard as there is a risk that they may come into contact (e.g. in case of spillage). A second, lockable cupboard suitable for the storage of these chemicals will be purchased with one month and the two products stored separately. Staff will be trained to ensure that no products are left lying around in the kitchen or toilet areas and are returned to the storage area after each use, which should always be kept locked. The disposable cloths used for cleaning the kitchen were previously being rinsed with water after use, left to dry and re-used. In order to minimise the risk of exposure of office staff to the cleaning product, these cloths will now be disposed of after a single use. Protective overalls worn by cleaning staff will be washed on a weekly basis and PVC/rubber gloves changed regularly. Regular inspections are now carried out by the office health and safety officer on a monthly basis to ensure correct procedures are being followed. Conclusions Everyday cleaning products used in the office can pose a potential hazard to workers. It is therefore important that COSHH assessments are performed to assess the risk posed by the chemicals contained within these products. All workers should be aware of the correct procedures for the safe handling, use and disposal of these chemicals and should take the necessary precautions to minimise their risk of exposure (e.g. through use of personal protective equipment where appropriate). Reference list Health and Safety Executive 2007. List of approved workplace exposure limits. Retrieved 26th September 2008 from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/table1.pdf Piney, M. 2001, ‘OELs and the effective control of exposure to substances hazardous to health in the UK (version 3)’. Retrieved 26th September 2008 from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/oel.pdf The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory 2008, Chemical and other safety information. Oxford University. Retrieved 26th September 2008 from: http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk Bibliography Health and Safety Executive 2008. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health – COSHH. Retrieved 26th September 2008 from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/ Health and Safety Executive 2008. COSHH: A brief guide to the regulations. Retrieved 26th September 2008 from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg136.pdf Table 1. Chemicals used in office cleaning products: toxicity, target organs and recommended exposure limits (Health and Safety Executive 2007). Assessment Reference: Date:26th July 2008 Review Date: 25th July 2009 1) Assessor Details [Client: please complete Section 1] 2) Process Description [Client: I’ve included all three products in one assessment – you may prefer to put each on a separate COSHH assessment pro forma] [Client: the codes for both risk phrases and safety phrases are standard for COSHH assessments and were taken from The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford University website, accessed from: http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/] 3) Specific Considerations 4) Hazard Category I have familiarised myself with the risks created and safe working practices during the use and handling of chemicals. I shall adhere to COSHH regulations and safe laboratory practices as explained to me during the COSHH assessment. Signature: Date:

Soliloquy Essay - Two Soliloquies, One from Lady Macbeth and One from Macbeth :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

Analysis of Two Soliloquies - One from Lady Macbeth and another from Macbeth  Ã‚   On the level of human evil, Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth is about the character Macbeth's bloody rise to power, including the murder of the Scottish king, Duncan, and the guilt-ridden pathology of evil deeds generating still more evil deeds. Perhaps, the play's most memorable character is Lady Macbeth. Like her husband, Lady Macbeth's ambition for power leads her into an unnatural, phantasmagoric realm of witchcraft, insomnia and madness. But while Macbeth responds to the prophecies of the play's famous trio of witches, Lady Macbeth goes even further by figuratively transforming herself into an unnatural, desexualized evil spirit. Throughout the novel, there are moments when important characters are given the opportunity to express details of their character and reveal information that is otherwise not given, but vital to the development of the story. A soliloquy is a classical literary technique to allow a character to share his or her thoughts and feelings with the audience. I will now examine and attempt to interpret two of these soliloquies, one from Lady Macbeth and the second from Macbeth himself. As the scene opens, Lady Macbeth is reading a letter from her husband. The letter tells of the witches' prophecy for him, which is treated as a certainty, because "I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge". "The perfectest report" means "the most reliable information," so it appears that Macbeth has been asking people what they know about the reliability of witches. If that's the case, he has ignored the advice of Banquo, who is quite sure that witches can't be trusted. But Macbeth seems to trust the witches absolutely, because he is writing to his wife, his "dearest partner of greatness," so that she "mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing". That is, he believes that she has a right to rejoice because she will be a queen. However, Lady Macbeth doesn't rejoice. She is determined that he will be king, but she suspects that he doesn't have the right stuff to do what needs to be done. Speaking to him as though he were really there, she says: "Yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o' the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way". Her reaction to the letter shows that Lady Macbeth is a woman who knows her husband very well, perhaps because she shares some of his instincts.

The Notebook Essay -- Film Movie Notebook Essays Movies

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Notebook is a phenomenal film with incredible performances and many heartfelt moments from beginning to end. It is a love story that many of us fantasize of living someday. The story unfolds in recent times at a Nursing home with the introduction of an elderly lady (Gena Rowlands) who is being visited by an old man, known as Duke (James Garner), who also resides in the nursing home, and he's there to read her a story. He begins to read about a young girl named Allie (Rachel McAdams) who was visiting a cousin one summer in the late 1940s. Allie was a beautiful teenage girl who eventually caught the eye of Noah (Ryan Gosling), her cousin's boyfriend's best friend. Initially, she showed no interest in Noah, considering the fact that she was a well rounded rich girl, and Noah, a poo...

Misery and the American Dream in The Great Gatsby Essay -- The Great G

"No— Gatsby turned out all right in the end. It is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men." When F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote these words in The Great Gatsby in 1925, he perfectly described the human struggle of the time. This was, by no means, accidental--for Fitzgerald wrote meticulously and very rarely did he leave a line unrevised. No— Fitzgerald knew what he was doing; he was, in two sentences, criticizing American society like no one else had. Oh!, and what that "foul dust" turned out to be: the foundation of our morality, our greatest aspiration and our heaviest of fetters, the American Dream. It is this ideal--which our society seems to have internalized--that renders all humans, not just Americans, miserable and empty. What makes The Great Gatsby the greatest American novel is not the lyrical, charming, and rapturous nature of Fitzgerald's prose style; no-- it is its tenacity, the courage of Fitzgerald to stare look America in the eyes and tell her that she is wrong, that she leads a meaningless life, that she must abandon her innate instincts in order to b e truly happy. It is this honesty, as is epitomized in Nick, that makes Gatsby such an amazing statement and such an enduring work of art. It is impossible to analyze The Great Gatsby without paying close attention to the context in which it was written. The Great Gatsby was written in between World War I and The Great Depression. The former created by an appetite for power and the latter created by an appetite for pleasure. It was this unappeasable appetite for pleasure that The Great Gatsby criticizes. Jay Gatsby is the greatest vi... ...te in protest, he was a rebel and criticized American society with tenacity. Gatsby was a miserable man. He is in despair, his love is fleeting him and he cannot find happiness without Daisy; he is condemned to be miserable-- all dreamers are. Gatsby criticizes materialism. Gatsby has known Melancholy for too long perhaps, to make himself happy. There is no stronger image in my mind than that of Gatsby walking around New York City, trying to find purpose, trying to find a new way to live, an alternate route toward happiness. Gatsby does not want to "be a root in the dark" but he cannot convince himself that he will be happy. Gatsby's aspirations are too idealistic for him to ever be happy, for him to rid his existence of misery. Gatsby, until he is satisfied, will walk around his existence utterly miserable; his mind will never romp the Earth like the mind of God.

Russia and the Lack of Tax Collection :: International Politics Economics USSR Essays

Russia and the Lack of Tax Collection The economic crisis in Russia has become an important topic within the international political and economic world. The virtual collapse of the Russian economy has had a domino effect in terms of decreased economic stability in a number of countries, especially countries in Latin America. Now the problem Russia, the United States, and basically every major country in the world need to solve is the problem of how exactly to get the Russian economy going again to prevent not only the world economy from collapsing, but also to keep Russia from ceasing to exist. According to Daniel Treisman, in his article "Russia’s Taxing Problem," Russia’s inability to collect taxes, amongst other things, is quickly becoming "†¦the greatest threat to it’s economic and political stability," (Treisman, 1998). Tax collecting, a viable source of revenue needed by most countries in order to successfully run a state, almost does not exist in Russia. I plan to present in this paper th at tax collecting and lack thereof is not the only problem causing this crisis, but it is a serious one. It is mainly caused by corruption and the lack of the government to successfully overcome this corruption to help save their country from economic and political disaster. The economic system in Russia has undergone some significant changes in the last decade. (For the purpose of this paper, I am going to attempt to explain a little of what I understand to be important changes in the economy that effected tax collection). Early Russian economy was characterized by strong governmental control over the activities of enterprises. In other words, the state sought to control all aspects of society, including the economy and allocation of monies to businesses and private citizens and the fixing of prices to promote economic stability. This, however, led to the increase of "black" markets where prices were often inflated and also led to wasteful practices of resource use (Alexashenko, 2-3). The economy of Russia has taken a dramatic turn from this characterization, and has attempted to become an economy characterized by more production control by private sector enterprises with less government involvement (Alexashenko, 3-6). This gives private companies and i nvestors more control over their monetary gains and losses and makes it easier for the rich to become richer and the poor to become poorer. It also hurts smaller businesses because they do not have the influence or control of the bigger enterprises.

Ground rules for students Essay

As a teacher I have a duty to provide an environment that facilitates a positive learning journey for my students, one of the ways to do this is by introducing some ground rules. Ground rules can be used to underpin unacceptable behaviour and reinforce respect for others. Ground rules are defined as boundaries, rules and conditions which enable students to work safely and learn. Ground rules can be divided into two groups, imposed and negotiable. As a teacher I have imposed ground rules which are not negotiable, some for Health and Safety reasons and others for the smooth running of my class. No smoking, prevention of fires and following health and safety regulations are ground rules which are set in stone. Arriving to class on time, respecting others views and beliefs, not interrupting and no offensive language are ground rules I impose to help my classes run as smoothly as possible. Negotiable ground rules are equally as important as imposed and I discuss them with my students so we can come to a mutual agreement regarding issues such as dress code, length of breaks and turning off mobile phones. Negotiable ground rules empower students and let them take ownership of those rules thus ensuring they recognise appropriate behaviour. Once the ground rules have been established it is important they are maintained. I will remind the learners about their rules for example if someone is late I will ensure they understand the need for punctuality ensuring the ground rules have value and their other students will continue to respect them. I will always follow the ground rules that are set helping to create a culture of mutual compliance and leading by example. As a teacher I have a duty to provide an environment that facilitates a positive learning journey for my students, one of the ways to do this is by  introducing some ground rules. Ground rules can be used to underpin unacceptable behaviour and reinforce respect for others. Ground rules are defined as boundaries, rules and conditions which enable students to work safely and learn. Ground rules can be divided into two groups, imposed and negotiable. As a teacher I have imposed ground rules which are not negotiable, some for Health and Safety reasons and others for the smooth running of my class. No smoking, prevention of fires and following health and safety regulations are ground rules which are set in stone. Arriving to class on time, respecting others views and beliefs, not interrupting and no offensive language are ground rules I impose to help my classes run as smoothly as possible. Negotiable ground rules are equally as important as imposed and I discuss them with my students so we can come to a mutual agreement regarding issues such as dress code, length of breaks and turning off mobile phones. Negotiable ground rules empower students and let them take ownership of those rules thus ensuring they recognise appropriate behaviour. Once the ground rules have been established it is important they are maintained. I will remind the learners about their rules for example if someone is late I will ensure they understand the need for punctuality ensuring the ground rules have value and their other students will continue to respect them. I will always follow the ground rules that are set helping to create a culture of mutual compliance and leading by example.

Outline for Common Elements in African Societies Essay

I.Introduction a.My speech is on common elements I found in African societies. Among these are animism, Bantu language, and their political organization. b.The importance of this to Islam is that some African states converted to Islam, which brought Africa into a more Eurasian system of trade, and introduced them to new religious ideas, and political organization. II.Animism a.It was common among African societies to believe in Animism, which is a belief in natural forces as gods. It also provided a model for ethical behavior, and well rounded concepts of good and evil. They believed in a creator deity who did their work through lesser spirits. b.Families, lineages, and clans all played important roles; especially the deceased ancestors. They were believed to be a link to the spiritual world. c.Although the beliefs are generally the same in Animism throughout the different societies, their rituals are unique and different from one another. III.Bantu language a.The movement of Bantu speaking people gave a general linguistic base throughout much of Africa. b.The only society that had a non-Bantu language was the Yourba. IV.Political Organization a.African societies were all either a hierarchy, or a stateless society. A hierarchy is an organization in which people are ranked one above the other according to status. A stateless society is a society that is not governed by a state, and there is little authority. V.Conclusion a.In conclusion, Animism and Bantu language were the common elements found in African societies. b.Again, the conversion of some African states to Islam brought Africa into a more Eurasian system of trade, and introduced them to new religious ideas, and political organization.