Hexavalent Chromium – General Information

This handout is part of a series intended to help small businesses comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standard 29 CFR 1910.1026, Chromium (VI) that applies to occupational exposures to chromium (VI), known as Hexavalent Chromium. Workers exposed to chromium (VI) are at increased risk of developing serious adverse health effects, including lung cancer, asthma, and damage to the nasal passages and skin. The handout provides OSHA information that employers should know to help protect workers from the hazards associated with exposure to chromium (VI).

Hexavalent chromium is a toxic form of the element chromium. Chromium (VI) compounds are man-made and widely used in many different industries. Some major industrial sources of hexavalent chromium are:

Chromate pigments in dyes, paints, inks, and plastics.

Chromates added as anti-corrosive agents to paints, primers, and other surface coatings.

Chrome plating by depositing chromium metal onto an item’s surface using a solution of chromic acid.

Particles released during smelting of ferrochromium ore.

Fume from welding stainless steel or nonferrous chromium alloys.

Impurity present in Portland cement.

Workplace Exposure and Possible Health Effects

Skin exposure can occur during direct handling of hexavalent chromium-containing solutions and coatings, and Portland cement. Some workers can develop an allergic skin reaction, called allergic contact dermatitis. This occurs from handling liquids or solids containing chromium (VI). Once a worker becomes allergic, brief skin contact causes swelling and a red, itchy rash that becomes crusty and thickened with prolonged exposure. Allergic contact dermatitis is long-lasting and more severe with repeated skin contact. Direct skin contact with chromium (VI) can cause a non-allergic skin irritation. Contact with non-intact skin can also lead to chrome ulcers – these are small crusted skin sores with a rounded border that heal slowly and leave scars.

Lung cancer may develop in workers who breathe airborne hexavalent chromium. Breathing in high levels of hexavalent chromium can cause irritation to the nose and throat. Symptoms may include runny nose, sneezing, coughing, itching and a burning sensation. Repeated or prolonged exposure can cause sores to develop in the nose and result in nosebleeds. If the damage is severe, the nasal septum (wall separating the nasal passages) develops a hole in it (perforation).

Breathing small amounts of hexavalent chromium even for long periods does not cause respiratory tract irritation in most people. Some workers become allergic to hexavalent chromium so that inhaling chromate compounds can cause asthma symptoms, such as wheezing and shortness of breath.

Workers can inhale airborne hexavalent chromium as a dust, fume, or mist while:

Producing chromate pigments and powders, chromic acid, and chromium catalysts, dyes, and coatings.

Working near chrome electroplating processes.

Welding and hot-working stainless steel, high chrome alloys, and chrome-coated metals.

Applying and removing chromate-containing paints and other surface coatings.

Also, irritation or damage to the eyes and skin may occur if hexavalent chromium contacts the eyes and skin in high concentrations.

OSHA’s Workplace Standard Requires Employers To:

Limit eight-hour time-weighted average hexavalent chromium exposure in the workplace to 5 micrograms or less per cubic meter of air.

Perform periodic monitoring at least every 6 months if initial monitoring shows worker exposure at or above the action level (2.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average).

Provide appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment when there is likely to be a hazard present from skin or eye contact.

Implement good personal hygiene and housekeeping practices to prevent hexavalent chromium exposure.

Prohibit worker rotation as a method to achieve compliance with the exposure limit.

Provide respiratory protection as specified in the standard.

Make available medical examinations to workers within 30 days of initial assignment, annually, to those exposed in an emergency situation, to those who experience signs or symptoms of adverse health effects associated with hexavalent chromium exposure, to those who are or may be exposed at or above the action level for 30 or more days a year, and at termination of employment.

COPYRIGHT ©2006, ISO Services Properties, Inc.

The Young and Inexperienced Employee

During their frequent visits to insureds, seasoned insurance loss control consultants begin to identify trends or patterns in their clients’ safety management systems. Some are above standard – such as formal hiring practices or routine workplace inspections, while others may be substandard – such as inadequate supervision or inconsistent new hire training. Identifying these trends enables the consultant to commend or offer correction to a business owner with the ultimate purpose of injury avoidance and increased productivity.

One such trend often involves young and inexperienced employees. Too often these employees are treated the same as other employees when it comes to occupational safety, but their “place in life” requires more attention. And if they don’t get this attention the results can be tragic! There are several factors that contribute to this higher level of risk. Review the three described below and assess whether or not your organization is exerting some control over this hazard.

Factor #1 – Age: This probably could be better described as “hormonal.” Regardless of their sex, young employees are impetuous – they take chances, and really don’t even realize what they are doing (read the paragraph below). In the world of safety, this characteristic is known as the Superman Complex. It can be very dangerous especially when the employee is using a tool that could lacerate or a machine that could amputate a body part. If we are older than 21, then we transitioned through this period of life, but did we make it with all of our fingers still attached? How about your back? Never forget that young employees bounce when they fall, but older workers shatter! However, young employees who bounce will get bruised and those bruises become cumulative injuries.

Factor #2 – Experience Level: This can be summarized in just three words – young and dumb. This is not meant to be insulting. The fact is that young employees are inexperienced. They do not have any work history. None of us did when we started. It is normal, but not safe. Do not assume that they are competent just because they are confident (read the paragraph below). The old saying that gray hair and wrinkles equals experience does have some merit. Young employees have neither, unless they have dyed their hair, and that does not count. By definition, a young employee is an inexperienced employee.

Factor #3 – Social Dynamics: This factor is linked to both of those described above. Young employees are young people, and social relationships are extremely important to them. They want to fit in and they want to make a good first impression. This needs to be controlled; otherwise they will end up hurting themselves or someone else. Two of the best ways to control it is by providing detailed instructions/training and by supervising them. Also, if you have more than one young employee then don’t let them work side by side. This invites “social/occupational” competition. Remember when you were young and someone dared you to do something risky? The only reason you would even consider doing it was if someone “witnessed” the event. If you have young employees then separate them so they won’t tempt one another to do something unsafe. No one ever jumped off a bridge unless someone else witnessed the event.

Summary: Young employees need more attention than do other employees. It is not insulting or degrading to initially “over” supervise them. Once they demonstrate competency and confidence in their job, then back off. But never totally ignore them. Remember what you did when you were that age? Incorporating young employees into the workforce is a wonderful opportunity to “train them up in the way that they should go.” However, while they are young and inexperienced they need and deserve additional supervision because they are different.

Preventing Needlestick Injuries

Needlesticks can expose workers to a number of bloodborne pathogens that can cause serious or fatal infections. The pathogens that pose the most serious health risks are Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. HBV vaccination is recommended for all health care workers (unless they are immune because of previous exposure). HBV vaccine has proven highly effective in preventing infection in workers exposed to HBV. However, no vaccine exists to prevent HCV or HIV infection.

On an annual basis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 380,000 percutaneous injuries from contaminated sharps (i.e., needles and other sharp devices) occur among health care workers in the U.S., with most happening to members of the nursing staff. Estimates for all health care settings are as high as 600,000 to 800,000, with approximately half of those accidents going unreported.

Yet, the CDC also says that for every 10 sharps injuries that occur, between six and eight of them could potentially have been prevented if safer medical devices had been used. Additionally, the cost of an injury from a contaminated sharp can be far greater than the pain or discomfort of the injury itself, not to mention the associated psychological effects or emotional trauma that may occur.

Four kinds of needles usually cause needlestick injuries: these are hypodermic needles, blood collection needles, suture needles, and needles used in IV delivery systems. Past studies have shown that needlestick injuries are often associated with certain activities, such as recapping needles, transferring a body fluid between containers, and failing to dispose of used needles properly in puncture-resistant sharps containers.

The following steps can be used to protect workers from needlestick injuries:

Avoid the use of needles where safe and effective alternatives are available.

Select and evaluate devices with safety features that reduce the risk of needlestick injury.

Only use devices with safety features.

Avoid recapping needles.

Plan for safe handling and disposal of needles before using them.

Promptly dispose of used needles in appropriate sharps disposal containers.

Report all needlestick injuries promptly to ensure appropriate follow-up care is provided.

Direct staff to tell a supervisor about any needlestick hazards observed.

Participate in training related to infection prevention.

Have staff get a hepatitis B vaccination.

Note: On November 6, 2000, President Clinton signed HR 5178, the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act. The Act requires health care facilities to use newer safety devices to reduce the number of needlestick injuries suffered by health care workers and patients. To prevent transmission of disease, these safety devices automatically cover needle tips after they have been used. The law also requires employers to establish an injury log to record the kind of devices and location of all needlestick accidents.

COPYRIGHT ©2006, ISO Services Properties, Inc.