White coats. Safety goggles. Bunsen burners. For some, these items merely stir memories of high school science labs but for others they are daily essentials. In the world of laboratory research, chemists and lab technicians are surrounded by hazardous chemicals and dangerous elements daily. At times…
Blog posts : "chemical"
Chemical Safety in the Hospitality Sector
Cleaning products and chemicals are probably one of the most common hazardous substances used in the hospitality sector. Apart from sharp equipment in kitchens that presents a risk, chemicals also present many hazards such as burns, skin irritation and respiratory harm. To minimise these risks, prop…
6 Easy Ways to Reduce VOC Exposure in the Workplace
What are VOCs?
VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are a family of chemicals that readily evaporate and turn into gases and vapour. Put simply, this means they give off odorous fumes and increase the concentration of potentially harmful chemicals in the air.
And in the modern age, they can be…
Chemical safety PPE - top to toe
Working with chemicals can obviously be dangerous. As careful as you may be, accidents do happen. However, with the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) you can mitigate the risk of harm. There are a wealth of different elements of PPE designed to protect against chemical hazards and know…
Does what it says on the tin – The importance of health and safety labels
Whether you’re a small start-up business or you’re an established company with well over 100 employees, having an established set of health and safety procedures and protocols is always essential. It is likely that you have a wide range of different procedures in the event anything goes wrong within…
Best practice chemical storage in the workplace
Chemical safety is a primary workplace safety concern for many organisations. To control the exposure of employees to chemicals in the workplace, particular efforts need to be made to ensure chemicals are safely stored and handled. Even commonly used substances in the workplace such as ammonia, benz…
Chemical firm fined following explosion at Widnes plant
A chemical firm has been fined after a hydrogen explosion blew a vessel lid through a factory roof, leaving a worker with minor injuries.
Catalloy Ltd. was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident at its plant on Moss Bank Road in Widnes on 25 November 2011. The …
New Links
Some recent additions to HealthSafetyNews.co.uk include a link to Lab Safety 101 on the main links page and to Earthworks-Jobs on the safety jobs page.
Lab Safety 101 is an excellent resource, aimed at students, which provides an introduction to general lab safety; safety advice for working with …
Eliminate burns in the workplace
Burns are often overlooked as a workplace-related injury, but occur by the thousands each year and in several occupational fields. While burn injuries are less common than slip and fall injuries or sprains and strains, according to a study conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administrati…
Leisure centre operator fined for child's chemical burns
The operator of an Essex leisure centre has been fined after a two and a half year-old boy suffered severe burns in the changing area of the centre’s swimming pool.
The toddler’s father, who does not wish to be named, was walking him to the pool after getting him ready for his weekly swimming l…
Wirral chemical firm fined £120,000 after fireball engulfs employee
A chemical firm has been fined £120,000 after an employee sustained severe burns when he was engulfed by a fireball at a factory in Wirral.
The 45-year-old from Kirkby was kept in an induced coma for seven weeks following a chemical explosion at SAFC Hitech Limited’s plant in Bromborough on 28 F…
International chemical firm prosecuted over multiple incidents
An international chemical firm has been fined more than £100,000 after workers were put in danger in three separate incidents at its Cheshire factory.
One employee at Tata Chemicals Europe Limited’s plant in Northwich suffered severe burns to his right foot which removed a layer of skin and requ…
Welsh chemical firm fined over dangerous substances
A Deeside based chemical company has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to comply with three Improvement Notices.
Euticals Ltd. (formerly Archimica Ltd.), which manufactures and distributes speciality chemical products in Sandycroft, Deeside, was visited re…
Widnes firm fined over employee's fall injuries
A Cheshire worker could have been killed when he fell from the top of a chemical storage tank, a court has heard.
The 44-year-old from Bala, North Wales, had been carrying out maintenance work on the tank at a plant in Widnes when the chemical vapour inside set alight, causing an explosion. The wo…
Derbyshire pupils hurt following hose burst
Emergency services were called to Noel Baker School, in Alvaston on Wednesday after a hydraulic hose burst, spraying children and a teacher with fluid.
Five children were taken to hospital for treatment for skin and eye irritation. Paramedics treated others at the scene.
One dead, five treated after chemical spill
Ambulance Victoria reports that a man died and five other people were treated by paramedics after a chemical spill in Victoria this morning.
Paramedics treated the man for about 20 minutes including managing his airway and using intravenous drugs in an attempt to restart his heart but unfortunatel…
Workers affected in chemical incident
Three workers at the premises of Sealine International in Kidderminster experienced breathing difficulties, following a chemical spill.
Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service stated that the spill is thought to have been caused by two liquids (Styrene Monomer and Butanox) reacting inside a dr…
Council admits failing to store hazardous substances correctly
East Sussex County Council has admitted failing to store hazardous substances correctly after a visitor died due to drinking dishwasher fluid at one of their day centres.
It was discovered that the bottle containing the fluid was indistinguishable, in appearance, from the bottles of orange squash…
Health and Safety News - 16 September 2010
Sepracor pleads not guilty in lab worker death
The drug manufacturer has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the 2008 death of lab technician Roland Daigle. Daigle, 46, died in hospital about 18 hours after his shift at the lab. He had been working with trimethylsilyldiazomomethane which is tox…
Health and Safety News - 19 April 2010
Temporary worker badly scalded
FMC Chemicals Ltd has been fined after a temporary worker was badly scalded while using steam to unblock pipes containing lithium chloride in June 2008. The firm had already been issued with a warning after a worker was burned during maintenance work in 2007.
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