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Some of their solutions address hazards that were already well-known within the industry: fire and explosion hazards, and the toxic hazards of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exposure. More importantly, the newly-identified hazards of volatile hydrocarbon plumes are also addressed.
Protecting Workers from an Invisible Killer
The hazard alert includes recommendations for both employers and workers. Recommendations for employers include:
- Provide monitoring devices. Workers who perform flow back operations should be provided with instant-reading multi-gas monitors.
- Establish lone worker policies. Workers at high risk of exposure to toxic levels of hydrocarbons or oxygen-deficient atmospheres should not work alone.
- Provide PPE. Workers may need to wear respiratory protection along with other protective gear.
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- Minimize monitoring occasions. If workers must gauge tanks or perform other operations manually at the tank’s hatch, minimize the number of times per shift that these are performed to minimize exposures.
- Institute safety procedures. Workers need to know how to calibrate and use their gas meters, and how to respond to alarms.
- Put engineering controls in place. Remote gauging, sight glasses or gauges, and auto-gauging can all remove workers from potential exposures. Remote venting and closed-loop systems can also reduce or eliminate exposures.
- Provide training. Workers need to know the hazards of their jobs, how to use the equipment provided to them, and what to do in an emergency.
Training Content
Employers should set policies, provide equipment, and put engineering controls in place, but workers also have an important role to play. Their training should cover what they need to know to keep themselves safe.
Workers should know:
- What their employer’s “lone worker” policy requires. Make sure they know if they’re not supposed to work alone, and what precautions they must take if they must work alone.
- What hazards they are exposed to, including fire, explosion, H2S and volatile hydrocarbon exposures.
- How to use their equipment. They should be trained in the use of PPE and monitoring equipment. Make sure to cover the limitations of respiratory protection equipment.
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- How to respond to alarms. When an alarm sounds, what should they do? Do they know which way to go to evacuate safely? It could change, depending on weather conditions. Are alarms remotely monitored? What kind of help can they expect, and when will it come?
- How to minimize their exposure by:
- Stopping flow into tanks before venting, if possible;
- Allowing tanks to ventilate after opening, but before approaching an open hatch, if possible;
- Not leaning over open hatches; and
- Standing away, upwind or crosswind from open tank hatches.
- How to identify conditions that increase their risk, such as inversions, high humidity or a lack of wind.
- How to report unsafe work conditions and symptoms of exposure.
Need more detailed training information for workers exposed to hazardous chemicals? You’ll find what you need at safety.BLR.com.