与健康危害品共事

Working with Hazardous Substances to Health - A Brief Guide to COSHH

英国职业健康与安全执行局 www.hse.gov.uk

 

Every year, thousands of workers are made ill by hazardous substances, contracting lung disease such as asthma, cancer and skin disease such as dermatitis. These diseases cost many millions of pounds each year to:

• industry, to replace the trained worker;
• society, in disability allowances and medicines; and
• individuals, who may lose their jobs.

You, as the employer, are responsible for taking effective measures to control exposure and protect health. These measures can also improve production or cut waste.

每年，成千上万名劳动者因危害性物质而致病，罹患肺部疾病，如哮喘，癌症，皮肤疾病，如皮炎，等等。这类职业性疾病，让各界付出成百上千万英镑的代价，

• 对业界，需要替换熟练工人
• 对社会，需要付出伤残补助和医疗费用
• 对个人，可能就此丧失工作和劳动能力

 你，作为雇主，有责任采取有效措施控制有害接触、保护员工健康。这些措施也可以提高生产率减少浪费。

 

Looking after your business

Your aim in running your business is to make a profit. You know what you do, and how you are doing it. You know what ‘processes’ and ‘tasks’ are involved. You know the short cuts. Ensuring your workers remain healthy may also lead to healthy profits.

照看好你的生意

你做生意的目的是要赚取利润。你熟悉自己做的业务，也知道怎么去做。你了解其中涉及的“工艺”和“工序”。你也知道其中的捷径。确保员工的健康也许也可以带来健康的利润。

 

Myth ‘Of course it's safe – we've always done it this way.’

Reality Some diseases take years to develop. If exposure is high because the task has always been done that way, maybe it's time for a change.

借口：这事当然是安全的 – 我们一直是这样做的。

现实：有些疾患有好几年萌发期。如果危害性接触程度很高，而工作步骤历来如此，也许是时候换一下工作方式了。

 

Which substances are harmful?

Dusty or fume-laden air can cause lung diseases, eg in welders, quarry workers or woodworkers.

Metalworking fluids can grow bacteria and fungi which cause dermatitis and asthma.

Flowers, bulbs, fruit and vegetables can cause dermatitis.

Wet working, eg catering and cleaning, can cause dermatitis.

Prolonged contact with wet cement in construction can lead to chemical burns and/or dermatitis.

Benzene in crude oil can cause leukaemia.

哪些物质是有害的？

充满烟尘的空气中的粉尘可能造成肺部疾病，比如电焊工、采石工、木工等

金属加工液会滋生细菌和真菌而引起皮炎或哮喘

建筑行业长时间接触湿水泥会引起化学灼伤或皮炎

石油制品中的苯会诱发白血病，为确认人类致癌物

甲醇会伤害视神经而致盲

正己烷可引起头晕、恶心、倦睡、神情恍惚和其他一些麻醉症状，具有神经毒性

双酚A(BPA)、壬基酚，会导致内分泌失调，具有生殖毒性、发育毒性；对非直接接触者，也是环境激素。

 

危害性物质可能造成的危害包括，但不限于，

刺激性 Irritation 对皮肤、眼睛、呼吸道、胃肠道等

致敏性 Allergy 对皮肤、肺等；造成皮炎、哮喘等

腐蚀性 Erosion 对皮肤、呼吸道、胃肠等；造成溃烂、水肿、坏死等

急性毒性Acute Toxicity 可以致死

慢期毒性 Chronic Toxicity

神经毒性 Neurological Toxicity

生殖毒性 Reproduction Toxicity

发育毒性 Development Toxicity

致突变Mutagen Toxicity

致癌 Carcinogens

 

Many other products or substances used at work can be harmful, such as paint, ink, glue, lubricant, detergent and beauty products. Health hazard caused by these substances used at work is preventable. Many substances can harm health but, used properly, they almost never do.

工作场所用到的很多其它产品或物质也可能是有害的，比如油漆、油墨、黏胶、润滑剂、清洁剂、美容产品等。工作场所的这些物品可能引发的健康危害是可以预防的。很多物质虽然有害，但如果处置得当，就可以转危为安。
要找出工作场所中的潜在危险 – 可以咨询供应商、行业协会，或查阅行业信息。
有些物质还可能有其它危险特性。可能是易燃的，比如溶剂型产品可能散发易燃蒸气。日常材料的粉尘团，比如木粉或面粉，遇引燃点则可爆炸。燃烧爆炸危害不在本处探讨。

 

Look at each substance

Which substances are involved? In what way are they harmful? You can find out by:

checking information that came with the product, eg a safety data sheet;

asking the supplier, sales representative and your trade association;

looking in the trade press for health and safety information;

checking on the Internet, eg HSE’s website pages for your trade.

检查每个物料

涉及哪些物质？其以何种方式造成危害？可以多种方式了解，

查阅产品随带的信息，如安全数据表

请教供应商或其销售代表，或所在的行业协会

翻阅行业刊物，查找健康安全信息

上网浏览

 

Think about the task

If the substance is harmful, how might workers be exposed? By:

breathing in gases, fumes, mist or dust?

contact with the skin?

swallowing?

contact with the eyes?

skin puncture?

审核工序

有害物质，工人的接触途径

呼吸接触，气体、烟尘、细雾、粉尘？

皮肤接触

误服

眼睛接触

伤口接触

 

Bear these in mind when you look at the tasks.

审核工序时，应把这些接触途径，考虑在心。

 

Exposure by breathing in

Once breathed in, some substances can attack the nose, throat or lungs while others get into the body through the lungs and harm other parts of the body, eg the liver.

呼吸接触

有些物质吸入后，会损伤鼻、喉、肺；而其它可经由肺进入人体，损伤其它器官，比如肝等。

 

Exposure by skin contact

Some substances damage skin, while others pass through it and damage other parts of the body. Skin gets contaminated:

by direct contact with the substance, eg if you touch it or dip your hands in it;

by splashing;

by substances landing on the skin, eg airborne dust;

by contact with contaminated surfaces – this includes contact with contamination inside protective gloves.

皮肤接触

有些物质直接损伤皮肤；而有些则经由皮肤损伤身体其它部分。

皮肤沾污可由下列方式造成，

直接与物质接触，比如触碰或蘸碰

溅落

飘落

接触受污表面

 

Exposure by swallowing

People transfer chemicals from their hands to their mouths by eating, smoking etc without washing first.

误服接触

化学品经由手到口，比如未洗手而吃食、抽烟等

 

Exposure to the eyes

Some vapours, gases and dusts are irritating to eyes. Caustic fluid splashes can damage eyesight permanently.

眼睛接触

有些蒸气、气体、粉尘可刺激眼睛。烧碱类液体溅落可永久损伤视力。

 

Exposure by skin puncture

Risks from skin puncture such as sharp metal edges or wires are frequent, and can involve infections or very harmful substances, eg toxics.

皮肤扎破接触的风险，比如金属锐边或金属丝等，比较常见；可能由感染或更有害物质，比如毒物，而引发。

 

Safety data sheets

These products include common substances in everyday use such as paint, bleach, solvent or fillers. When a product is ‘dangerous for supply’, by law, the supplier must provide you with a safety data sheet.

Since 2009, new international symbols have been gradually replacing the European symbols. Some of them are similar to the European symbols, but there is no single word describing the hazard. Read the hazard statement on the packaging and the safety data sheet from the supplier.

 

 

Assessing risk

Myth ‘What do you expect – it's a dirty job!’

Reality Why does your job need to be dirty? Think about changing the way you work to produce cleaner processes.

风险评估

借口：有啥可指望的？- 这本就是个脏活！

现实：为啥总是肮脏地干活？想想如何改变找到更洁净的工艺。

 

Risk assessment is not just a paper exercise. It’s about taking sensible steps to prevent ill health. You need to know how workers are exposed, and to how much, before you can decide if you need to do anything to reduce their exposure. The COSHH Regulations require employers to assess the risk to their employees, and to prevent or adequately control those risks. Sometimes, it’s easy to judge the amount of exposure to substances and decide what you can do about it.

风险评估不是纸上谈兵。实际是要采取合理步骤预防伤病。需要知道如何接触危害性物质，多少量，从而可以决定是否需要采取措施减少此类接触。COSHH法规要求雇主评估其员工所受风险，预防或适当控制此类风险。有时，判断接触量，决定可采取措施还是相对容易的。

When the task involves very small amounts of material, even if these are harmful, when there is little chance of it escaping, the risk is low. But the risk in a different task – such as cleaning up and disposal – will be higher because the harmful substance may be breathed in or get onto the skin.

工序所涉物料量很少，即使有害，也很少机会逸漏，风险相对就小。但其它工序，比如清理和处置，的风险，就高一些，因为有害物可能被吸入或接触皮肤。

 

When the task involves larger amounts of material, with obvious leaks, exposure is higher and so is the risk. Whether the substance is harmful or not, your need to control it is obvious. Decide what measures you need to take, and when.

如果工序中涉及物料量大，有明显泄漏，接触量、风险也就都高。无论物料是否有害，都需要加以控制。要确定采取何种措施、何时采取。

 

If you have five or more employees, you must record your assessment but, even if you have fewer than five, it makes sense to write down what steps you have taken to identify the risks. And the really important part is making a list of the actions you are taking to control the risks to health. You can look at examples of risk assessments for different industries on www.hse.gov.uk/risk/casestudies.

如有五位或以上员工，应书面记录评估结果；当然，即使员工少于五人，也宜记下辨识风险时所经的步骤。实际上，最重要的部分，是做一份控制健康风险拟采取行动的清单。可在网上浏览参考各行业行动清单样板。

 

However, there may be no ‘good practice’ advice available for your process. Where this is small-scale with obvious control measures, you can do the assessment yourself. In other cases, or where you are not sure, ask your supplier, trade association or other reliable information sources. You may need professional advice such as from an occupational hygienist – see ‘Getting help’.

然而，针对你的工艺的“最佳实践”模式可能还没有。如果规模较小，且有明确的控制措施，你可以自己动手做。否则，如果自己难以确定，可咨询供应商、行业协会、或其他可靠的信息来源。你也许需要比如职业卫生专家的专业意见和建议。

 

What are exposure control measures?

Control measures are always a mixture of equipment and ways of working to reduce exposure. The right combination is crucial. No measures, however practical, can work unless they are used properly.

So any ‘standard operating procedure’ should combine the right equipment with the right way of working. This means instructing, training and supervising the workers doing the tasks.

You need control measures that work and continue to work – all day, every day.

 

Choosing control measures

1    Eliminate the use of a harmful product or substance and use a safer one.

2    Use a safer form of the product, eg paste rather than powder.

3    Change the process to emit less of the substance.

4    Enclose the process so that the product does not escape.

5    Extract emissions of the substance near the source.

6    Have as few workers in harm’s way as possible.

7    Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, coveralls and a respirator. PPE must fit the wearer.

If your control measures include 5, 6 and 7, make sure they all work together.

 

有害接触控制措施有哪些？

其实，很多“标准操作流程”都可以提供恰当的设备组合完成恰当的工作方式。另外还需要指示、培训、监督员工完成这些恰当的工序。

你需要掌控这些措施，以确保奏效、长期奏效 – 每天如此、一直如此。

 

选取控制措施

减少使用有害产品或物质，改用较安全产品

改用较安全的产品形态，比如，选用糊状物代替粉体

改进工艺减少物料散逸

密闭工艺消除物料散逸

接近源头抽排散发物

近可能减少危害性工况的人员数量

提供使用尺寸的个人防护用品，手套、防护服、呼吸器

如果采用5，6，7项防护措施，要确保其协同奏效。

 

Control equipment

Myth ‘I've given them all masks – problem solved!’

Reality This won’t solve it. Control the source of exposure and then they might not need masks.

Control equipment comes in many forms. It includes ventilation to extract dust, mist and fume; glove boxes and fume cupboards; spray booths and refuges (clean rooms in dirty work areas). It also includes using water to reduce dust, and systems for disinfecting cooling water.

 

For control equipment, your supplier should provide a ‘user manual’. If you don’t have one, ask for it. And if this is impossible, you may need professional help to write one. The user manual should set out schedules for checks, maintenance and parts replacement. For example it should include:

a description of the system;

the daily checks the worker or supervisor needs to carry out, eg the ventilation is turned on, the airflow indicator gives the right reading;

the weekly or monthly checks the supervisor or owner needs to carry out, eg of equipment wear and tear, and that short cuts are not creating dangers;

details of any thorough examination and test;

signs of wear and control failure;

a list of replaceable parts;

a description of how operators should use the system so it works effectively.

 

Remedy defects in good time. It is pointless making checks if you take no action when something is wrong. And you are not managing health and safety properly if the ‘thorough examination and test’ produces a long list of ‘actions needed’.

 

Keep simple records of your checks and actions, eg in a logbook, and keep these records for at least five years.

 

控制设备

 

借口：他们都有防护面罩了 – 问题解决了！

实际：并未解决。控制危害源，也许大家都不用防护面罩了。

 

危害控制设备有很多形式。包括排风、抽尘、吸雾、排烟；手套箱、烟雾柜，喷涂间，防护间(粉尘区的洁净室)。也包括水雾降尘、冷却水除均设备等。

 

危害控制设备供应商一般应该提供“用户手册”。如果没有，要问。如果还没有，也许得请专业人士帮助起草一份。用户手册应列明检修、保养、部件更换的时间表。例如包括，

设备介绍

工人或主管应进行的每日检查，比如，打开排风，查看空气流量是否正确

主管或业主应进行的每周检查，比如，设备磨损磨切、采用的简略方法未造成危险等

所有检查和测试的细节记录

磨损和控制故障苗头

备件清单

保持系统高效工作的方法介绍

 

及时修复故障。发现问题后不采取行动，检查就毫无意义。彻底检查如果只产生一纸待办事项，健康与安全管理工作并不算管好了。

为检查和处理工作建立简洁的记录，比如一本记录册，并至少保存五年。

 

Staying in control: Checking and maintaining

Once you've got control, you need to keep it. As the employer, you must make sure that the control measures (equipment and the way of working) keep working properly.

You should name someone to be in charge of checking and maintaining control measures. It could be you, or someone you appoint, as long as they know what they need to do, and are able to do it. That is, they are ‘competent’ to:

check that the process isn't emitting uncontrolled contaminants;

check that the control equipment continues to work as it was designed;

check that workers follow the right way of working

如果有危害控制方法了，要保持。作为雇主，要确保控制措施(设备和工作方式)保持运行有效。

应该指定人员检查保养危害控制设备。可以是自己，也可以是其他任命的，只要他们知道应该做的事并有能力去做，就行。也就是，他们“有能力”去，

核查不散发未受控制污染物的工艺

核查危害控制设备按设计持续运行

核查工人按正确的工作方式进行生产

 

Two of the most common control measures where maintenance is critical are local exhaust ventilation (LEV) and personal protective equipment (PPE).

两种最常见危害控制措施特别需要日常维持的，就是现场排风和个人防护用品。

 

 

Checklist for good control practice

Do you design and run your processes to keep the spread of contaminants as low as possible?

Do you think about all routes of exposure – breathing in, on skin or swallowing?

Do you choose control measures according to the amount of substance, how it gets into the body and how much harm it will cause?

Do you make sure that measures are effective, easy to use, and work properly?

Do you also need to issue personal protective equipment (PPE)?

Do you check regularly that measures continue to work, and keep simple records?

Do you tell workers about the dangers and how to use control measures properly?

Do you avoid increasing the overall health and safety risks when making changes?

最佳危害控制实践复查清单

你设计和运行的工艺是否将污染物扩散保持近可能的低？

你是否考虑到了所有危害性接触途径 – 吸入、皮肤接触或吞咽？

你是否根据危害物数量、进入途径、损害作用，选择了控制措施？

你是否确保这些措施有效、易用、正常工作？

你是否也需要分发个人防护用具？

你是否定期检查危害控制措施持续工作，并有简洁的记录？

你是否告知员工这些潜在危害以及如何正确使用控制措施？

你是否在进行改动时避免增加总体健康与安全风险？

 

Skills and experience

 

Competence

Ensure that whoever designs, installs, maintains and tests your control measures is competent – they have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience. You can assess the competence of equipment and service providers with questions such as:

Have you done this sort of work before?

What are your qualifications?

Do you belong to a professional organisation?

Can I speak to previous clients?

Ideally, you want someone who knows your industry, has a successful track record, and gives good value for money.

 

能力

确保设计、安装、保养、测试危害控制措施的人员具有专业能力 – 应具有必要的技能、知识和经验。可以通过询问来评估设备和服务供应商的能力，

以前是否做过类似工作？

有否专业资质？

受否隶属专业组织？

可否联系先前的客户？

理想情况下，最好找到了解本行业，有成功记录，物有所值的供应商。

 

Worker involvement

Involve your workers in developing control measures to make sure they are suitable for the way they carry out the work. Encourage them to suggest improvements, and to report anything they think might be going wrong.

员工参与

让员工参与建立危害控制措施以确保这些措施使用于员工的工作方式。鼓励他们提出改进意见，上报任何偏差之处。

 

Training, instruction and information

Explain to your workers, and anyone else who needs to know, what the dangers are. It is poor practice just to hand them a page of written information.

Show workers how to use control measures properly, and how to check that they are working.

Carry out practice drills for cleaning up spills safely – do this before any spillages happen.

If workers need to use respirators, they also need face fitting and training.

If they need to use protective gloves, they need to know how to put them on and take them off without contaminating their skin.

培训指导信息

向员工及其他需要者解释危害所在。只给大家一纸书面说明是不够的。

向员工演示如何正确使用危害控制措施，如何检查该写措施正常工作。

进行安全清除泄漏物的演习 – 必须赶在发生任何泄漏前进行

如果员工需要使用呼吸保护器，他们也需要面衬和培训

如果员工需要防护手套，他们也需要知道如何戴上脱下而不沾污皮肤