Working Around Concrete Safety 101

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Working Around Concrete Safety 101

• By Pat Gazewood

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Overview

• Exposures Hazards
• Statistics
• What is ph
• Skin conditions Long Term Exposures
• Recognizing exposure Prevention
• Protection PPE Neutralite Safety Solution
• Working Safely around alkaline Cements Safely
• Hygiene Family Safety

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Who Is Subjected to Concrete Exposure Hazards
Underground.

• Backfill Crews
• Shotcrete Crews
• Blast Crews
• Muck Crews
• Drillers
• Bolters
• Maintenance Personnel
• Technical Service Group.
• Basically Everyone

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Routes of Exposure

• Drilling through
• Blasting,
• Mixing and Producing of Cement related Products.
• Mucking headings sumps
• Handling or clean up of spillage.
• Repair of Concrete related handling equipment.
• Walking through residual from shotcrete
  backfill cycles

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Routes of Exposure to Body

• Skin
• Inhalation
• Absorption
• Ingestion

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The Nature of Cement

• Cement has many properties which are damaging to
  skin. Cement is alkaline, or caustic. The pH of
  wet cement ranges from 12 to 13. Cement is
  hygroscopic, pulling moisture from the skin.
  Cement is abrasive. Cement may contain
  sensitizing chemicals and metals, such as
  hexavalent chromium (Cr6)

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Cement Manufacturing

• Ground Limestone, Gypsum other minerals
• Baked 3000-4000 Deg. F. to make clinker.
• Repulverized with chrome plated mill balls.
• Hexavelent Chromium (Cr6) is produced in the
  process of making cement.

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Portland Cement Products Workers

• More than 1,300,000 American workers in 30
  occupations are regularly exposed to wet cement.
  Their families may be exposed to cement dust on
  their work clothes

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Statistics, What Causes this problem.

• Unfamiliar with work environment.
• Inexperienced in field.
• Inadequate training.
• Uninformed.
• Ego.

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Individual Factors

• Individual factors can affect work related skin
  problems. These include
• Preexisting dermatitis
• Predisposition of sensitivity
• Knowledge
• Attitude
• Personal/work practices

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What Problems Does Cement Cause?

• Four types of skin problems happen most often
  among cement products workers
• Dry skin or irritation (mild ICD)
• Irritant contact dermatitis (ICD)
• Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD)
• Caustic burns (alkaline burns)

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Dry Skin or Mild Irritation (Mild ICD)

• Dry skin or irritation may include scaling,
  burning, and redness.
• Often manifested as superficial chemical burn.
• Dry skin may also be called xerosis. Portland
  cement exposure can lead directly to dry skin or
  irritation.

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Irritant Contact Dermatitis (ICD)

• Irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) can be acute or
  chronic. Symptoms may include stinging, pain,
  itching, blisters, rash, dead skin, scabs,
  scaling, fissures, redness, swelling, bumps, and
  watery discharge. Sometimes irritated skin may
  become infected. Exposure to Portland cement can
  lead directly to ICD without first causing dry
  skin.

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Allergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD)

• Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is an immune
  response. It is like other allergies but it
  involves the skin. ACD includes many of the same
  symptoms as ICD.

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ALLERGIC CONTACT DERMATITIS

• Hexavalent Chromium in wet cement may cause
  allergies in some people. The cumulative effect
  of daily exposure may take months or years to
  cause a reaction. Chrome sensitization is
  irreversible. Sensitized individuals must avoid
  contact with any cement, wet or dry. Symptoms
  appear much like chronic irritant dermatitis,
  with swelling, redness, oozing, cracking,
  stinging, itching, blisters and scaling.

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Caustic Burns (Cement Burns)

• Caustic burns (cement burns) are chemical burns.
• Second or third degree burns may occur after
  relatively short exposures to fresh mortar,
  concrete, grout , and other Portland cement
  products.
• Cement burns look like other burns. They produce
  blisters, dead or hardened skin, or black or
  green skin.
• Cement burns can lead to allergic dermatitis. In
  addition, chromate sensitivity can exacerbate the
  severity of cement burns.

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ACUTE IRRITANT DERMATITIS (CEMENT BURNS)

• Burns can occur within mins. to hrs. of
  continuous exposure to wet cement.
• Alkalis burns differ from acid burns. Effects are
  not felt until over exposed.

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Is Wet Cement A Big Problem?

• Yes, Wet cement is 1 cause of occupational skin
  disease in the U.S.
• Concrete workers lose work at 7 times the
  national average.
• Concrete workers report 4 times more lost work
  days than do all construction workers.
• 5 to 15 of workers working around Portland
  cement with CR6 suffer ACD at rate 25 times of
  general population

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A New Model of Skin Disease

• Skin Has 2 layers, Epidermis Dermis
• The skin is the single largest organ. It covers
  20 sq. ft.
• It has a permeability barrier, if that barrier
  is interrupted by chemicals it can cause damage
  to the deepest layers of skin.

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It all Greek to me?So what does all that mean?

• Repeated exposure to cements can damage skin.
  Reducing the skins normal barrier cream.
• Repeated cleaning of hands with abrasive cleaners
  or high alkaline based soaps can do likewise.
• Certain types of hand cleaners and lotions can
  aggravate or slow the normal skin healing process
  that can result in delayed healing of the skin.

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Review What Makes Wet Cement So Dangerous?

• Calcium Hydroxide has pH of 12 to 13.
• Remember wet cement is1 billion times more
  alkaline then normal skin.
• 1 Million time more alkaline then water.

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How Does Neutralite Work?

• A Buffered Solution that renders wet cement
  harmless thru chemical change.
• Cement burns avoided by early application after
  exposure.
• Is not a medicine, should not be used as an eye
  wash.
• Reduces CR6 to undetectable levels.

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NEUTRALITE IS TO ALKALIS AS WATER IS TO FIRE

• Hexavalent Chromium found in wet cement is water
  soluble. Therefore it can soak into skin and
  eventually enter the skin's cells. There it can
  bind with cell protein and produce an allergic
  reaction.
• Neutralite converts Hexavalent Chromium to
  Trivalent Chromium. Trivalent Chromium is a solid
  and cannot penetrate skin cells.
• Neutralite reduces Hexavalent Chromium to
  undetectable limits in wet cement and greatly
  reduces the risk of allergic sensitization.

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Best Protective Practices

• Best practices at work.
• Best practices in emergencies.
• Best practices at home.

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Best Protective Practices at Work

• A WORKER NEEDS 5 TO 7 GALLONS OF CLEAN RUNNING
  WATER PER DAY
• PROMOTE HAND WASHING BEFORE PUTTING ON GLOVES AND
  AGAIN IF GLOVES ARE REMOVED
• ENCOURAGE HAND DRYING

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Use of Proper PPE.

• Gloves and hygiene
• Impermeable boots.
• Proper Respirator for application.
• Regular changing of contaminated clothing.
• Avoiding prolonged exposure of saturated
  clothing. Remove contaminated articles quickly
  after exposure, Dont work in it all day long.

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Best Protective Practices at Work Cont.

• REFRAIN FROM LEAVING CEMENT ON SKIN OR CLOTHES
• ENCOURAGE LONG SLEEVES
• DISCOURAGE JEWELRY AT WORK

• ENCOURAGE WORKERS TO CHANGE WORK CLOTHES AT WORK
• DISCOURAGE USE OF LANOLIN, PETROLEUM JELLY, AND
  OTHER SKIN SOFTENING PRODUCTS AT WORK

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BEST PROTECTIVE PRACTICES AT WORK

• Wash with clean water ph-neutral or mild acidic
  soap.
• Wear correct gloves
• Wash and dry hands before putting on gloves
• Wash again whenever gloves removed.
• Try using a neutralizing buffer spray
• Use disposable gloves or clean reusable gloves
  daily.

• No jewelry at work. Long sleeves buttoned or
  taped inside gloves
• Rubber boots with pants taped inside for concrete
  work.
• Never let cement product remain on skin or
  clothing
• Avoid barrier creams
• Avoid skin products at work
• Change out of work clothes before leaving job
  site
• Report any persistent skin problem to your
  supervisor safety department

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BEST PROTECTIVE PRACTICES AT HOME

• 1. Use pH-neutral or acidic soap at home.
• 2. Launder work clothes separately
• Dont mix work clothes with family during washing.

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CEMENT BURNS

• Burns have a delayed reaction typical of
  alkaline.
• Burns continue as long as high ph is present. It
  can burn down to the bone.
• Flushing with copious amounts of water when
  exposed.
• Embrace concept of An Ounce of prevention is
  worth a pound of cure.

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Best Practices in Emergencies

• Dusty clothing or clothing wet with Portland
  cement fluids should be removed promptly and
  laundered separately before reuse.
• Workers must wash wet cement from the skin with
  clean water and pH-neutral or acidic soap.
  Workers cannot rely on pain or discomfort to
  alert them to skin damage
• If you feel pain, the burning is already
  happening.

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Best Protective Practices at Home

• pH-NEUTRAL OR ACIDIC SOAPS
• WASH WORK CLOTHES SEPARATELY FROM FAMILY OR
  ROOMATES CLOTHING.

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A Partial List of pH-Neutral or Moderately Acidic
Soaps 

• Liquid Soaps
• Aloe Vera 80
• Cetaphil
• Dial
• Dove
• Gillette Wash
• Ivory
• Jergens
• Lever 2000
• Neutrogena
• Noxema
• pHisoderm
• Softsoap 

• Bar Soaps
• Caress
• Dove
• Oil of Olay
• This soap list is advisory only . To obtain
  reliable information, ask the soaps manufacturer
  for an MSDS. A pharmacist can recommend
  pH-neutral or moderately acidic soaps.

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In Summary

• Take appropriate PPE protection when working with
  or around cements.
• Dont work for prolonged periods in chemically
  saturated clothing.
• Exercise good daily hygiene.
• Report any chemical burns or cement related
  dermatitis to Safety Health Department.

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Going Home Safely Everyday is Our Goal

• Thanks to NIOSH Neutralite Safety Solutions for
  resource information used in this presentation