Title:
Safety in Chemical Handling
Hazard Category:
- Ergonomics
- Safety
Hazard(s):
- Overuse injuries
- Slips, trips, & falls
Problem:
Employees at a wastewater treatment plant were required to mix polymer for use in the treatment process. The dry polymer powder came in 55-pound bags on pallets. The employees had to lift the bags, place them on a conveyor table, slit the bags open, and then shake the bags to empty the polymer into a hopper above the mixing tank. Employees were having frequent back and shoulder injuries from manipulating the heavy bags, plus polymer dust spread in the workers’ faces and around the floor. When the polymer dust got wet, the floor became extremely slippery, and employees were also having fall injuries.
Risk Description:
Repeated lifting and handling of heavy bags, in awkward positions, contributes to musculoskeletal injuries (injuries of the muscles, tendons, and joints).
PtD Strategy
Prevention through Design is the effort by design engineers to make safer workplaces through implementing safety at the project design stage.
When the wastewater treatment plant replaced the 55-pound bags of powdered polymer with a tote system moved by a hoist, the employee musculoskeletal injuries were eliminated. With less polymer spilling on the floor, the fall injuries were also significantly reduced.
