Toxic Risks in the Workplace

A presentation to the

Canadian Society of Safety Engineering

Today’s Talk:

• Common causes of work place poisonings

• Common behaviours that lead to poisonings in the workplace

• Critical pathway to resolving a poisoning

• Common barriers to resolving a poisoning

• The ChExSS service

The Most Common Workplace Poisons in 2005-06

Pesticides6%

Construction Products

3%

Alcholos/Glycols

5%

Cleaning Products

20%

Fumes/Gases24%

Paints/Varnishes

3%

Heavy Metals3%

Hydrocarbons19%

Chemicals17%

Poisonous Behaviours

Machismo Culture

• Lead to dangerous behaviours such as:– Storing chemicals in

drink bottles– Inadequate utilization

of PPE– Workplace resistance

to seeking care

Chemicals in Drink Bottles

• Continues to be a practice

• Has resulted in serious methanol poisonings

Inadequate PPE

• Burns from caustic up-hole drilling mud

• Nitro-glycerine overdoses in blasting crews

• Hydrofluoric Acid burns to hands and arms

Dangerous Habits

• Mixing industrial cleaners

• Working alone in high risk environments

Reluctance to seeking Adequate Care

• Workers are reluctant to look weak

• Worksite mgmt afraid of overreacting

• Toxic exposures often go untreated until symptoms escalate – (By then its too late)

Critical Pathway to Poison Treatment

Identify Substance

Initiate Treatment

Identify Toxic

Exposure

Find MSDS/Interpret

Contact Health Expert

HealthyWorker

Toxic Exposure

Barriers to treatment:

• Illusion of safety

• Inability to ID

• Language

• Literacy

• Fear

ChExSS Simplifies the Path

HealthyWorker

Toxic Exposure

ChExSSManaging the patient

throughout the circle of care

Anytime - Anywhere

Assessmentof healtheffects

TreatmentIn

Transport

TreatmentOn-site

Treatment atHealthCare

Facility

Feedback:Client and ChExSS

work togetherto mitigate

factors that led toincident

Customized Service

• ChExSS is an affordable customized service– ChExSS develops an advanced knowledge

of the client’s operation– Takes the guess work out of identifying the

root cause of toxicity in the event of an exposure

– Speeds the delivery of care– Minimizes the risk to the patient and the

organization

Access to Experts

• ChExSS provides your employees, and managers instant access to:

– Poison Specialists

– Medical Toxicologists

Anytime – Anywhere in Canada

Continuous Care

• Once activated, ChExSS becomes an integral part of the Circle of Care

• ChExSS has close relationships with health care facilities across the province

• ChExSS is able to provide continuous care to the victim while they move through the health care system

Immediate Treatment

ChExSS is Capable of initiating immediate treatment– Reduces severity of health effects– Improves patient outcomes

Better patient outcomes:– Minimize liability– Reduce the number of “Lost Time

Accidents”

Corporate Learning

• ChExSS Provides Feedback

– Keeps client informed of factors contributing to toxic exposures at their work sites

– Assists in corporate learning and process improvement

– Keeps client from being blindsided by events

ChExSS – The Simple Solution to Toxic Due Diligence

HealthyWorker

Toxic Exposure

ChExSSManaging the patient

throughout the circle of care

Anytime - Anywhere

Assessmentof healtheffects

TreatmentIn

Transport

TreatmentOn-site

Treatment atHealthCare

Facility

Feedback:Client and ChExSS

work togetherto mitigate

factors that led toincident

Thank You

A presentation to the

Canadian Society of Safety Engineering