Chemical risks in construction represent a significant portion of the hygiene hazards to which people working in this sector are exposed. Contact with chemical substances is one of the risk factors related to environmental conditions, along with those of physical and biological origin. In this article, we will examine some of the most common situations where chemical risk exists and the ways to manage it.
Chemical Risk Factors
Chemical contaminants in the work environment consist of materials present in the form of gases, vapors, mists, aerosols, fumes, dust, etc. As is known, Industrial Hygiene (or Occupational Hygiene) is responsible for the study and understanding of these risk factors and their harmful effects in the workplace.
According to INSST, “A chemical agent is any element or chemical compound, by itself or mixed, as it occurs in its natural state or is produced, used or discharged, including discharge as waste, in a work activity, whether or not it has been intentionally produced and whether or not it has been marketed”
Chemical risk factors can generate different types of harmful effects on people as a result of excessive exposure to contaminants. These can be classified as:
- Corrosive: these contaminants destroy the tissues they act upon.
- Irritants: they irritate the skin or mucous membranes they come into contact with.
- Pneumoconiotic: they cause pulmonary alterations produced by solid particles of different sizes.
- Asphyxiants: they cause absence of oxygen by displacing it.
- Anesthetics and narcotics: they cause depression of the central nervous system.
- Carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic: they can produce cancer, malformations and hereditary modifications.
- Systemic: they produce alterations in certain organs and systems.
The effects of these risk factors on people’s health will depend on the aforementioned characteristics of the contaminants. Depending on whether there is a single contaminant or several at the same time in the work environment, we will distinguish between simple, additive or potentiating effects.
Chemical Risk Situations in Construction
Chemical risks in construction are normally derived from the use of multiple chemical products common in the sector. Some of these products are cement, sprayed polyurethane, plaster, release agent, paints, etc.
The main routes of entry of these chemical contaminants into the body are usually dermal and respiratory. However, these are not the only ones. The most common health damages caused by chemical risks are burns, poisoning, dermatitis and cancer.
Most of the damage caused is produced by poor practices in the sector. As an example, we can cite:
- Inadequate transfers to improperly labeled or unlabeled containers.
- Lack of personal hygiene before and after food intake. The fact that many people eat at the workplace also has an influence.
- Inadequate storage of chemical substances.
- Incorrect transport
Preventive Measures
The origin of these chemical risk situations in construction is usually the lack of training and information about the risks of the product, its correct handling, the meaning of labeling, and the best way to store and manage chemicals and their waste.
Therefore, both people working on the site and those managing teams and companies must be aware of the importance of chemical risks in construction and implement preventive measures related to these risks. Both the preventive measures recommended by the prevention technicians of companies and external prevention services, and the recommendations and standards established by the site safety and health coordinators.
This video from the Construction Labor Foundation on chemical risks in construction summarizes what has been discussed in a very educational way.
Among the necessary preventive measures that must be complied with are good practices in handling, storage, etc., as we have mentioned. Likewise, the use of collective and individual protection will help us protect ourselves from the harmful consequences of contaminants.
Sources:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Occupational Risk Prevention Techniques (José María Cortés Díaz)
Occupational Safety Documentation from San Pablo CEU University Foundation
Construction Labor Foundation
