813 Construction Worksite Safety

Chemical Hazards

Introduction

Construction workers are exposed daily to various health hazards on the construction site. Covering all of the health hazards in construction is outside the scope of our training in this course, but we will cover some of the hazards to which workers will be exposed.

Hazard Communication Program

The HCS applies to all hazardous chemicals to which employees may be exposed under normal conditions of use, or in a foreseeable emergency. A "hazardous chemical" is any chemical that presents a physical or health hazard.

Contractors' employees must also be informed about the hazardous chemicals they may be exposed to. The employer's written hazard communication program must include all of the following:

1. the methods the employer will use to provide contractors' employees on-site access to safety data sheets (SDS)
2. the methods to inform them of any precautionary measures
3. the methods to inform other employees of the labeling system used in the workplace

The employer must ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals in the workplace is labeled, tagged, or marked to identify the hazardous chemicals and appropriate hazard warnings.

The employer must maintain copies of the required SDS for each hazardous chemical, and must ensure that they are readily accessible during each work shift by employees when they are in their work areas.

If employees must travel between workplaces during a work shift, the SDS may be kept at the primary workplace facility; however, the employer must ensure that employees can immediately obtain the required information in an emergency.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.