Chemical Hazards in the Workplace Research 2022

Running head: CHEMICAL HAZARDS IN THE WORKPLACE
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Chemical Hazards in the Workplace
Occupation Health and Safety
July 17th, 2019

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Chemical Hazards in the Workplace
Introduction
There have been various cases of injuries and negative health effects in everyday
application of chemical substances in the work place. The degree of individual exposure to
chemical hazards would determine their health impacts. It is important to note that chemical
hazards have varying degrees of strength regarding their potential to cause harm. Further, the
chemical hazards at the workplace can take the forms of gases, liquids, and solids. Any chemical
classified to be hazardous has the potential of causing adverse health impact to any employee
exposed to them. Some of the possible health impacts caused by chemical hazards include skin
irritations, poisoning of the employees, health complications of the lungs, the kidney, and liver.
Regulatory requirements stipulate that hazardous chemicals should be handled properly and that
adequate awareness is created to all employees on their use to avoid the adverse health impacts.
“Chemical hazards at the work place” is of concern because employees have continuously been
suffering at the expense of the job. Regarding this, the paper purposes to address the five
questions with their answers on the chemical substances in the work place, provide
recommendations and a conclusion.
What are chemical hazards?
Chemical hazards are the dangerous chemicals available at the workplace that employees
may get exposed to leading to various health risks. The health risk levels of the chemical hazards
depend on their strengths, degree of exposure, their form if solid, liquid, or gaseous as well as the
availability of personal protective equipment and awareness (Stave & Wald, 2016). The chemical
hazards are often well labeled on the packaging by the manufacturers to inform the end users
about any risks in their usage. These chemical hazards can cause harm to both animals and plants

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when not handled carefully in the environment. Several studies show that uncareful handling of
chemical hazards in the work place, have often than not resulted to fatal heath implications. The
chemicals are called hazards because they are dangerous and could cause harm and thus several
measures are required to avoid their harmful impacts at all costs.
What Are Types of chemical hazards?
There are different types of chemical hazards. Some of the most common chemical
hazards available at the workplace include paints, acids, cleaning products, petroleum products,
heavy metals, and solvents. When chemicals are not used or stored properly, they can cause fire,
skin irritation, chemical burns, and explosion, illnesses such as lung or kidney disease, and
headache. All this occurs when someone or something is exposed or encounter chemical
substances (Stave & Wald, 2016). The researches show that chemical substances can be
classified into different categories depending on their degree for causing harm. Depending on
their degree for causing harm, the chemicals are labeled differently so that an employee handling
or getting exposed has a prior knowledge of whatever type of chemicals they are dealing with.
How Can We Control Chemical Hazards at Work place?
According to Phneah, Hassim, and Ng (2017), occupational health and safety demand that
employees are provided by a safe and optimum environment to work. All workplaces have
associated chemical hazards that may affect the health of employees negatively when not used
properly. It is the right of the employees to work in a safe environment free from hazardous
chemicals that may affect their lives and wellbeing. Moreover, during the orientation of new
employees at the workplace, they should be shown all the possible chemical hazards that they
may interact with during the execution of their roles. They should then be trained and equipped
with the right protective equipment to reduce their exposure to the dangerous chemicals at the