How to Prevent Chemical Injuries On the Construction Site

In the United States, there are more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 fatalities reported annually, that are related to workplace exposure to hazardous chemicals. The United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration has responded to the growing number of injuries by providing additional regulations, training resources and standards that are designed to help reduce harmful exposure and hazards for employees on the work-site.

Common Chemicals Used in Commercial Construction and Health Risks

There are many types of chemicals that construction workers can be exposed to on a daily basis, including pesticides and pest control substances, fuel and mechanical oils and lubricants, or bacterial exposure from sewage or wastewater. Four commonly used chemicals and compounds that pose a significant health risk to construction laborers are PVC, mercury, lead and flame retardants.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is commonly used in construction to coat pipes and electrical wiring as an insulator. It is also used in flooring, taping compounds, ductwork, block insulation, sheet roofing and shingles. The bi-product of manufacturing, and emissions released when PVC begins to break down, include ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride and dioxin. Prolonged exposure to PVC and dioxin has been clinically reported to contribute to the following health conditions:

• Cancer
• Neurological damage
• Birth defects and cognitive impairment for children
• Reproductive damage
• Endocrine disruption
• Endometriosis

Lead has been documented to be hazardous even in small doses and exposure rates, yet throughout the world, many manufacturing processes still use lead during solder and flux, and in plumbing fixtures including pipes and kitchen and drinking faucets.

Prolonged exposure to lead can lead to:

• Cancer
• Reproductive toxicity
• Birth defects and cognitive impairment for children
• Increased hypertension and risk of heart and kidney disease
• Reduced fertility

Mercury is a well-known chemical, and there have been significant discussions globally about the impact of mercury on human health. Despite the fact the mercury is easy to absorb through the skin, eyes and nose, and is known to be extremely difficult if not possible to remove from the body, compact fluorescent lighting (CFL), some electronic devices and commercial and residential thermostats contain mercury. Industrial batteries (for cordless power equipment or machinery) also contain high levels of mercury, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified mercury to be a significant environmental and human health threat.

How does mercury affect human health?

• It impacts child development and contributes to birth deformities
• Contributes to impairment of the nervous system, digestion and immune system
• Contributes to increased rates of kidney disease
• Can cause impaired vision

Halogenated Flame Retardant chemicals, or HFR’s are common in most building materials for residential and commercial construction. Even though fire safety experts agree that the chemical treatment does little to protect a building from fire, it is still installed as insulation between walls, and around wiring as a precaution. In the United States however, building code requirements insist on the use of flame retardant chemicals.

There are two significant health risks for construction workers regarding HFR’s. During installation, the substance can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. In demolition settings, HFR’s pose a serious threat, as they release a high volume of smoke and toxic gases when they are deconstructed, or when they come into contact with heat and fire.

Construction Workers May Be Injured Without Knowing It

There are two primary problems when it comes to diagnosing and prosecuting construction employers for personal injuries sustained from chemical exposure. The first issue is that many workers do not realize they were exposed to any chemical at all, until a health condition related to toxic exposure presents itself. Employees may not be able to recall when they were exposed, at what location, or under what circumstances they came into contact with a hazardous chemical.

According to construction accident attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld, "a second risk factor may be transitional work site involving a temporary worker. As a construction professional, workers can change site locations frequently, and may be assigned to multiple sites (and sometimes, different contractors) at the same period of time, working alternating schedules. Tracking down the job site and the employer responsible for the injury can be difficult," Rosenfeld added.

Unlike other more common types of injury on the construction site, including falls or abrasions that are treated with emergency care (and documented at a clinic or hospital), the worker may leave the job site and never know that they have been exposed to a potentially life threatening chemical. One that could contribute to serious chronic diseases, organ failure or cancer over time. This is why the labeling and safe storage regulations are critical to protecting workers from chemical exposure.

How Construction Employers and Workers Can Reduce the Risk

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) provided a code of regulations that help protect workers and employers from loss due to unsafe working conditions. Beyond statutes and guidelines for the most common type of construction accidents (falling and electrocution), the OSHA provides mandatory procedures that clearly identify chemicals, and requirements for employers to contribute training and safety equipment to handle them. Visit the Code of Federal Regulations online for more information on specific requirements.

One of the biggest challenges to protecting construction workers from chemical injury is awareness. While protective gear and protocols are followed concerning chemicals that have an immediate physiological impact, workers need to be educated that long-term health risks to exposure and unsafe work practices are equally hazardous. As such, even when a chemical appears to be a “low threat” to daily safety, apparatus including eye protection, air filtration and gloves are essential to avoid exposure and absorption of toxic substances.

Employer diligence is subject to site safety inspections, but they tend to focus on physical hazards and faulty building practices or code violations, rather than the often unseen threat from chemical exposure. It is important for commercial employers to remain compliant with all health and safety regulations for worker safety and to reduce the businesses civil liability risk for personal injury.

To maintain a safe construction site and reduce chemical exposure, commercial contractors should insure that each employee has undertaken the adequate amount of training for workplace safety protocols. This may include providing training in other languages to ensure that multilingual workers are not a disadvantage, when it comes to understanding the health risk associated with chemicals used on site.

For more information and safety resources, and how to reduce the risk of construction site accidents, contractors and construction employees can visit The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) site, from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

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