Some chemical work hazards are obvious. Some are not.
Odors and your health
Think about the air you breathe every day at work. Are there odors in the air? If yes, those odors aren’t just discomforting or annoying; they can be hazardous to employees, customers, and vendors.
Hazardous chemical exposure in the air is an Occupational Safety & Heath Administration (OSHA) standard violation waiting to happen. The good news is an industrial hygienist, or a safety professional can test the air quality and advise you on the actions you can take to reduce or remove hazardous particles.
Let me share a story about a shoe business that is a good lesson in the importance of understanding the indoor air quality in your workplace.
Hazardous chemical exposure via air is an OSHA violation waiting to happen
I recently visited two shoe repair shops which shared a common problem: poor indoor air quality. While I was waiting for my shoes to be fixed, I was overwhelmed by the chemicals permeating the air.
I thought, “Should I open the door a crack? What did the owner think of the smell? Were the other customers worried about the fumes?” Looking around at how indifferent others were, just looking down at their cell phones, it appeared that I was the only one in the store concerned with the environmental odors.
I started pondering the consequences of hazardous air: What is the health cost to the shoemakers, to their customers, or to a postal worker who delivers the mail six days a week? While it may not be top of mind, even mom-and-pop small businesses need to be concerned with safety too, as they are not exempt of the hazardous fumes.
Chemical dangers in the shoe industry alone
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 8,000 tradesmen in the Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers Industry nationwide. [1] These workers are exposed to high concentrations of harmful materials, such as volatile substances and leather dust. Although exposure might appear to be insignificant, it is the duration of time, day after day, and year after year that becomes harmful. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), there is evidence that exposure to the leather dust enhances the risk for cancer. [2] [3]
About 98 percent of shoe manufacturing has moved overseas, mainly in China and Indonesia. [4] A 2013 research study in Indonesia outlined occupational skin hazards and skin diseases in shoe manufacturing. [5] This study aligns with other research in shoe-repair shops done in other countries such as England, Finland, Poland, and others. [6]
The problems and solutions are right under your nose
A study on the shoe industry reported that exposure comes from tasks such as attaching new soles or machine repairing leather shoes. [7] For example, the process of attaching new soles involves the use of large amounts of cement, adhesives, and organic solvents. Cement and adhesives have solvents with specific properties to make them easier to dry, become stickier, or stronger. While useful to production, exposure to these substances can lead to nerve pathologies.
Adhesives have many ingredients that can cause skin irritation, chemical burns, etc. Organic volatile compounds are respiratory hazards. Some of the solvents found in the adhesives are benzene, toluene, and xylene. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) surveys of health hazards in shoe repair shops found the existence of chemical exposure to solvents. NIOSH also recommends a relatively simple solution: invest in gloves and a local exhaust system. [8]
Pay attention to the danger signs
If you smell an unusual odor in your workplace air, don’t ignore it. There probably is something in the air that needs to be addressed.
One of the adhesives used in the United States is named “Shoe Goo.” The Safety Data Sheet (SDS) contains the following ingredients: toluene, styrene butadiene copolymer, and naphtha. In the SDS, the hazard identification session identifies “Danger” as the signal word for the adhesive and the pictograms are:
[9] According to the SDS, if you are in the shoe repair trade, best practices include wearing personal protective equipment and protective gloves in a well-ventilated area. Workers should keep away from heat, sparks, and open flames. Smoking is not permitted. Workers must not breathe vapors and use process enclosures, local exhaust ventilation, or other engineering controls to keep exposure to airborne contaminants below any recommended or statutory limits.
Although there are other health risks associated in the shoe repairing business, research indicates that exposure to airborne contaminants is the highest safety risk. [10] [11] The shoe store I visited had a poorly ventilated work area and deficient engineering controls.
The right safety information and training can help your business
In the shoe repair industry, there is what can be perceived as a lack of understanding of hazardous chemicals. Within the last 10 years (from 2010 – 2020), the Hazard Communication Standard (HAZCOM) continues to be one of the top 10 most frequently cited OSHA violations. [12] Two reasons are a lack of information and training and a lack of understanding of hazardous chemicals in the workplace. [13]
Again, a safety expert not only identifies the hazard and recommends the right materials to fix it, but also provides education and training that your workforce can relate to and understand.
Below you have an image of “OSHA’s 2021 Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Violations.” The HAZCOM OSHA violation is the second image with pictograms on the top.
Some of the ingredients present in shoe adhesives likely cause health hazards. To ensure chemical safety in the workplace, OSHA requires making information about the identities and hazards of the chemicals available and understandable to workers.
How to avoid costly OSHA violation fines
In the case of the shoe repair shops, one way to comply with OSHA is: implement a safety and health program. Using a proactive approach to safety and health will help to avoid possible losses in the future.
A safety professional can support businesses of all sizes to meet OSHA standards and avoid fines. Shoe repair shops should implement a HAZCOM program. According to OSHA, the implementation of an effective hazard communication program needs to have the following components: [13]
Learn the standard.
Prepare a written plan.
Ensure containers are labeled.
Maintain safety data sheets (SDSs).
Inform and train employees.
Evaluate and reassess your program.
Don’t get used to workplace smells: Do something!
Regardless of the business size, business owners have an ethical responsibility to protect the workers in the workplace. In closing, I leave you with three questions to ponder about your own working environment:
Do you know what chemical substances exist in your workplace?
Does your company implement a hazard program that complies with OSHA standards?
Are employees aware of and understand the hazards, and do they have the resources to successfully comply with safety standards?
The point is to have a proactive safety program with simple goals. Small business will find that implementing a safety program has many benefits. Some of these benefits are to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and death.
References
[1] "Occupational Employment and Wages," 31 March 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes516041.htm. [Accessed 12 November 2021].
[2] I. Szadkowska-Stańczyk, H. Woźniak and G. Stroszejn-Mrowca, "Health effects of occupational exposure among shoe workers. A review," [Online]. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12731407. [Accessed 12 November 2021].
[3] V. Bonneterre, E. Deschamps, R. Persoons, C. l Bernardet, S. Liaudy, A. Maitre and R. de Gaudemaris, " Sino-nasal cancer and exposure to leather dust," 24 June 2007. [Online]. Available: https://academic.oup.com/occmed/article/57/6/438/1375583. [Accessed 12 November 2021].
[4] A. Bhattarai, 24 July 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-shoe-industry-tariffs-20180724-story.html.. [Accessed 16 November 2021].
[5] S. Febriana, H. Soebano and P.-. J. Coenraadas, "Occupational skin hazards and prevalence of occupational skin diseases in shoe manufacturing workers in Indonesia,, Research Gate [Online]," February 2013. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235416066. [Accessed 16 November 2021].
[6] Wikipedia, "Shoe Polish," 18 December 2019. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_polish. [Online]. [Accessed 16 November 2021].
[7] I. Gargouri, M. Khadhaoui and B. Elleuch, "What are the Health Risks of Occupational Exposure to Adhesive in the Shoe Industry?," 23 November 2016. [Online]. Available: [Online]. https://www.intechopen.com/books/adhesives-applications-and-properties/what-are-the-health-risks. [Accessed 16 November 2021].
[8] "NTP Report on Carcinogens Background," March 1999. [Online]. Available: [Online]. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/newhomeroc/other_background/bootshoe_508.pdf. January 2020].. [Accessed 16 December 2021].
[9] Rothco, "Shoe GOO Safety Data Sheet," 29 September 2014. [Online]. Available: [Online]. https://www.rothco.com/upload/dealertools/MSDS/10012-sds-shoegoo-cle.pdf.. [Accessed 16 November 2021].
[10] E. All, "Occupational Risk Shoe Repairers," [Online]. Available: https://www.airsystems-inc.com/air-purification-news/occupational-risk-shoe-repairers. [Accessed November 2021].
[11] W. H. Organization, "Hazard Prevention and Control in the Work Environment: Airborne Dust," 31 May 1999. [Online]. Available: [Online]. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-SDE-OEH-99-14. [Accessed 16 November 2021].
[12] OSHA, "Top 10 Cited Standards," 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.osha.gov/top10citedstandards. [Accessed 16 November 2021].
[13] OSHA, "OSHA 3696," [Online]. Available: https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3696.pdf. [Accessed 16 November 2021].