Protect Yourself: Cleaning Chemicals and Your Health

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Cleaning chemicals and your health
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  "Working with cleaning chemicals can cause: Coughing; Shortness of Breath; Wheezing; Sore Throat; Red, Itchy Eyes; Headaches or Dizziness; Skin Rashes; Nosebleeds; Skin and Eye Burns; or, Asthma. If you have health problems that you think are caused by using cleaning chemicals, tell your supervisor and ask to see a doctor. What You Need to Know: Do not mix cleaning products that contain bleach and ammonia. Dangerous gases can be released and can cause severe lung damage. Your employer is required to provide a safe workplace that includes: Sufficient ventilation (airflow) when using cleaning chemicals; Protective clothing, gloves, and safety goggles, when needed; Labels on containers of cleaning chemicals; Training on the hazards of cleaning chemicals you are using and safe work practices. Your employer must train you to: Know the hazards of cleaning chemicals BEFORE using them; Know how to use and store cleaning chemicals safely; Know how and when to dilute cleaning chemicals you are using; Know what to do if there is a spill or other emergency; Know how to obtain and use hazard information on labels and material safety data sheets (MSDS); Know how and when to use protective clothing, gloves, and safety goggles. Remember: Wash your hands after using cleaning chemicals and before eating, drinking, or smoking.." - NIOSHTIC-2 ; CDC-INFO Pub ID 221204 ; "July 2012" - date from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2012-125/ ; "Poster with guidelines for workers to protect their health while working with cleaning chemicals." ; "This guidance document is not an OSHA standard or regulation but it contains recommendations that are advisory in nature and intended to assist employers and workers in providing a safe and healthful workplace. The mention of any nongovernmental organization in this document does not constitute an endorsement by NIOSH or OSHA of that organization, its products or services."
• Content Notes:
  221204 ; "OSHA publication no. 3511-2-12." ; Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (542 KB, 1 p.).
• Subjects:
  • Housekeeping
  • Detergents
  • Occupational Health
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Safety
• Series:
  NIOSH Numbered Publications
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Fact Sheet
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1 pdf page
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041091
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/11929/cdc_11929_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 871.01 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:254fd7ac5d7428042c2f04386e83ed53ecf49cb502aca5c40cb049302967622f1622b5a2e6eaa625fd2bfc30a75f6db18fe795da7f1c22a06ebb7489b2106a8c