Handling of dyes & Chemicals-method & precautions: Part-4 (Some important hazards and safety aspects)

•    Direct contact of dyes & chemicals with skin or eyes may cause irritation. If this occurs, flush thoroughly with water. If irritation persists, get medical attention.

•      Gloves to be used while handling dyes & chemicals.

•    Prolonged inhalation of dyes & chemicals should be avoided especially personnel who is dealing with storage of the finishing chemicals. It is recommended to use toxic fume/vapour respirators approved by competent authorities.

•      The method of storage and handling of dyes & chemicals is one among various reasons for inconsistency performance. In most of the process houses the dye & chemicals storerooms are maintained in most disorderly manner. Often the dye & chemicals containers are kept in open condition thereby the dye powders/pastes/chemicals get exposed to varying climatic conditions especially, extreme humidity and temperature. Therefore they should be stored in dry and cool conditions as per the recommendation of manufacturers.

Handling of dyes & Chemicals-method & precautions: Part-3 (Safety Program)

 (c) Emergency preparedness: To establish the plan and procedures for emergency response. Emergency preparedness is vital to reduce injuries, ill-health and other damages, as quick and correct response is necessary in case of emergencies. In textile finishing, common emergency situations involving chemicals include fire, explosion, spills or release of hazardous chemicals, splashing of hot fluid, and any situation which result in personal injuries and acute illnesses.

(d) Hazard communication: To establish appropriate means of communication of safety and health matters to employees. This includes the provision of information, instruction and training to enable employees to do their jobs safely; and

(e) Monitoring and review: To monitor the effectiveness of the safety measures and review and revise periodically to cope with new requirements or significant changes in the concerned processes and /or materials

Handling of dyes & Chemicals-method & precautions: Part-2 (Safety Program)

A chemical safety programme for textile processing should include the following major elements:

(a) Risk assessment: to identify the hazards and evaluate their risks in the processes. Risk assessment is a process to evaluate what chemicals or processes would cause harm at work in terms of frequency of exposure, likelihood and consequence. Based on the assessment results, suitable safety measures could be developed to reduce the risks.

(b) Control of risks: to adopt and maintain suitable preventive and protective measures to control the risks associated with the identified hazards; The primary consideration is to adopt appropriate preventive measures to directly control the hazards at source, such as by elimination or substitution. For instance, certain azo dyes likely to form carcinogenic substances during dyeing process should be replaced by non-hazardous or less hazardous ones. These carcinogenic substances may also be regulated by the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Carcinogenic Substances) Regulations. In case elimination or substitution is not possible, segregation of the chemicals or the process is an effective safety measure. Protective measures such as the use of personal protective equipment should only be considered as a supplementary means in addition to engineering controls to minimize workers’ exposure to the hazards.

Handling of dyes & Chemicals-method & precautions: Part-1 (Introduction)

•      To ensure safety and health at work of employees engaged in textile processing, a carefully planned chemical safety programme is essential.

•      The risks arising from the hazards have to be assessed and control measures set up with their effectiveness monitored. The programme should also include emergency planning and training of employees.

•     The chemical safety programme should be organized and integrated into the general safety management system of the workplace. In addition, sufficient resources should be assigned to the development, implementation and maintenance of the programme