Chemical health risk assessment of cleaning activities in an office building

Abstract

The use of chemicals is a necessity in the workplace. Chemicals are used in office buildings, restaurants, schools, laboratories, manufacturing factories, jewelry shops, and many more places. Chemicals are one of the hazards in a workplace. In Malaysia, it is observed that poor chemical handling has led to tragedies and chemical incidents. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994, it is one of the main responsibilities of the employer to protect and safeguard employees from the adverse effects of chemicals at the workplace. This study aims to assess the types and hazards of chemical handling and storage chemicals for cleaning activities in an office building. The method used in this study is by conducting Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) according to the Manual of Recommended Practice Assessment of the Health Risks Arising from the Use of Chemicals Hazardous to Health at Workplace Third Edition First Reprint 2018 published by the Department Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Malaysia towards chemical handling and storage of chemical activities in a building. The interactions between office cleaners and eleven (11) types of chemicals are involved in this study. Among the challenges faced were the incomplete chemical Safety Data Sheet provided by the suppliers and the chemical storage room which is not readily provided in the building. To overcome the obstacles, the Safety Data Sheet is directly requested from the chemical suppliers, and a chemical storage area is designated in the building. From the assessment conducted, the current control measures are inadequate and improvements in terms of ventilation, storage, and Personal Protective Equipment are needed. It is expected that this study will later demonstrate the risk assessment of hazardous chemicals in the building that are significant to human health and current control measures that can be further improved to provide a safe and healthy working environment for the office cleaners.