WRITTEN BY GARY SMITH, APARTMENT BUILDING MANAGEMENT WORKERS COMPENSATION SELF INSURED FUND
Each year, pool operators and maintenance staff suffer from injuries and illnesses due to exposure to chemicals used to treat water in public and private pools. Between 2002 and 2008 an estimated 28,071 cases of illness or injury associated with pool disinfectants and other pool chemicals occurred nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most frequently identified causes of injury or illness were mixing incompatible chemicals, spills and splashes of pool chemicals, lack of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) use, lack of proper training and supervision, and dust clouds or fumes generated by opening a pool chemical container.
For a closer look at what can happen, consider this 2012 case from the Connecticult Department of Public Health where two employees working at a hotel attempted to adjust pool chemical levels in the hotel swimming pool. Unaware that the employer had changed chemical suppliers, the employees choose the pool chemicals by lid color and container size instead of reading the label. Unknowingly, they added muriatic acid to the chlorine feeder. The acid reacted with the chlorine inside the feeder, creating a chlorine gas cloud. Both workers were exposed causing respiratory distress as well as potentially exposing building occupants. Chlorine gas dispersed through the buildings ventilation system causing a mandatory evacuation of the facility by responding EMS personnel. The exposure level was determined to be five times the OSHA permissible exposure limits for chlorine.
A lack of proper training is usually the culprit for many of these incidents. However, in this case, dangerous assumptions made by workers resulted in an incident.
CDC publishes their recommendations for preventing pool chemical and associated injuries at: http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/pools/preventing-pool-chemical-injuries.html. A new video, Pool Chemical Safety, published in February 2014 is under 14 minutes in duration and will help train workers to:
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Know about pool chemicals and their hazards
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Properly store and handle pool chemicals
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Know how to handle an accident. CDC Guidelines for storage, handling, maintenance/repair, emergency response plan and chemical packaging and labeling are available for training purposes.
Additionally, posters about safe use and storage of pool chemicals are available for free download.
Remember to avoid dangerous assumptions that can lead to injuries and illnesses, we must consistently educate and train workers. Be certain to make use of this newly updated material to educate and train your staff!