Working with Cement

Skin Contact

• Cement can cause ill health mainly by skin contact, which can result in burns and dermatitis.
• Cement burns: if freshly mixed concrete or mortar gets trapped against the skin, for instance by falling inside a boot or glove, serious skin burns or ulcers can result, which can take several months to heal and may need skin grafting.
• Dermatitis: skin affected with dermatitis feels itchy and sore and looks red, scaly and cracked.

Eye Contact

• Contact with cement powder or wet cement can cause irritation and inflammation.

Inhalation of Dust

• High levels of dust can be produced when cement is handled, for example when emptying bags of cement or during their disposal.
• In the short term, exposure to high levels of cement dust irritates the nose and throat and causes difficulty with breathing.
• There is uncertainty about the long-term health effects of breathing in cement dust, but chronic chest trouble is possible.
• Abrading hardened concrete, such as when scabbling or cutting, can produce large amounts of inhalable dust, which could contain high levels of respirable crystalline silica, depending on the aggregate used.
• Workers breathing in silica dust are at an increased risk of developing silicosis.

Controlling Exposure

• Work in a way which minimises the amount of dust produced. Open bags with care and mix carefully. Handle dry material in a well-ventilated area.

PPE

• When working with cement and cement mixtures you must protect your skin with:
  • gloves
  • long sleeves and full-length trousers
  • waterproof boots.
• Clothing should be worn to avoid ‘traps’ for fresh mortar or concrete to fall in. For instance, sleeves over gloves and trouser legs over boots - not tucked inside.
• If trapping does happen, steps should be taken immediately to clean the contaminated skin and clothing.
• Suitable respiratory protection must be worn if dusty conditions cannot be avoided.
• Eye protection must be worn when conditions give rise to a risk of eye injury, such as when opening cement bags during mixing when splashing might occur.

Hygiene

• Personal hygiene is important.
• Wash your hands and face before eating, drinking and smoking, and before using the toilet.
• Clean off boots and clothing every day.​​​​​​​

First Aid

• Contaminated skin must be washed with cold running water as soon as possible.
• Particular attention must be paid to any wound which must be covered with a suitable dressing.
• Eye contamination must be washed with cold tap water for at least 10 minutes before the affected person is taken to hospital.

Working with Solvents

• Solvents are substances used to dissolve or dilute other substances or materials.
• Exposure to solvents can have serious, even lethal, effects on people’s health.
• Some of the more common solvents in use on construction sites include toluene; xylene; white spirit; acetone and methyl ethyl ketone.
• Many of the products we use contain solvents. These include paint; paint stripper; lacquer; glue, mastic; thinners, etc.

Health Effects

Solvents may make you ill by:

• Breathing in vapours: paints, strippers, glues, etc. give off their solvent as they dry or cure and the vapour may be harmful. Deliberate inhalation of solvent vapours (glue sniffing) has caused several tragic deaths.
• Skin contact: some solvents can be absorbed through the skin and cause harm. A number can affect the skin itself, causing dermatitis. Eyes may also be damaged.
• Swallowing: solvents can be taken into the body on food or cigarettes. People have unwittingly drunk solvents being kept in old drinks containers.
• Exposure has already happened by the time a person can smell a solvent. It is therefore wrong to rely on smell as an alarm.
• Symptoms of solvent exposure vary with how much has been taken in and the type of solvent; immediate effects may include stinging eyes, nose irritation and headache.
• A persons exposed to higher concentrations of solvents may experience impaired judgement and dizziness first of all, followed by confusion, sleepiness and unconsciousness.
• Long term damage to health can also occur.
• Anyone who has been exposed to solvents and feels that their health has been affected should seek medical advice.
• Work with solvent based products is subject to the COSHH Regulations which require an employer to assess the health risk and prevent or control it. Manufacturers and suppliers have a legal duty to supply all relevant information on risks and precautions.

Precautions

Precautions to be taken may include:

• The provision of adequate ventilation, e.g. open all doors and windows.
• Mechanical ventilation, e.g. extractor fans will be needed in some cases.
• Correct storage in properly labelled suitable containers, with lids properly secured to prevent evaporation.
• Rags soaked in solvent must be disposed of in closed containers.

If exposure cannot be controlled in any other way, workers must wear personal protective equipment (PPE) which may include:

• protective overalls and gloves
• eye or face protection
• respiratory protection.

People wearing PPE must be trained in its proper use. The equipment must be properly stored, maintained, kept clean and fit for use.

Hygiene

• Good personal hygiene is very important. Always wash face and hands before eating, drinking or smoking, and before using the toilet.
• Eating, drinking and smoking must take place away from the work area.
• Articles heavily contaminated with solvents must be removed immediately when contamination occurs.

Fire Precautions

• Many solvents are flammable.
• They must be stored in secure, well ventilated areas.
• Contaminated clothing should be thoroughly dried in the open air or in a well-ventilated space.
• Do not place contaminated clothing or rags, including clothing you are wearing, anywhere near a source of heat - it may catch fire.​​

First Aid

• Anyone appearing to be affected by solvents must be taken at once into fresh air. Remove contaminated clothing as soon as possible.
• Wash splashed skin with plenty of water and cover any wounds with a suitable dressing.
• Solvents in the eye must be treated by washing the eye with cold tap water for at least 10 minutes before the injured person is taken to hospital.

Work with chemical cleaners

Health Effects

• Chemical cleaners used in the construction industry can cause serious ill-health, mainly by:
  • Skin contact: the acids and alkalis are highly corrosive and destructive to body tissue causing burns which are often slow to heal.
  • Inhaling fumes or mist: concentrated solutions of acids and alkalis emit toxic and corrosive fumes. Spray application will produce a mist which may also be toxic and corrosive.
    
    

Concentrated solutions from which the dilute working solutions are made up pose the greatest risk but even dilute solutions can be harmful.

Controlling Exposure

If you have to handle and dilute concentrated acids or alkalis, dilution should take place off-site under controlled conditions. When diluting always add acid or alkali to water, never water to acid or alkali. The transfer of dilute material must be in sealed, labelled, containers. If dilution on site cannot be avoided, it should always be done at ground level under controlled conditions and not, for example, on scaffolding. Avoid spray application. Apply with a brush or roller fitted with a splash guard. Wear protective clothing to protect your skin, face, eyes and body.

Your employer must:

• ensure that you are provided with appropriate protective equipment and instruct you how to use it.
• ensure that you use it correctly.

Hygiene

• Ensure that protective equipment is thoroughly cleaned with water after use and check for any deterioration, such as pin holes or cuts in gloves, especially the finger tips.
• Heavily contaminated clothing should be removed immediately.
• Do not take contaminated clothing home - your employer will arrange to have it laundered.
• Clothing contaminated with Hydrofluoric (HF) or other concentrated acids should be neutralised with sodium bicarbonate solution before washing. The solution must be kept readily available if HF is being used.
• Personal hygiene is most important. You should avoid contact with contaminated equipment.
• Do not raise face protection with soiled gloves - facial burns can result.
• Wash hands and face at the end of each job and before eating, drinking and smoking, and before using the toilet.
• Shower before going home.

Spillages

• Dilute spillages of acids or alkalis with water unless HF or concentrated acids are involved. In this case neutralise with slaked lime.
• Tools and equipment which may be contaminated should be treated similarly.
• Contaminated porous material such as wood or packing should be burned or buried, but consult your supervisor first.

First Aid

• Anyone appearing to be affected by a chemical cleaner must be taken at once into fresh air, given first-aid, and referred to medical care.
• In most case, first-aid will involve drenching the affected parts with plenty of cool clean water.
• However HF burns require special treatment and first-aiders must be specially trained.