Exposure risks and ways by which employees can be exposed to dangerous substances (Part 3)

In the last two articles we have discussed the various ways by which employees may come into contact with harmful substances. Here we will discuss contact through cuts or skin abrasions and contact via inhalation.

Contact with dangerous substances through a cut or skin abrasion

When working on an industrial site, it can be common to get the odd scratch or scrape as part of your daily working life. And, while some harmful chemicals may not be able to enter your body thorough the skin surface when it is intact, they may be able to enter if you have a cut or skin abrasion. That’s why it’s so important to clean and protect any cuts or abrasions you have when you notice them.

Contact with dangerous substances by inhalation

One of the biggest risks employees face when working on industrial sites is breathing in harmful substances. Sometimes the damage is not noticeable until many years later and damage may not be restricted to the lungs and may affect body parts such as the kidneys also. Suitable masks should be worn on all occasions when dealing with spills of dangerous liquids and employees should be able to have to hand the right equipment to deal with spills and leaks such as appropriate spill kits.