
Hazard Watch: Understanding the dangers of Ozone in the workspace
14 November 2022 | 3 min read
Marcus Hampson
No Content Set
Exception:
Website.Models.ViewModels.Components.General.Banners.BannerComponentVm
Services
Technical services and consulting solutions for clients in the property, energy, transport, water, resources, defence and government sectors.
Advisory and management consulting
Communications, creative and digital
Design and development
Environment
Exploration and development
Health, safety and risk
Laboratories
Oceans and coastal
Planning and approvals
Project and program management
Training
Water services
Advisory and management consulting
Advisory and management consulting services for businesses and projects, including economics, due diligence, transaction advisory, ESG and more.
Communications, creative and digital
Communications, creative and digital solutions for governments and businesses including community engagement, design, research, data and software development.
Design and development
Technical and consulting services for buildings, infrastructure and cities including architecture, engineering, surveying, landscape architecture and urban design.
Environment
Environmental consulting solutions for responsible, resilient and sustainable development including impact assessment, ecology and contamination management.
Exploration and development
Technical services for energy projects including seismic operations, drilling and wellsite geology, reservoir management, independent reporting and more.
Health, safety and risk
From safety case development to emergency response strategy, discover services and expertise to reduce your risk profile and keep people safe.
Laboratories
Scientific analysis services for AgroScience, food safety, workplace exposure, environmental metrics and contaminants of concern in Europe and the UK.
Oceans and coastal
RPS technical solutions for marine infrastructure and offshore development including coastal engineering, marine biology metocean science, and emergency response.
Planning and approvals
Development strategy, planning and approval solutions for buildings, infrastructure, transport and city projects and investments.
Project and program management
Project management solutions for the most complex building, infrastructure, organisational change, and systems projects.
Training
Specialist training services, programs and accreditation for health, safety and risk, project management, and energy sector capability development.
Water services
Solutions for the water sector including quality monitoring, modelling, infrastructure design, engineering and asset management.
Sectors
World-leading technical and consulting solutions for clients in the property, energy, transport, resources, water, defence and government sectors.
Property
Energy
Transport
Defence and government services
Water
Resources
Property
Design, technical and advisory services for the property sector, including residential, commercial, retail, industrial, health, education and data centre projects.
Energy
Energy exploration, development and optimisation solutions for renewables, power and gas networks, energy storage, oil and gas and nuclear facilties.
Transport
Smart, safe and sustainable transport infrastructure development services and advice for rail, aviation, port and road clients and projects.
Defence and government services
Expertise for defence capability and infrastructure investments, security and safety projects, and information and telecommunications initatives.
Water
Discover our industry-leading strategy, design and management solutions for wastewater, groundwater, flooding, drainage and network infrastructure.
Resources
Commercial data, design advice and technical management solutions for safe and environmentally responsible resource exploration and operations.
Technical services and consulting solutions for clients in the property, energy, transport, water, resources, defence and government sectors.
Advisory and management consulting
Communications, creative and digital
Advisory and management consulting services for businesses and projects, including economics, due diligence, transaction advisory, ESG and more.
Commercial and technical advisory
Project investment and finance
Explore Advisory and management consultingCommunications, creative and digital solutions for governments and businesses including community engagement, design, research, data and software development.
Creative, visualisation and immersive design
Data management, analytics and insights
Explore Communications, creative and digitalTechnical and consulting services for buildings, infrastructure and cities including architecture, engineering, surveying, landscape architecture and urban design.
Environmental consulting solutions for responsible, resilient and sustainable development including impact assessment, ecology and contamination management.
Acoustics, noise and vibration
Contaminated land and remediation
Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental permitting and compliance
Sustainability and climate resilience
Explore EnvironmentTechnical services for energy projects including seismic operations, drilling and wellsite geology, reservoir management, independent reporting and more.
Asset and reservoir management
Drilling support and wellsite geology
Field development planning and operations
Reserves and independent reporting
Seismic operations management and support
Exploration and appraisal studies
Unitisation and equity determination
Unexploded ordnances (UXO) and Explosive remnants of war (ERW)
Explore Exploration and developmentFrom safety case development to emergency response strategy, discover services and expertise to reduce your risk profile and keep people safe.
Asbestos and hazardous materials management
Construction (design and management) principal designer
Health, safety, risk assessment and management
Explore Health, safety and riskScientific analysis services for AgroScience, food safety, workplace exposure, environmental metrics and contaminants of concern in Europe and the UK.
RPS technical solutions for marine infrastructure and offshore development including coastal engineering, marine biology metocean science, and emergency response.
24/7 response modelling and support services
Marine life mitigation - PSOs, MMOs and PAM
Metocean, Science and Technology
Explore Oceans and coastalDevelopment strategy, planning and approval solutions for buildings, infrastructure, transport and city projects and investments.
Project management solutions for the most complex building, infrastructure, organisational change, and systems projects.
Cost management / quantity surveying
Explore Project and program managementSpecialist training services, programs and accreditation for health, safety and risk, project management, and energy sector capability development.
Capability development and training for the energy sector
Explore TrainingSolutions for the water sector including quality monitoring, modelling, infrastructure design, engineering and asset management.
Water quality modelling and monitoring
Water and wastewater network modelling and asset management
Water and wastewater infrastructure design
Explore Water services
World-leading technical and consulting solutions for clients in the property, energy, transport, resources, water, defence and government sectors.
Design, technical and advisory services for the property sector, including residential, commercial, retail, industrial, health, education and data centre projects.
Energy exploration, development and optimisation solutions for renewables, power and gas networks, energy storage, oil and gas and nuclear facilties.
Smart, safe and sustainable transport infrastructure development services and advice for rail, aviation, port and road clients and projects.
Expertise for defence capability and infrastructure investments, security and safety projects, and information and telecommunications initatives.
Information and telecommunications
Explore Defence and government servicesDiscover our industry-leading strategy, design and management solutions for wastewater, groundwater, flooding, drainage and network infrastructure.
UK and Ireland regulated water asset management
Explore WaterCommercial data, design advice and technical management solutions for safe and environmentally responsible resource exploration and operations.
We define, design and manage projects that create shared value to a complex, urbanising and resource-scarce world.
Brilliant minds finding solutions to complex problems, made easy to understand. Making complex easy.
Chlorine can be used in several industries, outside of decontaminating swimming pools. It is used in the manufacturing of chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, pulp, paper, and pesticides. We’d like to talk about it as our latest Hazard Watch feature as exposure to pure chlorine can cause very serious health conditions. Employees have a right to expect certain safety processes to be in place, to limit exposure.
It’s important to understand how chlorine can be a hazard. When it needs to be shipped or stored, chlorine gas has to be pressurised and cooled to change it into a liquid form first. When liquid chlorine is released, it can quickly turns into a gas that stays close to the ground and spreads rapidly. This can result in a serious hazard.
Chlorine in gas form is the most common and harmful route of exposure, via inhalation. However, exposure can also occur when chlorine gas is absorbed through the skin or eyes. Depending on the level of exposure, typical reactions can include a sore throat, difficulty breathing, irritation of the airways, chest tightness, as well as eye and skin irritation. More harmful exposure at higher levels can cause pulmonary oedema, and skin injuries similar to frostbite if exposed to liquid chlorine. If an individual is exposed to levels exceeding 400ppm, this can be fatal within 30 minutes.
Chlorine exposure is usually accidental, either as a result of PPE being worn incorrectly or an accidental spill during the manufacturing process. Employees are strongly advised to make sure all personal protective equipment (PPE) is constantly worn in locations where chlorine is being used. These locations should be subject to strict monitoring measures.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) EH40 document states that the current workplace exposure limit for chlorine is 0.5ppm within a 15-minute period. Any employee that been exposed to chorine is strongly advised to leave the area immediately and ensure they thoroughly wash their skin, face, and eyes. High level exposure will be apparent due to the presenting symptoms, and urgent medical attention should be sought immediately.
Employers can take measures to prevent exposure too. To fully understand the current levels of exposure within your workplace, media such as silver membrane PTFE filters can be used by trained occupational hygienists as well as health and safety personnel. Samples should be subsequently analysed in line with the NIOSH 6011 method to accurately determine the levels of exposure.
Employees can be safer and better protected at work by consistently checking the levels of exposure are within the required limits in the workplace.
Within our state-of-the-art laboratory in Manchester, we can provide and analyse each of the recommended media types referenced above in line with the NIOSH 6011 method. We have deep expertise in providing certainty to workplaces that may have concerns for their employees’ exposure to chlorine.
Our highly skilled and knowledgeable team provide a personalised service, and we assist clients with the provision of suitable sampling media, analysis and if needed, recommendations on sampling guidelines.