Every year hundreds of millions of yards cubic cement are poured without injury in the United States. However, there are also dozens of painful and debilitating annual cases chemical burns due to exposure to cement. The employees in construction, the plasterers, people who work with concrete, those bricklayers, and anyone who uses the cement (or any substance that contains cement, such as the mortar, plaster, and concrete) or be responsible of directing the use of cement should be aware This represents a health hazard. From agreement with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Bureau of Labor Statistics, by name in English) the information corresponding to Texas for the year 2008 shows that of the total cases involved wet cement that required days out of work, 66 percent were due to burns chemical The average days off work for Cases involving wet cement were five.
Health hazards caused by cement may include:
Skin contact
Contact with wet cement may cause both dermatitis and burns.
Dermatitis
Skin that has been affected by dermatitis suffers of itching and pain, and it looks red, rough, and cracked. Cement can cause two types of dermatitis — irritating and allergic.
Irritant dermatitis is caused by the Cement physical properties that irritate the skin. Fine cement particles, frequently mixed with sand or other aggregates to make mortar or concrete, may irritate the skin. With treatment, irritant dermatitis usually will disappear. But if the exhibition continues for a longer period, the condition will get worse and the person will be more susceptible to allergic dermatitis. Allergic dermatitis is caused by being sensitive to hexavalent (chromic) chromium that is present in the cement Hexavalent chromium is known as the most common cause of allergic dermatitis in people.
Once someone is sensitive to hexavalent chromium, any future exposure It can cause dermatitis. Some employees they have been forced to change their trade due to this susceptibility. The longer you are the skin in contact with chromium, the more it will penetrate the skin, and the risk will be greater. If the cement is left on the skin throughout the workday, instead of wash regularly, the risk is greater. Thus, Employees should examine their skin. Both the Irritant dermatitis such as allergic can affect One person at the same time immediately in the emergency room or in a hospital for burns.
DUST INHALATION
High levels of dust can be produced when working with cement, for example when cement bags are emptied or discarded. Short term, exposure to high dust levels of Cement can irritate the nose and throat. The act of cutting concrete can also produce high levels of powder, which may contain silica.
MANUAL OPERATION
Working with cement also represents risks such as sprains and dislocations, particularly in the back, arms, and shoulders because of lifting and carrying the bags cement, prepare the mortar, etc. Manual handling of heavy loads can cause more serious back damage if the employee Constantly lifts heavy loads.
HOW TO CONTROL SKIN CONTACT
Employers should consider eliminating or control contact with cement to prevent the employee's injuries or illnesses; establish control measures to minimize contact with the skin, either directly or indirectly from surfaces contaminated in the work environment, and provide to employees running water, soap, and towels in case of contamination. An important way of control dermatitis caused by cement is to wash skin with warm soapy water, or other cleanser, and dry the skin later. The toilets must be sufficiently large to be able to wash the forearms and must have hot and cold (or warm) running water. Gloves that are appropriate can help protect the skin from contact with the cement, but it is they may not be suitable for other aspects of construction work. It is advised to have caution when wearing gloves since the cement that could get caught against the skin inside a glove can cause a cement burn. You must provide protective clothing, including Overalls with long sleeves and long pants. Employees must follow the practices of Safety to prevent cement burns:
Wear the appropriate personal protective equipment such as overalls, protective footwear, gloves, and eye protection.
When possible, expose yourself to dust cement must be removed - for example, buying ready-mixed cement, for its Name in english). When this is not possible, the employer must evaluate and establish the measures of control that are appropriate.
TRAINING, MONITORING AND REPORTS
Employers are required to provide to employees information, instruction and training related to the nature of health risks and the precautions they should be taken The employer is required to provide of adequate health supervision to make it received by employees in case there is a exposure to a possible skin disease and in In case a disease could occur. This means that you must provide supervision health for employees who will be working regularly with wet cement. The supervision Health is necessary to: • protect people; and • identify as soon as possible any indication of skin changes so they can carry out the treatment steps that are necessary. Health supervision should never be considered as a reduction of the need for control exposure or to wash skin to remove the cement Simple observations will usually be enough. Skin inspections should be regularly made by a competent person and the Results must be documented. Employers they will probably need the help of a doctor or competent occupational health nurse for recognize the signs and symptoms of dermatitis Cement related. The responsible person you must report any conclusion to the employer.
