# Presentation: 467392

## Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities

**An Oak Ridge Operations**
**Course of Action**
- 	Judy DiGregorio, Gary Clifton,
- 	and Doug Reed

- 2003 Facility Representative Workshop

**Notes:**
WELCOME
I’m Judy DiGregorio from the ORO Training and Development Group.  I’ve been involved in training for 25 years and I’m here today to talk about training in recognizing and managing chemical safety vulnerabilities in the workplace.  With me are Gary Clifton, an ORNL FacRep and Doug Reed, a FacRep from EM.

We began offering a course in managing chemical safety vulnerabilities in October 2000.  We designed the course to engage the students in active participation as they were learning to address Management’s concerns for chemical safety vulnerabilities.

Our target audience was initially the facility representatives, and expanded to emergency response personnel and those persons with oversight responsibilities of contractor chemical safety.

“Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills!”

## How many of you own a chemical that could cause this?

**How many of you own a chemical that could cause this?**

**Notes:**
Take a look at this photo.

Who knows what caused this?

Our Chemical Safety Course discusses how every-day chemicals can cause serious accidents, such as this, in the workplace.

We’ll come back to this slide later in the presentation.

## Presentation Outline 

- Course Background and Overview
- Course Drivers
- FacRep Involvement
- Exercise Development
- Course Content
- Course Feedback
- Summary
- Q & A

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

## Course Drivers 

- DOE response to 1997 PRF explosion at Hanford
- ORO response to Y-12 chemical explosions in 1999
- ORO issued Chemical Safety Action Plan
- ORO prepared chemical safety vulnerability determination guidance
- ORO identified a training need in the Action Plan

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

**Notes:**
Initially in response to the Plutonium Reclamation Facility explosion at Hanford May 14, 1997, and subsequently, to a number of local chemical safety incidents*, ORO Management committed to improve chemical safety and reinforce its importance in the context of integrated safety management.  They endorsed the development of this course and participated in its delivery. 
Management chartered the Chemical Safety Working Group, and with the Group issued the ORO Chemical Safety Action Plan in September 1999, which was later revised in January 2000.  The Action Plan prescribed the development of guidance for the contractors to identify and prioritize chemical safety vulnerabilities at their sites.
Further, the Plan called for training in chemical safety for the facility representatives.  With this, we began meeting with the Chemical Safety Working Group to conduct a mini-needs analysis to identify what training was actually needed and for whom.

*such as the May 1999 shock-sensitive chemical incident at the “Mouse House,” the March 1999 lithium hydride explosion, and the December 1999 NaK accident – all of these at Y-12.  We’ll discuss the NaK accident in more detail later in the presentation.

The DNFSB site rep challenged us to develop an effective course in this area.

## Course Background and Design

- Chemical Safety Working Group provided direction and input
- Videos of real hazardous chemical events
- Photos of actual chemical spills and exposures
- Web demo of NOAA Chemical Safety Reactivity Worksheet
- Lab demo and mock-up chemical lab storage unit

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

**Notes:**
The Chemical Safety Working Group had very high expectations for this course.  In addition to the Working Group, we sought input from the FacReps, site subject matter experts, and line management – each of whom had varying opinions about what needed to be in the course.
 What started as a 4-hour overview of chemical safety evolved into our current 2-day course.  Each time we met with the Chemical Safety Working Group, there were new topics that needed to be added to the course.  In addition, we all wanted to build in practical exercises and give the course a hands-on workshop flavor.  This took the course immediately to a full day.
As we began looking for an instructor, we realized quickly that we needed someone who had an extensive chemical background along with sound credentials.  This search led us to J. T. Baker, the large chemical supply house – a subsidiary of Mallinckrodt Baker Inc. – where we found Dr. Rudy Gerlach, a retired chemistry professor, who had been doing chemical safety seminars for J. T. Baker for the last 20 years.  
BUT, this was to be the first time that Rudy worked with DOE.  WAS HE IN FOR A SURPRISE!!!!
Aside from the bizarre acronyms, we subjected Rudy and his Baker course to a Job Hazard Analysis (a JHA) – the first time he ever had to do this.  All we can say is that it was an enlightening experience for all persons involved!!
In tailoring the course to ORO’s needs, we incorporated the best of the Baker course on insidious hazards, in turn resulting in the 2-day class.  We employed videos of real and simulated safety and hazardous chemical events; photo slides of actual chemical spills, exposures, and contaminations; a web demo of the DOE Chemical Safety Reactivity Worksheet; a live laboratory demonstration; and a mock-up chemical lab storage unit.

## FacRep Involvement

- FacReps and SMEs developed scenarios and reviewed the course content and agenda
- Y-12 FacRep supported the JHA for the lab demonstration (open flame, pentane, and sulfuric acid)
- FacReps acquainted the instructor with the Y-12, ETTP, and ORNL sites

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

## Classroom Exercise 

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

**Notes:**
Here the students are completing a small group exercise involving the following three scenarios for which they had to identify any incompatible stored chemical and make recommendations of where to move it for safe storage configuration.

1.	Underneath the fume hood there were glass containers of glacial acetic acid, chromic acid, nitric acid (Half full but still in cardboard shipping box), hydrochloric acid, potassium perchlorate, and acetone, stored together. 
2.	On the reagent cabinet shelf on the wall above the bench top there was sulfuric acid (concentrated), sodium hydroxide (10 N), potassium hydroxide, hydrogen sulfide solution, sodium peroxide, and lithium hydride.
3.	Inside the flammable liquids cabinet there was methanol, isopropyl alcohol, spray cans of enamel paint (stored in cardboard shipping box), small bottles of propane, perchloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and lithium hydride.

## Mock-up Lab Exercise 

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

**Notes:**
Here a group of students are completing the exercise involving a mock-up lab – using the bottles we brought today:  (POINT TO THE BOTTLES)
ammonium dichromate, nitric acid, mercuric bromide, hexanes, sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide flake, and stannous chloride.

## Course Content 

- Basic chemistry concepts and practices
- Toxic chemical safety
- Lab demonstration of flammables and corrosives
- Demonstration of web aids, e.g., reactivity worksheet
- Insidious hazards
- Compressed gases
- Storage vulnerabilities
- Exercise scenarios

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

**Notes:**
From the Course Agenda:
Senior Management opened each session underscoring their expectations of the course and students, and challenging the students to apply what they learn to improve chemical safety practices on the Oak Ridge Reservation.

Basic Chemistry Concepts and Practices
How the Periodic Table provides clues to incompatibilities and vulnerabilities
Other general clues (such as the prefixes and suffixes to the chemical names) 
“Thumb rules”
Exceptions, such as HF
Toxic Chemical Safety (Toxicology)
Terms and definitions
Determining toxicity
Carcinogens, mutagens, and teratogens 
Flammable Chemical Safety
Definitions, examples, storage and handling
Upper and lower flammability limits
Vapor densities
Corrosives
Definitions, protective equipment, and storage 
Insidious Hazards
Unanticipated events, reactions, and toxicity
Compressed Gasses
Rules and regulations
Transportation
Handling and storage
Regulators and valves 
Storage Vulnerabilities
Compatibility of chemicals
Special concerns
Storage area requirements
Exercises
Metal Stripping
Perchloric Storage
Mock-up Lab Storage

## The Periodic Table 

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

## Periodic Table 

- Reaction Trends with Oxygen:
- Across (L to R)
- 		2M + O2  metal oxides and/or metal 	peroxides
- 	Oak Ridge, Y-12, OE 99-48
**Incident – Sodium-potassium alloy, sprayed with mineral oil, oxidized to form shock-sensitive mixture, then struck by metal tool**
**Result – Explosion injuring 11**

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

## Lab Demonstration 

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

**Notes:**
Here the instructor, Dr. Gerlach, was demonstrating vapor flammability.

## NOAA and EPA’s Chemical Reactivity Worksheet

**http://tis.eh.doe.gov/web/chem_safety/**
**http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/chemaids/react.html**

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

## How many of you own a chemical that could cause this?

**How many of you own a chemical that could cause this?**

**Notes:**
Have you guessed yet what chemical you use every day that could cause this?  
This chemical will “eat” through your skin, because it reacts with the water in your flesh.

See the next slide.

## 		Recognition 

-     Do you know how to jump start 	your car?
- 	Do you have toilet bowl cleaner      	in your house?
- 	Where do you have sulfuric acid 	(H2SO4) at work?

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

## DOE Acid Vulnerabilities 

- Hanford, Plutonium Reclamation Facility, 5-14-97
**Incident – Chemical storage tank explosion**
**Cause – Concentration by evaporation of mixture of nitric acid and hydroxylamine nitrates**

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

## DOE Acid Vulnerabilities 

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

## Course Feedback 

- 	“Good course” and “good practice to 	have a mix of feds and contractors 	in class together” (DNSFB Rep.)
- 	Overall rating: excellent course
- 	Some want more hands-on training 	with more site-specific chemicals
- 	Some need a refresher in chemistry 	fundamentals

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

**Notes:**
We received a tremendous endorsement from the local DNFSB Representative – he later qualified that for us to say that “it was his personal opinion not a recommendation of the Board!!!”  See his Activity Report on the next slide.

Overall, we have received high marks from our students.  The only negative comments have been regarding too little site-specific content and hands-on activities.  We have answered these comments by starting development of a Level II course that will be entirely site-specific and consist of practical exercises.

It was also clear in the feedback from the non-FacRep students that many needed a refresher in basic chemistry – it was a longtime since they last had a chemistry course in high school or college.  And for most people, chemistry was their least favorite subject, so retention was minimal.

## DNFSB Rep. Feedback 

**Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board**
**To:**	J. Kent Fortenberry, Technical Director
**From:**	Paul Gubanc and David Moyle, Oak Ridge Representatives
**Subj:**	Activity Report for Week Ending November 3, 2000
- _DOE Chemical Safety_:  As part of the DOE-ORO Chemical Safety Action Plan (prompted by the Board’s July 8, 1999, letter), chemical vulnerability training is to be provided to the ORO and YSO FacReps. This week Mr. Gubanc attended the first of these 16-hour training sessions. The course was well attended and was delivered by experienced chemical safety experts for a major chemical supply company. Given the wide diversity of the students’ backgrounds and the broad subject matter, the instructors did an admirable job of providing sufficient background to the FacReps to make them more effective in their observation and appreciation of chemical safety hazards. Equally important, the students were provided some key technical references and POCs to consult should they identify a concern.

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

**Notes:**
As I said, we received a tremendous endorsement from the local DNFSB Representative – 
Here’s part of his Activity Report.

.

## Summary 

- FacRep/SME involvement essential to success
- Feedback from pilot class, including the DNFSB Rep. improved the course
- The Course works because:
- It is directly applicable to FacRep’s duties and tasks
- Provides valuable tools and resources
- Is a hands-on course, not a stand-up lecture course
- Used an outstanding instructor
- Path Forward
- Continue with the Level I course
- Developing a Level II course (site-specific hands-on workshop)

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***

**Notes:**
FacRep/SME involvement essential to success
Feedback from pilot class, including the DNFSB Rep. improved the course
Course works because it is directly applicable to FacRep’s duties and tasks
Provides valuable tools and resources.
Is not a stand-up lecture course but more of a hands-on course.
Path Forward
Our path forward is to continue offering the current Level I course, the Level II course once developed, and look to do a chemistry primer as a prerequisite to the Level I and II courses.
We’re also exploring the delivery of the courses, particularly the fundamental and prerequisite topics, using Technology-Supported Learning (TSL) media.  The most likely candidate today is a web-based chemistry primer – perhaps teaming or tagging along with one of you to convert the DOE Fundamentals course to TSL, if it hasn’t been done already.
Managing chemical safety vulnerabilities is very important to ORO, NNSA, and to all of DOE.  This course is one tool that helps us do that.

**Questions and Answers**

***Managing Chemical Safety Vulnerabilities***