Office of Security, Safety and Risk Management
Chemical Hygiene Plan
Appendix B
| Exposure Assessments, Medical consultations, and Examinations | ||||
| A. | Suspected exposures to toxic substances
There may be times when employees or supervisors suspect that an employee has been exposed to a hazardous chemical to a degree and in a manner that might have caused harm to the victim. If the circumstances suggest a reasonable suspicion of exposure, the victim is entitled to a medical consultation and, if so determined in the consultation, also to a medical examination at no cost with no loss of workday time attributed to the victim. |
|||
| A1. | Criteria for reasonable suspicion of exposure | |||
| 1. | It is the policy of Denison University to promptly investigate all employee-reported incidents in which there is even a remote possibility of employee overexposure to a toxic substance | |||
| 2. | Events or circumstances that might reasonably constitute overexposure include: | |||
| a. | A hazardous chemical leaked or was spilled or was otherwise rapidly released in an uncontrolled manner. | |||
| b. | A laboratory employee had direct skin or eye contact with a hazardous chemical. | |||
| c. |
A laboratory employee manifests symptoms, such as headache, rash,
nausea, coughing, tearing, irritation or redness of eyes, irritation of
nose or throat, dizziness, loss of motor dexterity or judgement, etc.,
and - Some or all of the symptoms disappear when the person is taken away from the exposure area and breathes fresh air, and - The symptoms reappear soon after the employee returns to work with the same hazardous chemicals |
|||
| d. | Two or more persons in the same laboratory work area have similar complaints. | |||