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Safety Policies & Programs


Policy Title

Awareness Programs

Policy Key Points

  • The purpose of the Awareness Programs Safety Policy is to inform associates of potential hazards in the workplace related to asbestos, benzene, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and lead.

  • Associates working in Yaskawa facilities are not exposed to these hazards. 

  • Field service associates, particularly when working at refineries, may be exposed at very low levels, but the work performed by Yaskawa associates is unlikely to expose associates to these hazards.    

  • Asbestos 

    • Associates are not esposed to asbestos hazards while working in Yaskawa facilities
    • Associates working at customer worksites are unlikely to be exposed to asbestos hazards 
  • Benzene 

    • Associates are not exposed to benzene hazards while working in Yaskawa facilities
    • Associates working at customer worksites are unlikely to be exposed to benzene hazards 
  • Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)

    • Associates are not exposed to hydrogen sulfide hazards while working in Yaskawa facilities
    • Associates working at customer worksites are unlikely to be exposed to hydrogen sulfide hazards 
  • Lead

    • Associates are not exposed to lead hazards 

Policy

Awareness Program

 Policy 

Asbestos Awareness Program

Yaskawa America, Inc. does not have asbestos in any of our facilities at a level or composition in which Yaskawa associates will be exposed to an asbestos hazard. For instance, fire safety blankets may contain asbestos but the asbestos is woven into other materials to prevent its release. 

However, Yaskawa associates who travel to customer sites may be exposed to asbestos. For this reason, it is important for associates who travel and perform work at customer sites to be knowledgeable of asbestos hazards and control methods. 

NOTE: If Yaskawa associates are to work in areas where the contracting company has identified asbestos, these areas will be disclosed to us and rendered safe before work will begin. Yaskawa America, Inc. does not knowingly allow employees to work in areas where they will have exposure to asbestos. Any employee who knowingly enters a restricted asbestos area will be disciplined to their unsafe behavior.

GENERAL 

Asbestos that may exist in refineries includes certain gaskets, brake linings, valve packing and old insulation. Since non-asbestos insulation is being used in most refineries on new work installations, the highest probability for exposure will come during demolition or old insulation removal. However, Asbestos-containing material may be encountered in the following forms: 

  • Valves, 
  • vessels, 
  • piping insulation, 
  • insulation cement, 
  • mastic, 
  • floor and roof tiling, 
  • transit wall siding, 
  • caulking, and 
  • automobile brake linings. 

All asbestos removal within a refinery must be done by certified people who are licensed to remove asbestos. No associate of Yaskawa America, Inc. is to work on any piping or vessel that contains “asbestos containing materials” unless properly protected and/or the material is encapsulated and will not fragmentize or peel off when working on it.

Asbestos is widely used, mineral-based material that is resistant to heat and corrosive chemicals. Depending of the chemical composition, fibers may range in texture from coarse to silky. The properties which make asbestos fibers so valuable to industry are its high tensile strength, flexibility, heat and chemical resistance, and good frictional properties.

Asbestos Work Practices

Yaskawa America, Inc. associates are not to work on asbestos containing equipment or materials. 

If employees become aware of any potential exposure to asbestos, they are to immediately stop work and notify their supervisor. The supervisor is then responsible to inform the Yaskawa America, Inc. Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) department for further information, but in no case allow work to proceed until the exposure to asbestos has been abated. The Yaskawa EHS department can be reached at EHS@Yaskawa.com or 262-391-1697. 

Associates shall not disturb asbestos containing material. 

Asbestos Health Hazards

Asbestos fibers are carried into the body as airborne particles. These fibers can become embedded in the tissues of the lung and digestive system. Once the fibers become trapped in the lung’s alveoli (air sacs), they cannot be removed. 

Years of exposure to asbestos can cause a number of disabling and fatal diseases. Among these is asbestosis, an emphysema-like condition, lung cancer; mesothelioma, a cancerous tumor that spreads rapidly in the cells of membranes covering the lungs and body organs; and gastrointestinal cancer which is caused by ingesting asbestos-contaminated food. 

Short term affects (acute) 

  • May cause irritation and itching to the skin, coughing may occur. 

Long term effects 

  • Over exposure can result in lung cancer. 
  • Common symptoms include difficulty in breathing (if you climb a flight of steps and are out of breath) 
  • cough 
  • chest pains, 
  • clubbing of the fingers, (this common in advanced stages), 
  • risk for lung cancer is or multiplied if the worker exposed to asbestos also smokes. 
  •  
Benzene Awareness Program

This safety guideline is intended to provide suitable information to all Yaskawa America, Inc. associates regarding the potential toxic effects of Benzene so that adequate measures can be taken to limit exposures through controls in the workplace.

General

Of all the hydrocarbons, Benzene poses the most serious long-term threat. Exposure over time, to even low levels of Benzene can cause leukemia, blood changes and aplastic anemia. 

CHARACTERISTICS 

Benzene is a colorless to light-yellow liquid with a pleasant sweet odor. 

• Formula (C6H6) 

• CAS No.: 71-43-2 

Benzene is a flammable liquid that can accumulate static electricity. Benzene vapors are heavier that air and may travel to a source of ignition and flash back. The vapors are readily dispersed by wind movement and/or air currents. Liquid benzene tends to float on water and may travel to a source of ignition and spread fire. Benzene is highly reactive with no oxidizing materials. 

USES: 

Benzene is a component of gasoline, both in the manufacturing process and found naturally in crude oil; Benzene is also used as a feed stock for chemical manufacturing. 

HEALTH EFFECTS: 

WARNING Benzene is a cancer-causing agent in humans. All contact should be reduced to the lowest possible level. The above exposure limits are for air levels only. Skin contact may also cause overexposure. Benzene is one of the most hazardous of all petroleum products because of its adverse health hazards and high flammability. All sources of ignition are prohibited within 50 feet of benzene. 

The following adverse health affects are important to remember where there may be a potential exposure to Benzene: 

a) Acute: 

  • At high concentrations (1000 PPM) Benzene has an acute effect on the central nervous systems causing headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, unconsciousness, and possible death. Acute exposure can also cause breathlessness, irritability, and giddiness. 

b) Chronic: 

  • Benzene has the chronic exposure effect on bone marrow (aplastic anemia leukemia). 
  • Chronic exposure can also cause convulsions, liver damage, heart damage, blood diseases (aplastic anemia), and cancer (leukemia). 
  • These symptoms can take months or years to surface and can develop without physical or visible indications. 

c) Repeated skin contact leads to irritant contact dermatitis (rash); as with any petroleum solvent (which Benzene is also classified as), it will leach the natural oils out of the skin. Direct contact with the skin can cause erythema and/or blistering. 

d) Benzene is irritating to eyes and mucous membranes. 

e) Flammable/dangerous fire risk: benzene has a very low flash point making it dangerous to have any open flame, spark or source of ignition when vapors are present. 

f) Explosive limits in air 1.5 to 8% by volume: benzene is highly flammable at low levels of vapor quantity in air. 

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE MEASURES 

Yaskawa America, Inc. associates are not permitted to work in areas where there may be a potential for Benzene exposure. 

Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Awareness

This safety guideline is intended to provide suitable information to all Yaskawa America, Inc. associates regarding the potential toxic effects of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) so that adequate measures can be taken to limit exposures through controls in the workplace. Although associates are not exposed to H2S hazards within Yaskawa facilities, associates traveling to customer sites, particularly refineries, may be exposed. 

GENERAL 

Hydrogen sulfide is ever present in all refineries. In addition, it is generated in many industrial processes as a by-product and also during the decomposition of organic matter containing sulfur. 

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a colorless gas that at low concentrations has the odor of rotten eggs. At high concentrations, it kills your sense of smell. 

• Formula H2S 

• CAS No.: 7783-06-04 

H2S is a highly flammable and extremely toxic gas that can form an explosive mixture with air over a wide area. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE 

When ignition occurs, the combustion produces irritants and toxic gases, including sulfur dioxide (SO2). SO2 has an irritating effect on the eyes and lungs and can be fatal at concentrations about 100PPM. 

H2S is heavier than air, has a tendency to settle in low-laying areas, and is readily dispersed by wind movements or currents. 

H2S attacks most metals, especially in the presence of water, forming sulfides that are usually insoluble precipitates. It is also very corrosive to plastics and tissue. 

H2S dissolves in water forming a weak acid (hydro sulfurous acid). 

H2S will be released when in water when agitated making it a dangerous hidden hazard. 

HEALTH EFFECTS 

The following information outlines the symptoms of hydrogen sulfide at specific concentrations.

10 PPM (0.001% H2S) 

• Obvious and unpleasant odor. 

• Burning eye irritation. 

• Permissible exposure limit is eight hours. 

200 PPM (0.02% H2S) 

• Kills smell quickly. 

• Stings eyes and throat.

 • Respiratory irritation. 

• Death after one to two hours of exposure. 

500 PPM (0.05% H2S) 

• Dizziness. Breathing ceases within a few minutes. 

• Requires prompt artificial respiration. 

• Loss of muscle control, making self-rescue impossible. 

1000 PPM (0.10% H2S) 

• Unconsciousness at once, followed by death within minutes. 

EXPOSURE WARNING 

H2S CAN PARALYZE THE SENSE OF SMELL. DO NOT USE THE SENSE OF SMELL TO DETECT H2S. 5. H2S DETECTION AND ALARM SYSTEMS 

In most refineries emergency employee alarms are installed to meet the regulatory standards. The alarms provide warning for the necessary emergency action according to the site emergency action plan and provide time for employees to safely escape from the workplace or the immediate area. Systems are also used on drilling locations, offshore platforms and produce H2S, and some plants. It is not readily used on land production leases. Signs are and should be posted stating the presence of poison gas and urging caution.

WARNING CONDITIONS 

There are three conditions that you must be aware of when working around H2S. The following information identifies the level of danger and alarms associated with each condition. 

Condition Green 

• Possible Danger 

• No Alarms 

Condition Yellow 

• Moderate Danger 

• H2S to 50 PPM • 

Intermittent Audible Alarm and Yellow Flashing Light 

Condition Red 

• Extreme Danger 

• H2S at 50 PPM or Above 

• Continuous Audible Alarm and a Red Flashing Light 

HYDROGEN SULFIDE DETECTION DEVICES 

Fixed H2S detection devices (monitor and indicator) are designed to detect H2S concentrations in air and established TWA (time weighted average) (10 PPM) and STEL (15 PPM). The alarm should be capable of being perceived above the ambient noise or light levels in the affected area. The alarm should be distinctive and recognizable as a sign to evacuate the area and to start emergency status emergency procedures. 

PERSONAL MONITORS 

Personal monitors are also available in many types. They are also designed with the employee’s safety in mind. Familiarize yourself with the equipment available at your current work assignment. 

 

PLANT MONITORS 

Plant monitors are available in many types and are designed with the employee’s safety in mind. Familiarize yourself with the equipment available at your current work assignment. In order to respond effectively in an emergency situation, every individual at the site should know their specific responsibilities. Whether or not an individual has an assigned duty, each individual should know what to do in the even of an emergency. 

EVACUATION 

Follow these procedures in the even of a hydrogen sulfide release that requires evacuation: 

• Hold your breath and quickly leave the area containing H2S. Do not inhale. 

• Move quickly to the upwind “Safe Breathing Area” to receive instructions. 

• Always be conscious of the wind and constantly monitor wind direction. Wind socks and streamers show which direction the wind is blowing so that you can determine the proper safe breathing area. 

EMERGENCY RESCUE AND FIRST AID 

To prevent risk and injury to other personnel, re-entry into an area of unknown concentration of H2S will require the use of self-contained breathing equipment and backup personnel. YASKAWA ASSOCIATES SHALL NOT ATTEMPT TO RESCUE PEOPLE IN AN H2S AREA. THIS REQUIRES SPECIALED TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT NOT PROVIDED BY YASKAWA.

Lead Awareness

This safety guideline is intended to provide suitable information to all employees regarding the potential effects of Lead and where lead may be found so that adequate measures can be taken to limit exposures through controls in the workplace. 

Lead is not found in Yaskawa facilities in sufficient quantities to present a health hazard. However, associates traveling to customer sites may be exposed to lead. 

GENERAL 

The objective of this guideline is to prevent absorption of harmful quantities of lead. The guideline is intended to protect employees from the immediate toxic effects of lead and from the serious toxic effects that may not become apparent until years of exposure have passed. 

CHARACTERISTICS & WHERE IT CAN BE FOUND 

To understand why lead is so hazardous, it is important to know what it is, the hazardous effects on people, and which materials do or may contain lead. Once this is understood, employees will gain a respect for the safety guidelines set forth in this policy. 

What Is It? 

Pure lead (Pb) is a heavy metal and is a basic chemical element. It can combine with various other substances to form numerous lead compounds. 

Lead can be found in: 

• Old glossy paints used on walls and pipe. 

• Building and roof metal support frames. 

Report to the Contracting Company’s Project Manager anytime you suspect lead-containing materials that may not have been disclosed: 

• Cracked or pealing paint, 

• Visible paint dust, grindings, or shavings. 

HEALTH EFFECTS: 

Ways in which lead enters your body. 

Lead can be absorbed into your body by inhalation (breathing) and ingestion (eating). When lead is scattered in the air it can be inhaled and absorbed through your lungs and upper respiratory tract. Inhalation of airborne lead is generally the most important source of occupational lead absorption. You can also absorb lead through your digestive system if lead gets into your mouth and is swallowed. 

Hazards encountered with lead occur when: 

• Inhaling lead as a dust, fume or mist. 

• Ingesting lead through food, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco when handled with contaminated hands. 

Lead (except for certain organic lead compounds not covered by the standard, such as tetraethyl lead) is not absorbed through your skin. When lead is scattered in the air as a dust, fume or mist it can be inhaled and absorbed through your lungs and upper respiratory tract. Inhalation of airborne lead is generally the most important source of occupational lead absorption. You can also absorb lead through your digestive system if lead gets into your mouth and is swallowed. If you handle food, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or make-up, which have lead on them or handle them with hands contaminated with lead, this will contribute to ingestion. 

A significant portion of the lead that you inhale or ingest gets into your blood stream. Once in your blood system, lead is circulated throughout your body and stored in various organs and body tissues. Some of this lead is quickly filtered out of your body and excreted, but some remains in the blood and other tissues. As exposure to lead continues, the amount stored in your body will increase if you are absorbing more lead than your body is excreting. Even though you may not be aware of any immediate symptoms of disease, this lead stored in your tissues can be slowly causing irreversible damage, first to individual cells, then to your organs and whole body systems. 

Effects of overexposure to lead 

(1) Short-term (acute) overexposure. 

Lead is a potent, systemic poison that serves no known useful function once absorbed by your body. Taken in large enough doses, lead can kill you in a matter of days. A condition affecting the brain called acute encephalopathy may arise which develops quickly to seizures, coma, and death from cardiorespiratory arrest. A short-term dose of lead can lead to acute encephalopathy. Short-term occupational exposures of this magnitude are highly unusual, but not impossible. Similar forms of encephalopathy may, however, arise from extended, chronic exposure to lower doses of lead. There is no sharp dividing line between rapidly developing acute effects of lead and chronic effects, which take longer to acquire. Lead adversely affects numerous body systems and causes forms of health impairment and disease which arise after periods of exposure as short as days or as long as several years. 

(2) Long-term (chronic) overexposure.

 Chronic overexposure to lead may result in severe damage to your blood-forming, nervous, urinary and reproductive systems. Some common symptoms of chronic overexposure include loss of appetite, metallic taste in the mouth, anxiety, constipation, nausea, pallor, excessive tiredness, weakness, insomnia, headache, nervous irritability, muscle and joint pain or soreness, fine tremors, numbness, dizziness, hyperactivity and colic. In lead colic there may be severe abdominal pain. 

Damage to the central nervous system in general and the brain (encephalopathy) in particular is one of the most severe forms of lead poisoning. The most severe, often fatal, form of encephalopathy may be preceded by vomiting, a feeling of dullness progressing to drowsiness and stupor, poor memory, restlessness, irritability, tremor, and convulsions. It may arise suddenly with the onset of seizures, followed by coma, and death. There is a tendency for muscular weakness to develop at the same time. This weakness may progress to paralysis often observed as a characteristic "wrist drop" or "foot drop" and is a manifestation of a disease to the nervous system called peripheral neuropathy. 

Chronic overexposure to lead also results in kidney disease with few, if any, symptoms appearing until extensive and most likely permanent kidney damage has occurred. Routine laboratory tests reveal the presence of this kidney disease only after about two-thirds of kidney function is lost. When overt symptoms of urinary dysfunction arise, it is often too late to correct or prevent worsening conditions, and progression to kidney dialysis or death is possible. 

Chronic overexposure to lead impairs the reproductive systems of both men and women. Overexposure to lead may result in decreased sex drive, impotence and sterility in men. Lead can alter the structure of sperm cells raising the risk of birth defects. There is evidence of miscarriage and stillbirth in women whose husbands were exposed to lead or who were exposed to lead themselves. Lead exposure also may result in decreased fertility and abnormal menstrual cycles in women. The course of pregnancy may be adversely affected by exposure to lead since lead crosses the placental barrier and poses risks to developing fetuses. Children born of parents either one of whom were exposed to excess lead levels are more likely to have birth defects, mental retardation, or behavioral disorders or to die during the first year of childhood. 

Overexposure to lead also disrupts the blood-forming system resulting in decreased hemoglobin (the substance in the blood that carries oxygen to the cells) and ultimately anemia. Anemia is characterized by weakness, pallor and fatigue as a result of decreased oxygen-carrying capacity in the blood. 

PROCEDURES:

 Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) 

The current Cal/OSHA lead standard is 50 μg/m3 as an 8-hour Time Weighted Average (TWA). The standard as it applies to construction is unique in that it groups tasks presumed to create employee exposures above the PEL of 50 μg/m3 as an 8-hour TWA, as follows:

 > 50 to 500 μg/m3  > 500 μg/m3 to 2,500 μg/m3  > 2,500 μg/m3
 Manual demolition  Using lead-containing mortar  Abrasive blasting
 Dry manual scrapping  Lead burning  Welding
 Dry manual sanding  Rivet busting  Torch cutting
 Heat gun use  Power tool cleaning without
dust collection system
 Torch burning
 Power tool cleaning with
dust collection system
 Cleanup of dry expendable
abrasive blasting jobs
 
 Spray painting with lead paint  Abrasive blasting enclosure
movement and removal
 

 

Action Level 

The standard also establishes an action level of 30 micrograms per cubic meter of air (30 μg/m3), time-weighted average, based on an 8-hour workday. The action level initiates several requirements of the standard, such as exposure monitoring, medical surveillance, and training and education. 

Evaluation Process 

The Contracting Company’s Project Manager will provide Yaskawa associates with results of any evaluation processes and a listing of lead containing material. The Contracting Company will provide all precautions and render the area safe for Yaskawa associates before work begins. 

SAFETY MEASURES: 

Yaskawa associates are not permitted to work in areas where there may be a potential for Lead exposure. Yaskawa associates are not permitted to disturb lead containing material. Yaskawa associates are required to wash their hands and face with soap and water if they come in contact with lead materials. 

 

 


Records Related to this Policy

Record Retained by Retention Time
Esposure Records Human Resources Minimum of 30 years

Revision History

Rev # Description Release Date Approved by
0 Initial Release 2/2/2023 Thurwanger

Program Review

Review Date Reviewed by Changes Required (Yes/No) Revision # if updated
1/11/2024 Thurwanger No
1/16/2025 Thurwanger No

Policy Video