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Substitution of currently used products with less hazardous products is one of the most effective ways of eliminating or reducing exposure to products that are toxic or pose other hazards. A hazard includes any product, chemical or material that has the ability or a property that can cause an adverse health effect or harm to a person under certain conditions.
Other occupational hygiene methods for controlling employee exposure to chemicals include elimination, isolation, enclosure, local exhaust ventilation, process or equipment modification, good housekeeping, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment. All these methods are part of the hierarchy of control to help reduce or eliminate the risk of injury or harm by interrupting the path of exposure between the hazardous product and the worker. Elimination and substitution are preferred methods for hazard control as they remove the hazard at the source.
For more details about hazards and risk, please see the OSH Answers "Hazard and Risk”. Use of chemical products in a workplace may involve the implementation of a chemical safety management program.
NOTE: This document is written for workplaces who are considering how to assess safety and health risks of new or existing products. The manufacturing of products or adjusting ingredients within products can be very complex and is beyond the scope of this document, although similar methods can be used.
Extreme care must be taken to make sure that one hazard is not being exchanged for another, especially one that could even be a more serious hazard. Before deciding to replace a product, one must know what risks the new product poses to the employees, the environment, the equipment, and facilities. If the risks are serious, then other alternatives should be considered. A thorough understanding of the potential risks associated with the current and alternative product is necessary.
The selection of a substitute can be a very complex process. In large organizations the selection process may involve a committee with representatives from engineering, purchasing, occupational hygiene, safety, maintenance, research and development, environmental control, waste management, shipping, and the supervisors and workers who directly work with the product. In smaller organizations, one person may carry out many of these functions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one case study includes the substitution of a chlorinated solvent, an environmentally hazardous solvent, with an alternate solvent. An ingredient in brake cleaning products (used by auto mechanics) was regulated for pollution control reasons (chlorinated solvents, primarily methylene chloride). n-Hexane was one choice that was used to replace the chlorinated solvents. However, physicians began to report that auto mechanics using the new brake cleaner were suffering nerve damage, n-Hexane has been associated with neurotoxicity.
All workplaces should regularly inventory and review the products used. Products with higher toxicity or safety concerns, or when there have been illnesses reported after use with a product, could be examined for alternatives. Be aware that manufacturer’s may also change their product formulations over time, and these changes may result in different ingredients within products of the same name.
In some situations, the product or chemical may be regulated or banned through legislative processes.
In some situations, the product or chemical may be regulated or banned through legislative processes.
A hazard assessment should be done to help decide if alternative products are an appropriate choice.
Use safety data sheets (SDSs) and other sources of chemical information to compare the hazards of various products. For easier comparison, set up a table with the following categories for each potential substitute. The important properties to compare are:
NOTE: Recommended occupational exposure limits such as the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienist's (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) must not be used in the comparison of products since the basis for establishing these values varies from substance to substance (e.g., protection from irritation, becoming unconscious, or impairment of health). The TLV booklet clearly states that the TLVs are not a relative index of toxicity.
NOTE: Choosing a suitable alternative can be a complicated matter. It may be necessary to consult with experienced safety professionals or occupational hygienists, ideally those who are familiar with the products and processes used in your workplace. Other factors may take priority in your decision-making process.
While there are many methods or tools that can be used to screen products, each have common steps. These steps include:
Choosing an alternative product may require changes in:
* Adapted from: Substance Substitution (no date) by the Health and Safety Executive, United Kingdom.
Use caution when choosing a risk assessment process for the evaluation of chemical alternatives as it is a highly technical process and involves professional judgement of what is a ‘safe’ level of risk. The following resources* are methods for substitutions and tools that can be used to help screen substitutes:
Your employer should provide you with training on use, handling, and storage of products, such as through WHMIS education and workplace specific training. If you become aware of other products that may perform equally or better for the task, let your supervisor know about it so they can have a competent person evaluate the other product for use at the workplace. You can also consult with the health and safety committee or representative about the use of safer products.