There was a fire yesterday: how to return to work safely?

Since dangerous chemical substances were released into the ambient air, which may cause damage to the human body directly or may have a negative effect on human health in the long run, VDI reminds the valid recommendations for safely returning to workplaces.

VIDEO: Night and day – drone over the Paneriai fire site: flames reached 9 meters, the fire was extinguished last night

Pursuant to Article 25, Part 2 of the Law on Occupational Safety and Health of the Republic of Lithuania, the employer must organize an occupational risk assessment and, on that basis, assess (determine) the actual state of occupational safety and health in the company and its individual locations.

Considering the scale of the fire, it is very likely that following the spread of hazardous chemicals into the working environment, the safety and health conditions of workers in the workplaces located near the fire source do not meet the requirements of the normative legal acts governing the safety and health of workers, because the risk becomes unacceptable, as a result of which all work to be stopped and employees to be evacuated.

“Companies wishing to resume their activities in the mentioned territory must carry out an occupational risk assessment and make sure that the risk in the workplaces of these companies is tolerable and determine the size of the existing risk in order to select the necessary and appropriate preventive measures as accurately as possible, including collective safety measures and personal protection measures, in other words, it is necessary to reduce the risk to an acceptable level
level”, emphasizes Saulius Balčiūnas, head of the Occupational Safety and Health Department and chief labor inspector.

Although existing or potential chemical risk factors are quantitatively studied (measured risk factor sizes) and qualitatively assessed during the occupational risk assessment, employers need to find out whether the workplace ventilation system in their work premises ensures the general provisions for the installation of workplaces, approved by the Ministry of Social Security and Labor and of the Ministry of Health in 1998 May 5 by order no. 85/233, the fulfillment of the requirements of point 11.1 – “enclosed premises in workplaces must have sufficiently clean air that meets the parameters set in the Lithuanian hygiene standard HN 23:2011 “Occupational exposure limit values ​​of chemical substances. General requirements for measurement and impact assessment’. It is also necessary to complete the steps listed below.

First, it may be necessary to collect debris, burnt objects and other garbage generated during combustion, which are located in workplaces, company territory, movement roads, etc. (it is possible to water the company’s territory with salt water.) All objects in the company’s territory (outdoors) that will be in contact with (outdoor furniture, cars, etc.) must be thoroughly washed with water.

Secondly, employers of companies located near the fire scene must ensure that harmful substances and/or dust no longer enter the work premises from the external environment. If it is determined that the pollution is still coming from the outside, the premises should be isolated (sealed) as best as possible, and the air intake systems used for forced ventilation should be turned off.

In the absence of air pollution outside, the rooms should be ventilated naturally through windows and doors. It is also necessary to inspect the forced (mechanical) ventilation systems of the premises (holes, shafts, etc.), remove all things that may prevent free circulation of air, clean the ventilation holes and systems, and check the efficiency of the ventilation systems. It should be mentioned that the employer may have to make changes to the design solutions of the ventilation system and ensure the necessary balancing of the ventilation system.

Third, relatively high concentrations of the volatile organic compound benzene and particulate matter were measured near the fire, and although the volatiles evaporate very quickly, the walls, floors, soil, and other surfaces have the highest concentrations of settled dust (pollutants) that can only be removed wet cleaning (washing).

Thus, the employer should organize the cleaning of work premises, territory, household premises from harmful substances (pollutants) released during combustion. Walls, ceilings, windows, floors, stairs, household rooms, and all other places should be cleaned with a wet method. In case of high concentration of dust (contaminants), cleaning may have to be repeated. We remind you that when cleaning the premises, it is mandatory to use personal protective equipment, i.e. protective work clothes, easy-to-clean (washable) shoes, protective (liquid-proof) gloves, respirators with at least A1 and P1 filters (preferably A2 and P2 filters).

Fourth, there should be no strong smell of burning or smoke following all the above steps have been taken, as the smell indicates that chemicals are still present in the air. If the smell of burning will be felt, then it may be necessary to repeat the wet cleaning of the rooms and ventilation systems.

When making a decision on the resumption of work, it is recommended to follow the information provided by the National Public Health Center regarding the studies conducted in the territory of the spread of pollutants, on the basis of which it is decided whether the environment is dangerous for the public or not.

The State Labor Inspectorate recommends that employers pay attention to possible complaints from employees regarding the deterioration of their health following negative exposure to chemical substances. If such employee complaints are received, it is necessary to send the employees for an extraordinary health check-up and make sure that the health status of the employees allows them to continue working.