3.1 WORKPLACE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INFORMATION SYSTEM
3.1.1 LABELS
SUPPLIER LABELS
WORKPLACE LABELS
OTHER LABELS
3.1.2 MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS
3.2
HEALTH HAZARDS
4.1 GENERAL VENTILATION
4.2 LOCAL EXHAUST VENTILATION
4.3 PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
4.4 EYEWASH STATIONS
4.5
DISPOSAL OF PHOTO FINISHING CHEMICALS
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Chapter 1
T he Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) offers photography courses for students at Secondary Schools. Specifically the photography course offers classroom instruction on the development of black and white photographs while providing practical instruction in the darkroom.
The purpose of this manual is to provide information for all Photography Teachers on the storage, handling and disposal of photography chemicals to ensure personal safety and environmental consideration.
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Chapter 2
T he photo finishing process is based on a series of chemicals reactions. Standard black and white photo processing (both film and print processing) requires the use of three standard solutions: developer, stop bath and fixer. Optional chemicals can also be included in the film development process such as a washing aid that promotes the removal of fixer or a drying agent that promotes faster drying while minimizing watermarks.
Standard black and white photo processing includes some or all of the following steps as outlined below:
1.
Mixing of Solutions:
The solutions that are used in the photography program require the dilution of a concentrated stock solution. The dilution process to prepare the working solutions is completed by the Photography Teacher.
2.
Developing
Photographic material (film, paper) has a coating comprised of silver halide
(typically silver bromide) suspended in gelatin. The exposed photographic material is placed into a developer solution that frees exposed silver from the compound and deposits the silver into an image.
3.
Stop Bath
The stop bath solution stops the action of the developer by lowering the PH level. Water can be used as a stop bath but as water has a PH of 7 a significant quantity of waste is necessary. Acetic acid is commonly used as a stop bath as it has a lower PH so the process is more efficient. However, acetic acid is very odourous and is corrosive, as such a stop bath using citric acid that also has a low PH should be used as a substitute.
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4.
Fixing
The image is then “fixed” by immersing the photographic material into a fixer solution (typically ammonium thiosulfate) to remove any unexposed silver halide crystals by forming a soluble compound with the silver. Approximately one third of the silver halide crystals form the photograph image and the remaining silver is removed with the fixing solution.
5.
Hypo Clearing Agent
The clearing agent promotes the removal of the fixer solution from the photographic material to reduce the wash time.
6.
Drying Aid
An additional optional step in the photo finishing process may include the application of a toner. However, toners contain highly toxic chemicals and emit toxic gases during use.
Unless an approved local exhaust ventilation system is available over the area where the toner is being applied, the use of toners is prohibited.
A drying aid can be applier to promote faster more uniform drying while minimizing watermarks and streaks.
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Chapter 3
T he photo finishing chemicals used at the WCDSB meet specific hazard criteria and are consequently classified as controlled products. Controlled products are defined as hazardous substances under the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information
System (WHMIS).
WHMIS is a legislated Regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and requires that all workers who work with or in proximity to a controlled product be informed about its potential hazards and safe work practices.
WHMIS requires that information be available to workers in three ways:
1.
All controlled products used in the workplace must have a WHMIS label on the container.
2.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and hazard information must be readily available in the workplace.
3.
Workers must receive training to work safety with the chemicals and understand the requirements and contents on labels and MSDS.
A controlled product means a product, material or substance determined in accordance with
Part IV of the Controlled Products Regulations made under the Hazardous Products Act. As the
WCDSB is not a manufacturer of chemicals the onus for correct labelling if the product is a
Controlled Product is on the product Supplier (i.e. Kodak, Ilford, Berg etc).
There are six WHMIS classes of which one class is subdivided into three different divisions, thus, in total there are eight WHMIS symbols depicting hazards as follows:
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Class A – Compressed Gas
Contents under high pressure, cylinder may explode or burst when heated, dropped or damaged.
Class B – Flammable and Combustible Material
May catch fire when exposed to heat, spark or flame. May burst into flames.
Class C – Oxidizing Material
May cause fire or explosion when in contact with wood, fuels and other combustible material.
Class D, Division 1 – Immediate and Serious Toxic Effects
Poisonous substance. A single exposure may be fatal or cause serious or permanent damage to health.
Class D, Division 2 – Other Toxic Effects
Poisonous substance. May cause irritation, repeated exposure may cause cancer, birth defects, or other permanent damage.
Class D, Division 3 – Biohazardous Infectious Material
May cause disease or serious illness. Drastic exposures may result in death.
Class E – Corrosive Material
Can cause burns to eyes, skin or respiratory system.
Class F – Dangerously Reactive Material
May react violently causing explosion, fire or release of toxic gases, when exposed to light, heat or vibration.
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3.1.1 LABELS
Supplier Label
Received photography chemicals that are characterized as controlled products; therefore hazardous materials will be labelled with an appropriate supplier label. Supplier labels must have the distinctive WHMIS border with the following information:
 Material Identifier or Name of Product
 Supplier’s name and address
 Reference to a material safety data sheet
 WHMIS hazard symbols
 Risk Phrases
 Precautionary Measures
 First Aid Measures
An example of a supplier label is provided below:
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Workplace Label
If the chemicals are transferred from their original supplier container (i.e. concentrated stock used to make a container of working solution) then it is necessary to affix a workplace label.
A workplace label should have the following information:
 Material Identifier or Name of Product
 Reference to a material safety data sheet
 WHMIS hazard symbols
 Precautionary Measures
 First Aid Measures
The label to the right is a blank label available from the
Occupational Health and Safety Department that can be filled in accordingly and is self-adhesive to meet the above requirements.
Other Labels
Photography solutions are dispensed for short-term use into the trays from which the students work for print development. Based on the short-term use of the working solutions, the trays only need to be labelled with the
Material Identifier/Name of Product (i.e. Indicator Stop Bath).
It is also necessary to label any waste containers with the contents (i.e. Waste Fixer).
3.1.2 Material Safety Data Sheets
Every hazardous material supplied must be accompanied by a Material Safety Data Sheet
(MSDS). In Canada there are nine required sections that are legally required to be complete on a MSDS as follows:
1.
Material Identification
Identifies the material name, the manufacturer and the intended use of the product.
2.
Hazardous Ingredients
All potentially hazardous ingredients of the material and approximate percentage of each ingredient are listed. The permissible exposure limits and other toxicity data are listed.
3.
Physical Data
The physical state, appearance and odour of the product are identified. This section also includes other physical data that can assist in determining conditions under which the material may be hazardous; such as boiling point, freezing point, odour threshold, vapour pressure.
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4.
Fire and Explosion Data
Describes the fire hazards associated with the material and the most appropriate type of fire extinguishers.
5.
Reactivity Data
Describes conditions under which the material is unstable or can react dangerously.
6.
Toxicological Properties
This section describes exposure pathways to the material and the associated health effects.
7.
Emergency and First Aid Measures
Describes the actions to be taken in case of accidental exposure.
8.
Preventative Measure
Appropriate engineering controls or personal protective equipment in order to work safely with the material.
9.
Preparation Information
The name and the phone number of the group/person responsible for preparing the MSDS and the date of preparation.
It is always important to note the date of preparation of the MSDS as they are only valid for three years. When the three years has expired, it is necessary to obtain a new MSDS from the product supplier.
All MSDS are available online on the Staffnet (MSDS Wellnet) link.
H ealth hazards associated with chemicals are dependent on various factors such as the physical state of the chemical, the route of exposure to the chemical, individual susceptibility, dose of the chemical and the duration of exposure.
Details regarding potential health hazards with a particular chemical are provided in greater detail on the MSDS. It is the potential health hazards that determine the necessary precautionary measures that need to be applied.
The following potential health hazards have been associated with photo processing chemicals.
 Low doses of irritating chemicals can cause slight damage to respiratory tissues that may leave photographers more susceptible to colds and respiratory infections.
 Heavy exposure to irritating chemicals may cause acute bronchitis or chemical pneumonia. Such serious effects are most likely to occur if highly irritating substances such as concentrated acid vapours are inhaled, or if significant amounts of the dusts from dry chemicals are inhaled.
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 Many photochemicals in the dry, concentrated form are powerful irritants and sensitizers.
 Chronic diseases from years of exposure to darkroom chemicals can lead to chronic bronchitis and emphysema. In fact, these diseases are seen frequently among darkroom technicians.
 Allergic diseases such as asthma and alveolitis may result from exposure to sensitizing substances such as sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde, or from dust inhaled while mixing powdered developers.
 Photographers who smoke are at greater risk for respiratory diseases associated with photochemicals.
However, it should be noted that the most effective control that can be implemented when working with photochemicals is the elimination or substitution of highly toxic products requiring a variety of special precautions during use. As such the WCDSB has restricted chemicals that have a high toxicity and recommended and prohibits the use of toners and other applications if the recommended engineering controls are not available (i.e. local ventilation, see Section 4.2).
It should be noted that over that last ten to twenty years the suppliers of photo chemicals having been eliminating chemicals in the solutions that are of significant risk.
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Chapter 4
T he purpose of general ventilation is to control the temperature and humidity, to remove odours and airborne contaminants and to introduce outdoor air. General ventilation is also known as dilution ventilation, that is the concentration of air pollutants indoors are diluted by the introduction of outside air and the exhaust of contaminated air.
General ventilation is typical used under the following circumstances:
 Contaminants are relatively non-toxic.
 There are a variety of contaminant sources.
 Emission sources are widely distributed in an area.
 Dilution air is not contaminated.
It is recommended that general ventilation of approximately ten air changes per hour be provided in the darkroom for simple black and white photo processing. This means that to dilute the contamination from chemicals normally in use, fresh air must be brought into the room to replace the old air ten times during every hour.
L ocal exhaust ventilation exhausts toxic gases, fumes, dusts and vapours at the source before they can mix into the air in the room. Local exhaust ventilation works on the principal that the more enclosed the exhaust is around the contaminant source, the more effective the system. Fume hoods are the most commonly used type of local exhaust ventilation.
Local exhaust ventilation is typically used under the following circumstances:
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 Contaminants are moderately or highly toxic or hazardous
 Limited emission sources are present
 There is a risk of direct worker exposure.
Supplementary local exhaust ventilation, closed systems, or respiratory protection may be needed in special circumstances such as poorly ventilated spaces, intensification, using toners, colour photo processing and mixing of large amounts of photo chemicals.
A ll identified workplace hazards, be it physical, biological, ergonomic and chemical hazards should be controlled to the greatest extent possible. If the hazard can not be controlled primarily through engineering applications than it may be necessary to implement administrative controls (i.e. job rotation) and/or require workers to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriate for the hazard.
PPE may include hard hats, eye/face protection, hearing protection, respirators, safety footwear or gloves. Personal protective equipment (PPE) should meet standards that are specified in the occupational health and safety act such as the Canadian Standards
Association (CSA) or the American National Standards Institutes (ANSI).
Eye protection is the PPE that is mandatory for both staff and students during the photo finishing process. The recommended eye protection is goggles as they provide a tight fit that and would therefore afford more protection should the chemicals splash during the mixing or agitating process.
To prevent skin contact, tongs should be used where applicable. The only exception where it may be necessary to contact the chemicals directly is during the mixing process completed by the Photography Teacher. It is recommended that impervious gloves (neoprene) be worn when mixing chemicals.
T he photo finishing process involves agitation of the solutions for the reaction to occur. This agitation could result in splashing of the solution that creates the potential for eye contact. A plumbed eyewash station is required for every darkroom. However, the photo finishing process is for the most part conducted in the dark. Consequently, in order not to compromise the work of other students by turning on a light in the darkroom to access the eyewash station, it is recommended that the eyewash station be located in the classroom immediately adjacent to the darkroom.
The eyewash station should be flushed on a weekly basis by the course Photography
Teacher to prevent standing water in the pipe and to ensure adequate and equal water supply is available from each eyepiece
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T he different photo processing working solutions can last upwards to 1 month and are then no longer effective and may compromise the quality of the finished prints. The time frame of 1 month will vary depending on the quantity of photo processing at a particular location. However, when the working solutions are no longer effective then they need to be discarded and are considered hazardous wastes.
With regards to disposal do NOT attempt to treat any photographic wastes (eg.
Neutralize developer solutions with a stop bath or any other material). Treating chemicals can result in the generation of hazardous by-products.
The following provides the details of appropriate disposal:
1.
Waste Developer has a very low pH and contains negligible amounts of silver and should be poured into the supplied containers. It is necessary that the Photography
Teacher monitor the volume of the chemical waste in the containers and contact the
Occupational Health and Safety Department to arrange for hazardous waste disposal and container replacement when necessary.
2.
Waste Stop Bath and waste Fixers contain some silver. Silver needs to be appropriately recovered and should NOT under any circumstances be disposed down the drain. Stop Bath and Fixer waste can be poured into the same container to be picked up by a licensed waste contractor.
It should be noted that there are silver recovery systems that enable the disposal of the stop bath fixer into the pipe system and then the silver can be recovered on an as needed basis. Silver recovery systems are currently not installed at the WCDSB and therefore all schools should be storing the fixer waste in the provided containers. .
The disposal of hazardous waste is legislated under the Environmental Protection Act,
Regulation 347. It is an offence to store, process, dispose or transport hazardous waste.
Consequently, each generator of hazardous waste (i.e. each school with a photography program) is registered through the Ministry of the Environment and has received a waste generator number. This system provides a means to monitor the hazardous waste from the point of generation to the ultimate disposal. The monitoring is completed through the use of a manifest form requires the accountability of the generator, the carrier and the receiver. The manifest forms will require a signature from the generator
(Safety Officer or Photography Teacher) and will need to be filed at the school for a minimum of 3 years.
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Chapter 5
S afety is an integral part of the instructional program. The Photography Teacher is responsible for ensuring that proper safety equipment is provided and maintained as well as instructing and practicing safety at all times.
In general Photography Teachers must:
 Maintain current Material Safety Data Sheets for the chemicals used in the photography course.
 Keep a copy of this manual available in the Photography Classroom and regularly review the contents.
 Be familiar with the location and operation of safety equipment (eyewash station).
 Know the location of the first aid kit and first aid administrators.
 Know the location of an abc type fire extinguisher and be familiar with its operation.
 Make daily safety checks throughout the classroom to ensure that the room is free from potential hazards.
 Ensure that students are appropriately dressed for learning activities, e.g., eye protection, gloves, avoidance of loose floppy sleeves, etc.
 Stress safety throughout the school year, informing students of potential hazards.
 It should be cautioned at the beginning of the photography classes that pregnant students, or students that become pregnant during the course of the classes that they should speak with their Doctor. It may be necessary to provide a copy of the
MSDS for the chemicals used in the class before the doctor can make a decision as to whether or not the student should continue in the class.
 Wash hands and arms thoroughly after contact with any photo processing chemical to avoid skin irritation and allergic contact dermatitis.
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 Do not take food or drink into areas where chemicals are used.
 Cover all chemical baths or trays when not in use so the vapours caused by evaporation are reduced as much as possible. Pour chemicals to be reused into containers, using a funnel.
 Familiarize yourself with your school's Fire & Emergency Response Plan. Know how to report a fire. Know where the nearest fire extinguisher is located and how to use it.
 If a chemicals spills, clean it up as soon as possible to prevent it from drying and entering the air.
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