A New Meaning To “Silent But Deadly”

A New Meaning To “Silent But Deadly”
Working in confined spaces increases the danger to workers of breathing contaminated air. But there’s no longer an excuse not to see a hidden, silent danger.
– by Isaac Rudik

Recently, Javier del Rio was cleaning an empty tank used to store flaxseed oil. When he lost consciousness, a co-worker jumped in to save him. He also lost consciousness and both men were asphyxiated.

According to investigators, argon gas was pumped into the tank to drive out oxygen when it was filled with oil. Once the tank was empty for cleaning, oxygen was pumped back into it and vents were opened to remove the argon. But some of the argon gas – which is heavier than oxygen – lurked at the bottom of the tank, displacing fresh air del Rio and his colleague needed to breathe.

Government regulations mandate that employees be protected properly against numerous hazards, including breathing noxious gas. And monitoring the workplace for air quality has never been easier. New and emerging technology makes doing so not only more effective but far less costly than even a few years ago, removing an excuse companies hid behind for decades when caught.

With courts imposing hefty fines on companies, and awarding record sums to employees injured after breathing contaminated air, there is new meaning to the old warning “silent but deadly” when referring to bad air.

Don’t Assume

Most people put their faith in knowing they will breathe good air, whether indoors or in a confined space such as the workplace. Not unreasonably, they assume someone is checking for the safety of the air they are breathing.

When someone doesn’t do their job, or there is an undetected leak, the results are disastrous.

Air – whether life sustaining or deadly – is usually colourless, odourless and tasteless. As a result, many gases are infused with an additive to create an aroma. That’s why when someone calls 911 to report smelling gas in their home, what they smell isn’t the gas but the additive designed to alert to a leak or contamination.

The atmosphere in a confined work space may seem like any other. But because many industrial gases have no odour additive, companies can never assume that all is safe.

Confined spaces on a shop floor have fooled scores of injured or killed workers every year after they assumed somebody checked for air quality. But the worst thing for a worker to do is to or “follow their nose,” guessing that since the air smelled alright it was safe to enter. But air may look and smell safe but be filled with enough toxic contaminants to kill anyone breathing it in, especially in an enclosed area.

Smart Prevention

As with every other workplace safety issue, prevention is easier – and far less costly – than fixing a problem.

The best approach is to issue workers who might be at risk with personal multi-gas monitors which monitor air quality continuously as an employee goes about their job, whether at their work station or if moving around the plant. A second option is a “confined space monitor” designed to be used only in small, high risk areas of the factory.

Typically, these devices offer multiple warnings to the worker wearing one: A loud sound warning such as a 95db beeping or horn, a warning light and a vibrating pulse in case the wearer misses either of the other two alerts. At least one of the three should grab a worker’s attention, following the old saw about “if at first you don’t get noticed, keep trying ‘til you do.”

It’s always best to find smart ways to prevent fumes from causing an injury. But, in many cases, fumes are part of the process. Ensuring that workers are alerted now to noxious air before they’re injured helps make certain that your plant won’t be victimised by an incident that could have been prevented.




Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.

E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.

Sound The Alarm – But Not Too Loudly. Excessive noise contributes to workplace hearing loss and other health issues.

Noise is aggravating, whether at home, in a restaurant or on a loud street. But in the workplace, excessive noise is more than aggravating: It cuts productivity while creating serious health hazards for workers which might lead to costly fines and worker’s compensation claims.

Besides making it hard for workers to hear each other, excess workplace noise increases blood pressure, speeds breathing rates, disturbs digestion and, in people prone to heart disease, affects heart rates. And noise effects don’t stop: Studies show that exposure to ongoing noise makes sleep difficult.


For pregnant workers, excessive noise also can affect a developing fetus.

Little wonder noise is a serious problem that must be addressed seriously by business.

Noise Is Costly

Companies must protect workers from noise. Government inspectors apply four common-sense tests when checking noise levels before using meters to measure precise levels. But these same checks can be performed by supervisors long before the Ministry of Labour (MoL) arrives.

• In a noisy area, do people raise their voice to be heard?
• Do workers have difficulty hearing someone speaking from two feet away?
• After leaving a noisy area, does speech sound muffled or dull?
• Is there a pain or ringing of the ears after noise exposure?

Companies that aren’t proactive can face major problems if MoL finds excessive noise:

• Employers must conduct a costly audit.
• The company can be fined up to $75,000.
• Fixing the problem means retaining costly noise abatement consultants.
• The problem must be fixed quickly.
• If there are noise-related injuries, the company must pay for treatment.
• Worker Compensation premiums rise by about 0.5%.

For years, workplace noise was overlooked because of numerous problems. But today, new technology makes monitoring easier and in-house testing is relatively inexpensive. Moreover, installing sound absorbing material is much easier than in the past.

As a result, excuses companies hid behind for years are gone. So courts are awarding large sums to employees and levying hefty fines on companies violating noise rules.

Quiet Down

Utilizing sound absorbing material as a barrier between machinery and employees helps reduce levels to allowable levels. Even better, sound absorbing material placed on walls and ceilings helps reduce the chance of reflected noise injuring employees.

For example, grinding produces a shrieking sound, disturbing everyone nearby. One CSC customer’s grinding unit never caused a problem when it was in a separate building, away from other workers. But when a new, more efficient plant was built, the grinding room was in the main factory along with all manufacturing. Other work areas were noise-protected by installing shields on both sides of the operation and suspending sound absorbing baffles above the area.
Melamine Acoustic Foam on walls and ceilings offers good sound absorption in this kind of situation. It also enjoys Class 0 fire specification, meaning when exposed to naked flames it does not release toxic bi-products associated with other conventional polyurethane based acoustic foams.

Safe Solutions

A misconception many companies have about noise is “We’ve never had a problem.” But this head-in-the-sand approach is foolish; even the savviest Vegas gambler knows luck runs out eventually.

Reducing noise involves four, interrelated pieces:

• Barriers or screens offer a simple, effective way to reduce noise, placing it as close to the source as possible.
• The higher and wider the barrier, the greater the reduction.
• Barriers and screens work well against direct noise and poorly against reflective noise, not offering full protection against low frequency noise.
• Barriers should be made of dense, sound absorbing material and face the noise.

In dealing with noise abatement, too often companies commit one of two serious mistakes. Either they invest in compliance but don’t become compliant because they do the wrong thing, or the solution is insufficient. The other major error is failing to invest in a solution because, too often, a business doesn’t have a budget line item or they don’t believe it’s a major issue.

When dealing with these concerns, look for product suppliers such as CSC that provide in-house expertise and work with third party consultants to create a cost-effective and compliant solution. Find a supplier who works extensively with both industry and government, enhancing the ability to create a fix that meets budget restraints yet also meets government rules
As the economy grows tougher, companies must save money. Often safety is compromised by small budgets and this can be a company’s single most dangerous, costly mistake. While eliminating noise entirely is impossible, it can be brought within manageable – and legal – levels with limited budgets.

Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (http://www.compliancesolutionscanada.com/).

He may be reached by e-mail at irudik@csc-inc.ca or
by calling 905-761-5354