Hydrogen Sulfide Awareness - Student Handout

Course Overview NOTES

Disclaimer

The information presented during this training is for

educational purposes only. It should not be used to provide
guidance in lieu of professional legal advice. All parties
involved in the development of this course shall not be liable
for any information contained within. It is incumbent upon
each participant to verify any and all information presented
during this course as needed. As a student, it is your
responsibility to adhere to all current laws and regulations
pertaining to the material covered in this course.

Training from a Training Provider

It is important to note that online training, or even classroom

training, provided by an outside Training Provider may not
always meet the complete training needs for everyone.
The bottom line in ALL SITUATIONS is that employers are
required to ensure that their employees are adequately
trained to do their job.
In addition to the training provided by an outside party, there
may also be a need for in house training conducted by the
employer on company specifics.
In house company training must be well documented.

Pre Assessment Quiz

Before starting this section you will be given a

Pre Assessment Quiz to determine your prior
knowledge of this subject matter.

This quiz is for your benefit only and the

results are not tracked.

Pre Assessment Quiz

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Hydrogen Sulfide Awareness - Student Handout

Introduction NOTES

Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic, invisible gas common to a

number of industries and work sites, such as oil and gas well
drilling.

As you can see from the sign on the

left there is no mincing words where
hydrogen sulfide is concerned—
inhaling this toxic gas can be fatal,
sometimes with as little as a single
breath.

All workers who may come into

contact with this deadly gas should
understand the nature of this gas, how to protect themselves
from exposure, and how to respond to exposure.

Course Outline

This course will be divided into the following sections:

 Section 1 – Introduction to Hydrogen Sulfide

Awareness
 Section 2 – Symptoms and Effects
 Section 3 – Protecting Yourself from Exposure
 Section 4 – Detection and Monitoring
 Section 5 – Contingency Plan
 Section 6 – Emergency Response
 Section 7 – Summary and Conclusion

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course you should understand:

 Properties of hydrogen sulfide;

 Where hydrogen sulfide can be found;
 Symptoms and effects of exposure;
 How to protect yourself from exposure;
 Monitoring methods for hydrogen sulfide;
 The purpose and elements of a Contingency Plan; and
 How to respond to an emergency.

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Hydrogen Sulfide Awareness - Student Handout

Key Terms NOTES

 Administrative controls
Changes in work procedures such as written safety
policies, rules, supervision, schedules, and training
with the goal of reducing the duration, frequency, and
severity of exposure to hazardous chemicals or
situations.

 Anaerobic respiration
Metabolization of sugars in the absence of oxygen.
Humans, by comparison, use aerobic respiration to
metabolize sugars, and must breathe.

 Buddy System
A worker using the buddy system has another
worker assigned to watch over them while they enter
a hazardous area.

 Contingency Plan
A written, systematic analysis of the hazards related
to an operation or worksite and the methods used to
reduce those hazards to an acceptable level.

 Cumulative effects
Effects that result from repeated exposure to a
harmful substance.

 Emergency Response Plan

A plan enacted in times of emergency.
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Hydrogen Sulfide Awareness - Student Handout

Where hydrogen sulfide is present, the plan should NOTES

ensure the following:
• Adequate number of 30-minute work/rescue
SCBAs;
• Emergency response training is conducted;
• Buddy system is used; and
• Provisions are made for emergency medical care.
An inefficient plan can result in serious injury or
death.

 Engineering controls
Controls placed on the working environment that
limit the possibility of exposure to hazards.

 Hydrogen sulfide
A highly toxic and flammable gas that forms as a
result of microbes breaking down organic material in
areas with little or no oxygen. The gas is colorless
and smells like rotten eggs at low concentrations; the
gas deadens the sense of smell at higher
concentrations. Often referred to as H2S.

 Long-term effects
Effects that result from long exposures to a harmful
substance, usually over the course of a single day.

 SCBA
Self-contained breathing apparatus.

 Short-term effects
Effects that result from brief exposure to a harmful
substance

 Threshold Limit Value

The maximum exposure to a time-weighted average
concentration of hydrogen sulfide.
The American Conference of Governmental
Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) have stated that a
time-weighted average concentration of 10 parts per
million (ppm) per workday over the course of a 40-
hour work week is the maximum safe exposure.
They also recommend a short-term exposure limit
(STEL) of 15 ppm over 15 minutes.
Exposures to higher concentrations, or similar
exposures over longer periods of time, could be
dangerous.
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