Working Around

Concrete Safety

By Pat Gazewood
 Overview
 Exposures & Hazards
 Statistics
 What is ph
 Skin conditions & Long Term Exposures
 Recognizing exposure & Prevention
 Protection PPE & Neutralite Safety Solution
 Working Safely around alkaline & Cements
Safely
 Hygiene & Family Safety
 Who Is Subjected to Concrete
Exposure Hazards Underground.
 Backfill Crews
 Shotcrete Crews
 Blast Crews
 Muck Crews
 Drillers
 Bolters
 Maintenance Personnel
 Technical Service
Group.
 Basically Everyone
 Routes of Exposure
 Drilling through
 Blasting,
 Mixing and Producing of Cement related
Products.
 Mucking headings & sumps
 Handling or clean up of spillage.
 Repair of Concrete related handling
equipment.
 Walking through residual from shotcrete
& backfill cycles
 Routes of Exposure to Body
 Skin

 Inhalation

 Absorption

 Ingestion
 The Nature of Cement
 Cement has many properties which
are damaging to skin. Cement is
alkaline, or caustic. The pH of wet
cement ranges from 12 to 13.
Cement is hygroscopic, pulling
moisture from the skin. Cement is
abrasive. Cement may contain
sensitizing chemicals and metals,
such as hexavalent chromium (Cr6+)
 Cement Manufacturing
 Ground Limestone,
Gypsum & other
minerals
 Baked 3000-4000
Deg. F. to make
clinker.
 Repulverized with
chrome plated mill
balls.
 Hexavelent Chromium
(Cr6+) is produced in
the process of making
cement.
 Portland Cement Products
Workers
 More than 1,300,000 American
workers in 30 occupations are
regularly exposed to wet cement.
Their families may be exposed to
cement dust on their work clothes
Statistics, What Causes this
problem.
 Unfamiliar with
work environment.
 Inexperienced in
field.
 Inadequate
training.
 Uninformed.

 Ego.
 Individual Factors

 Individual factors can affect work related skin

problems. These include:

 Preexisting dermatitis

 Predisposition of sensitivity

 Knowledge

 Attitude

 Personal/work practices
 What Problems Does Cement
Cause?
 Four types of skin problems happen most
often among cement products workers:

 Dry skin or irritation (mild ICD)

 Irritant contact dermatitis (ICD)

 Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD)

 Caustic burns (alkaline burns)

Dry Skin or Mild Irritation (Mild ICD)
 Dry skin or irritation
may include scaling,
burning, and redness.
 Often manifested as
superficial chemical
burn.

 Dry skin may also be

called xerosis.
Portland cement
exposure can lead
directly to dry skin or
irritation.
Irritant Contact Dermatitis (ICD)

 Irritant contact dermatitis

(ICD) can be acute or
chronic. Symptoms may
include stinging, pain,
itching, blisters, rash, dead
skin, scabs, scaling,
fissures, redness, swelling,
bumps, and watery
discharge. Sometimes
irritated skin may become
infected. Exposure to
Portland cement can lead
directly to ICD without first
causing dry skin.
 Allergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD)

 Allergic contact
dermatitis (ACD) is
an immune
response. It is like
other allergies but
it involves the skin.
ACD includes many
of the same
symptoms as ICD.
ALLERGIC CONTACT
DERMATITIS:
 Hexavalent Chromium in
wet cement may cause
allergies in some people.
The cumulative effect of
daily exposure may take
months or years to cause a
reaction. Chrome
sensitization is irreversible.
Sensitized individuals must
avoid contact with any
cement, wet or dry.
Symptoms appear much
like chronic irritant
dermatitis, with swelling,
redness, oozing, cracking,
stinging, itching, blisters
and scaling.
Caustic Burns (Cement Burns)

 Caustic burns (cement

burns) are chemical burns.
 Second or third degree burns
may occur after relatively
short exposures to fresh
mortar, concrete, grout , and
other Portland cement
products.
 Cement burns look like other
burns. They produce blisters,
dead or hardened skin, or
black or green skin.
 Cement burns can lead to
allergic dermatitis. In
addition, chromate sensitivity
can exacerbate the severity
of cement burns.
 ACUTE IRRITANT DERMATITIS
(CEMENT BURNS):
 Burns can occur
within mins. to hrs.
of continuous
exposure to wet
cement.
 Alkalis burns differ
from acid burns.
Effects are not felt
until over exposed.
 Is Wet Cement A Big Problem?

 Yes, Wet cement is #1 cause of

occupational skin disease in the U.S.
 Concrete workers lose work at 7 times the
national average.
 Concrete workers report 4 times more lost
work days than do all construction
workers.
 5 to 15% of workers working around
Portland cement with CR6+ suffer ACD at
rate 25 times of general population
A New Model of Skin Disease
 Skin Has 2 layers,
Epidermis & Dermis
 The skin is the single
largest organ. It
covers 20 sq. ft.
 It has a permeability
barrier, if that barrier
is interrupted by
chemicals it can cause
damage to the
deepest layers of skin.
 It all Greek to me?
So what does all that mean?
 Repeated exposure to cements can
damage skin. Reducing the skins normal
barrier cream.
 Repeated cleaning of hands with abrasive
cleaners or high alkaline based soaps can
do likewise.
 Certain types of hand cleaners and lotions
can aggravate or slow the normal skin
healing process that can result in delayed
healing of the skin.
Review: What Makes Wet Cement So
Dangerous?
 Calcium Hydroxide
has pH of 12 to 13.
 Remember wet
cement is1 billion
times more
alkaline then
normal skin.
 1 Million time more
alkaline then
water.
 How Does Neutralite Work?

 A Buffered Solution
that renders wet
cement harmless thru
chemical change.
 Cement burns avoided
by early application
after exposure.
 Is not a medicine,
should not be used as
an eye wash.
 Reduces CR6+ to
undetectable levels.
NEUTRALITE IS TO ALKALIS AS
WATER IS TO FIRE
 Hexavalent Chromium found
in wet cement is water
soluble. Therefore it can soak
into skin and eventually enter
the skin's cells. There it can
bind with cell protein and
produce an allergic reaction.
 Neutralite converts
Hexavalent Chromium to
Trivalent Chromium. Trivalent
Chromium is a solid and
cannot penetrate skin cells.
 Neutralite reduces Hexavalent
Chromium to undetectable
limits in wet cement and
greatly reduces the risk of
allergic sensitization.
 Best Protective Practices
 Best practices at work.

 Best practices in emergencies.

 Best practices at home.

 Best Protective Practices at Work

 A WORKER NEEDS 5 TO
7 GALLONS OF CLEAN
RUNNING WATER PER
DAY

 PROMOTE HAND
WASHING BEFORE
PUTTING ON GLOVES
AND AGAIN IF GLOVES
ARE REMOVED

 ENCOURAGE HAND
DRYING
 Use of Proper PPE.
 Gloves and hygiene
 Impermeable boots.

 Proper Respirator for application.

 Regular changing of contaminated

clothing.
 Avoiding prolonged exposure of saturated
clothing. Remove contaminated articles
quickly after exposure, Don’t work in it all
day long.
 Best Protective Practices at Work
Cont.
 REFRAIN FROM  ENCOURAGE
LEAVING CEMENT WORKERS TO
ON SKIN OR CHANGE WORK
CLOTHES CLOTHES AT WORK
 ENCOURAGE LONG
SLEEVES  DISCOURAGE USE
 DISCOURAGE OF LANOLIN,
JEWELRY AT WORK PETROLEUM JELLY,
AND OTHER SKIN
SOFTENING
PRODUCTS AT
WORK
BEST PROTECTIVE PRACTICES
AT WORK
 Wash with clean water &  No jewelry at work. Long
ph-neutral or mild acidic sleeves buttoned or taped
soap. inside gloves
 Wear correct gloves
 Rubber boots with pants
taped inside for concrete
 Wash and dry hands work.
before putting on gloves  Never let cement product
 Wash again whenever remain on skin or clothing
gloves removed.  Avoid barrier creams
 Try using a neutralizing  Avoid skin products at
buffer spray work
 Use disposable gloves or
 Change out of work clothes
clean reusable gloves before leaving job site
daily.  Report any persistent skin
problem to your supervisor
& safety department
BEST PROTECTIVE PRACTICES
AT HOME
 1. Use pH-neutral
or acidic soap at
home.
 2. Launder work
clothes separately
 Don’t mix work
clothes with family
during washing.
 CEMENT BURNS
 Burns have a delayed
reaction typical of
alkaline.
 Burns continue as long
as high ph is present.
It can burn down to
the bone.
 Flushing with copious
amounts of water
when exposed.
 Embrace concept of:
“An Ounce of
prevention is worth a
pound of cure.”
 Best Practices in Emergencies
 Dusty clothing or clothing wet with
Portland cement fluids should be removed
promptly and laundered separately before
reuse.
 Workers must wash wet cement from the
skin with clean water and pH-neutral or
acidic soap. Workers cannot rely on pain
or discomfort to alert them to skin
damage
 If you feel pain, the burning is already
happening.
 Best Protective Practices at
Home
 pH-NEUTRAL OR
ACIDIC SOAPS
 WASH WORK
CLOTHES
SEPARATELY
FROM FAMILY OR
ROOMATES
CLOTHING.
 A Partial List of pH-Neutral or
Moderately Acidic Soaps 
 Liquid Soaps  Bar Soaps
 Aloe Vera 80  Caress
 Cetaphil  Dove
 Dial  Oil of Olay
 Dove  This soap list is advisory
 Gillette Wash only . To obtain reliable
 Ivory information, ask the soap’s
manufacturer for an
 Jergens MSDS. A pharmacist can
 Lever 2000 recommend pH-neutral or
 Neutrogena moderately acidic soaps.
 Noxema
 pHisoderm
 Softsoap 
 In Summary

 Take appropriate PPE protection

when working with or around
cements.
 Don’t work for prolonged periods in
chemically saturated clothing.
 Exercise good daily hygiene.
 Report any chemical burns or cement
related dermatitis to Safety & Health
Department.
 Going Home Safely
Everyday is Our Goal

Thanks to NIOSH & Neutralite

Safety Solutions for resource
information used in this
presentation