Introduction to Maritime Chemical Hazards & Toxic Substances

In general, the term maritime industry refers to activities relating to vessels or otherwise taking place in marine terminals or shipyards. The maritime industry presents some unique hazards to workers. Some of those hazards include the following:

• Chemical cargo barge cleaning, which is the process of removing residual cargo and cleaning the tanks on the barge in order to load new or different cargo. A variety of toxic chemicals are often used for barge cleaning.
• Ship building, which involves using flammable adhesives, solvents, paints, and coatings that may be toxic to workers.
• Hot work, which produces dangerous fumes.
• Confined spaces, which create more hazardous conditions due to the difficulty of escape.

According to OSHA, approximately 32 million workers work with or are potentially exposed to one or more chemical hazards. With an estimated 650,000 existing chemical products and hundreds more being introduced each year, this poses a serious hazard to workers. The World Health Organization reports that about 47,000 people die every year from chemical poisoning.

Exposure to dangerous chemicals can result in health hazards such as cancer, respiratory disease, and skin allergies. Some chemicals may even have the potential to cause fire, explosions, and other serious accidents.

To learn more about Shipyard Chemical Hazards visit our Shipyard Chemical Hazards & Toxic Substances Online Training web page.