Chemical safety: sounds straightforward, right? You’ve got your SDS, PPE, and eyewash stations. But what happens when your team mixes, sprays, or supercharges those chemicals in ways the manufacturer never imagined? With a CHMM on the mic, this is part coaching, part humor, and 100% actionable.

Key Takeaways –

1. The SDS might not be helpful based on how youre using the chemical.

• Reality check: Most Safety Data Sheets are written based on lab conditions and "intended use"—not how your sanitation team might be using them.
• Pro Tip: Ask yourself, “Was this SDS written by someone who’s ever worn PPE, on a harvest room floor, at 2 AM?” Maybe not.

2. Exposure Limits Are Great—If You Can Measure Them

• Common failure: SDS says “use respirator if above X ppm.” Great. Now… how are you measuring ppm in your facility?
• Real examples:
  • No meter for that specific chemical
  • Using outdated Dräger tubes that are non-specific

3. “More Isn’t Better”

• Scenario: You double the chemical strength during deep cleaning due to finding some "buggies." Now your PPE, risk profile, engineering controls—all need to change. Did they?
• Surprise consequences:
• Equipment degradation because the stronger solution wasn’t considered $$$
• PPE may not be adequate for the levels used

4. Training Misses the Human Factor

• You’ve trained on:
  • Where the SDS is
  • How to handle and/or mix
  • Which PPE to wear
• But you forgot to train on:
  • What happens when the goggles fog up
  • That instinctive move to scratch your eye with a gloved hand
  • Spraying above your head and having chemical rain down your back

5. Eyewash Stations: Functional on First Shift, ???? On Off Shifts

• Classic issue: “We check them every Monday at 9 AM.” But chemical use spikes on nights, weekends, and during deep cleans
• Also overlooked:
  • Eyewashes with scalding hot water
  • No eyewash where non-routine chemical usage occurs

Actionable Advice :

• Revisit every chemical on-site: How is it used, applied, stored, and disposed? Does that match the SDS?
• Evaluate your meters: Can you measure the chemical levels you're basing levels of PPE on?
• Update PPE assessments based on how chemicals are used
• Retrain your teams with realistic, scenario-based walk-throughs
• Audit all eyewash stations across all shifts, all departments, and all rarely used rooms

Final Words from Joe & Jen:

• We’re not saying you have these problems. We’re saying we’ve seen them—a lot.
• These gaps sneak in when paperwork replaces field observations.
• If you need help identifying these gaps, we do onsite audits, coaching, and training at AllenSafety.com and AllenSafetyCoaching.com.

SEO Keywords:

chemical safety podcast, SDS compliance issues, chemical exposure training, industrial PPE assessment, worker safety podcast, sanitation safety gaps, confined space chemical hazards, OSHA chemical safety, eyewash station audit, Allen Safety podcast, real-world safety training, fogged goggles chemical hazard, how to evaluate chemical PPE, manufacturing plant chemical safety, sanitation audit best practices, CHMM podcast