Technical Corner

July 30, 2025

Recreation facilities house a variety of chemicals that are controlled under the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). WHMIS was established as a risk awareness program to assist workers in understanding the personal potential health hazards associated with exposure to these substances. This information is located in the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) or in the chemicals Materials Safety Data Sheet (SDS). Exposure limits were created to provide a reliable approximation of a safe exposure level for potentially hazardous and unregulated chemicals in the workplace. However, it is important to appreciate that all workers are not equal and that chemical exposure will impact each person differently. Age, current health condition, repeated exposure or the mixing of chemicals creating a toxic combination will create different levels of potential health impact.

A "chemical exposure" can be defined as the measurement of both the amount of, and the frequency that a worker may come in contact with the substance. Exposure will be gauged by different measuring definitions such as Time Weighted Averages (TWA), Occupational Exposure Limit's (OEL), Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL), Recommended Exposure Limit (REL), etc. All that that require research as to exactly what each of the definitions is recommending, suggesting or requiring. Worker safety can only truly be achieved if the exposure limit is zero. This can be accomplished by controlling at the source through ventilation or with the use of proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Both of these tools can only achieve the desired outcome if workers are properly trained on use, maintenance, cleaning, etc. of these protective devices.

The introduction of technology that are on constant watch for chemical leaks are additional safety devices that continually monitor and warn of increasing levels of chemical exposure. These devices may provide a digital confirmation of poor or safe chemical levels in advance of a worker entering an area or have an alarm activated when levels exceed safe exposure limits so that appropriate action may be taken.

Common recreation facility levels and safety support mechanisms include:

• CO (Carbon Monoxide):

- Automatic ventilation at 25 ppm

- Audio and visual alarms at 75 ppm

• Ammonia:

- Automatic ventilation at 25 ppm

- Audio and visual alarms at 35 ppm

It is important to understand that not only is the system warning of high levels of a hazardous substance being present, it is advising that the system is not performing as designed, and that some level of failure is occurring. It is warning of a potential risk to human safety that will require a plan of identifying what the issue is and how it will be safely addressed. We have learned through industry tragedy that small leaks can escalate without warning to catastrophic levels that can place human life at a high risk of injury or death. We scientifically know that chemical exposure can have both short and/or long-term health effects and that protection from exposure must be taken. 

The industry has significantly improved how workers are protected.  However, technology and innovation can only truly be leveraged with properly trained and skilled operators. The key to worker safety rests with the three (3) worker rights as defined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act:

1. The Right to Know,
2. The Right to Participate and,
3. The Right to Refuse.

When any chemical reaches a level above zero a worker needs to evaluate their ability and understanding of the situation to determine if they are adequately prepared to safely deal with the situation. Know that a stated "safe level" of exposure to any chemical does not automatically guarantee worker safety. Personal safety can only be achieved by investing in understanding the work environment risks, hazards, and applied safety measures.