Chemicals and working environment at the precision mechanics workshop
CLP labelling, safety data sheets and chemical APV — how to handle cooling lubricants, cleaners and surface chemicals safely
A fine mechanics workshop rarely uses large quantities of chemicals at once, but on the other hand many different ones: coolants for processing, degreasing agents before assembly, acids and bases for passivation, as well as adhesives and thread locks. Each has its own hazard profile, and the rules for handling them responsibly are not optional.
§CLP Regulation: common language for hazardous substances
CLP Regulation (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) is EU legislation that sets out how chemical substances and mixtures must be classified and labelled according to their hazardous properties — fire hazard, corrosion, health hazard and environmental hazard. The marking on a can of cooling lubricant or degreaser — hazard symbols, signal words and hazard statements — is not random, it is a legal requirement that tells you how the substance must be stored and handled.
§The safety data sheet — your most important source
Every dangerous chemical product must be provided with a safety data sheet by the supplier. The data sheet describes, among other things, the substance's composition, hazards, first aid, handling, storage and what protective equipment should be used. According to the Labour Inspection Authority, the safety data sheet is the basis for the company's workplace instructions for the chemical and the chemical risk assessment — so before a new chemical is used in the workshop, the data sheet must be read and available to those who work with it.
§Chemical APV and workplace instruction for use
The employer must conduct a workplace assessment (APV) that specifically covers the risk of chemicals and materials used — including cooling lubricants which with prolonged skin contact can cause eczema and degreasing agents which can emit vapors if ventilation is inadequate. Based on the safety data sheets a workplace instruction is prepared for each product describing how this specific product is handled safely on this specific workplace.
§Personal protective equipment and substitution
The sequence in occupational health work is important: first you try to eliminate or replace the hazardous substance (substitution) — for example a less harmful degreaser — next technical solutions such as extraction, and only last personal protective equipment such as gloves and glasses. Gloves must be chosen based on the specific chemical as not all glove types protect against all substances; the safety data sheet typically indicates which glove type is recommended.
- 01Always check the CLP marking on the packaging before using an unknown chemical
- 02The safety data sheet must be accessible at the workplace not just in an archive
- 03Chemical APV must be updated when new substances or processes are introduced
- 04Substitution before protective equipment — ask if a less hazardous alternative exists
- 05Store chemicals separately by hazard category, and never in unmarked containers
Chemicals at a precision mechanics workshop are not more dangerous than at many other craft workplaces, but the precise, close work often means skin contact and inhalation close to the source. Knowing labeling, data sheet and APV is therefore not administration for its own sake — it is the practical difference between a safe and a harmful working day.