 As a maintenance worker, you have to be aware of your work environment because different areas of the mine have specific hazards that you might encounter. Refineries have their own inherent hazards, and as a maintenance worker, you need to be aware of them. Jim, I just wanted to bring you up and give you an overview of the operation. Now you're going to be working in the refinery. I know you've got previous mining experience and that you pay careful attention to safety and health procedures. Well, thanks, Sam. I appreciate the recommendation. I've been looking forward to this. The guys told me I was lucky to get this position. Well, lucky? I don't know about lucky. We'll see how you feel after we finish your training. Training? Sam, you know, I've got over 25 years experience. Do you really think this training is necessary? Even with all your years of experience, Jim, there's still going to be some things you're going to learn in the refinery, I'm sure. Now, Jim, the hazards in the refinery are in addition to the hazards that you're used to. You don't think they wear those funny white suits for nothing, do you? And it's very important that you understand the hazards you're going to be exposed to. If you don't, it can affect you and all the other employees in the refinery. Now, do you remember your respirator training? Yes. I was fit tested yesterday. And they told me that whenever I passed through the security area of the refinery, I should always wear my respirator whenever I was performing maintenance due to the mercury and silver. I was also told to use the combo cartridges whenever I was working inside the refinery. I have to admit, I've never worn a respirator before. Well, and that's my point, Jim. The refinery has its own inherent hazards. Now, Jim, some of the engineering controls that we have in place in the refinery include the ventilation system, of which the bag house is part of, mercury retort ovens, which remove mercury from the material that we're handling, and the fact that the refinery is temperature controlled to minimize the mercury vapors. Now, we wear our respirators as our last line of defense so that we're not accidentally exposed to mercury or silver. Now, tell me, what other types of training did you receive yesterday? Well, we went over the type of personal protective equipment, PPE, that I'm to wear inside the refinery. They said that once I check into security, I need to go into the change room and change into my disposable PPE. They made it very clear I'm not to wear my screen clothes into the refinery. And to do a fit check. Very good. Excellent. I see that your respirator training was a success. Now, tell me, what other types of safety and health maintenance procedures would you normally use as a maintenance worker? Whenever I work on a piece of equipment, I need to tag it and lock it out and lock all energy sources. Very good. I also have to allow the equipment time to cool off before I work on it. And I need to know what type of chemicals or contaminants might be involved. For example, if I had to cut and weld on a pipe that had cyanide solution in it, I need to make sure I'm protected against that hazard. When I'm working in elevated areas, I need to have safe access. Tie off properly and secure the area below me so people aren't hurt if I drop or kick something onto the area below. If I have to work inside the furnace, I should follow the confined space entry procedure. And I need to use the right tools for the job I'm doing. Hey, you're just frustrating yourself. Why don't we go ahead and use the right tool for the job? Oh, well, thanks. Well, Jim, you seem pretty familiar with basic maintenance procedures. Now let's go inside and let me show you some of the other hazards you need to be aware of in the refinery. Okay. Jim, this is Jack, our refinery security guard. Also, remember to sign in and you go into the refinery and sign out when you leave. Good. Welcome to the refinery. Thanks, Jack. Don't forget to scan your electronic key card. Okay. So, Jim, are you familiar with the hazards we're going to encounter in the refinery and how to protect yourself? Yes, I am. In fact, that's why I'm wearing these disposable coveralls. And I'll be ready to go into the contaminated area, right? Well, that's not all. Keep in mind, because maintenance will often be performed on mercury processing equipment, we need to be familiar with proper respirator usage. As maintenance mechanics, we will at times be exposed to higher mercury levels than is found during normal operations. Remember, you're responsible for your respirator, including proper cleaning and storage. But I checked today's mercury numbers in the refinery. Everything looked good, so we won't need our respirators today. That's great news, because I tell you what, I feel like a dough boy in this outfit. I tell you what, there's a lot of procedures to follow to get into the refinery. Boy, isn't that the truth? Jim, this is what I was talking about. Here's today's mercury readings on the computer, and as you can see, they're well below the exposure limit. Now we're in the contaminated area, or what some people would call the dirty side. Now, this is contaminated PPE storage for PPE that can be used more than once. Remember, things that are used in the refinery stay in the refinery. Even my tools? The refinery has its own tools. Now, I like that. I always know where my tools are. That's right. Now Jim, you will be responsible for all the maintenance in the refinery. So anytime you open up a re-torque, a condenser, or a scrubber, you're going to be exposed to mercury. That includes all the piping for this equipment. That's why it's crucial that you monitor for mercury. Like you were taught yesterday? Oh yeah, the mercury vapor analyzer. They taught me how to sample for mercury. Good. Anytime you work on the equipment in this area, you need to consider it contaminated. Follow the proper PPE procedures to ensure that you are protected. Properly maintained and repaired equipment helps to control contamination. Well, what do I do if there's a spill? Three things to remember. One, wear your PPE. Two, monitor for mercury. Three, vacuum it up. That's why it's important that you're task trained on the proper procedures for using the mercury vacuum. Boy, you've got this place well ventilated. Where does all the duct work lead? This area is well ventilated, Jim. This duct work goes to the bag house outside. It collects both the hazardous fume from the furnace and the hazardous particulate from the mixer in the next room. What's the story on the bag house? Do I have to follow any particular procedures when I'm working on it? In addition to the PPE you're already wearing, it's important that you wear goggles and your respirator while working on the bag house because you'll be exposed to silver dust and other heavy metals. Both the filter bags and the particulate that is collected by the bag house are hazardous materials, but they do contain valuable levels of gold and silver. We ship these byproducts off-site for further processing. Now let's talk about the sump area. It's used to trap all the mercury from the drains in the refinery. Always use the mercury vacuum to clean out the sump. The electro-wind cells. They're used to capture the precious metals. This material is contaminated with mercury and silver. Then the retorts are used to drive off the mercury. The scrubber, condenser, and sump are all part of the retort system. The main thing to remember in here is maintain the units, prepare the leaks right away, and follow the refinery PPE and cleanup procedures. What if I had to work on the pipes? Jim, many of the pipes contain mercury. Just keep that in mind. If you have to do any cutting or welding, remember that mercury vaporization increases with heat. Make sure you have adequate ventilation and wear your respirator. As a general rule, we chill the ambient air in the refinery to minimize mercury vaporization. I don't know why it's so cold in here. It is. We make sure the room is always at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It's important that it's always chilled to minimize mercury vaporization. All right, Sam, what about mercury? How can it hurt you? If you follow the procedures that we're covering, you'll always be protected from the hazards of mercury. But elevated levels of mercury can harm you. It affects the nervous system and is a neurotoxin. It affects the liver, kidneys, and the skin also. Mercury can cause weight loss, fever, skin irritation, and gastrointestinal disorders. One more thing. This is the emergency shutdown manual for the equipment here in the refinery. When you have the opportunity, you need to study that so you'll know what to do in the event of an emergency. Any other questions you can think of right now, Jim? No, Sam, I don't think so. You've been very thorough. I understand why this training is so important. Well, we've got one more thing we need to cover. You're kidding me! Jim, before we can leave the dirty side, we need to dispose of our contaminated PPE here in this barrel. And we'll wash up. If we needed respirators today, we would clean and properly store those. By now you understand why? Yes, it's because of the hazards associated with mercury, silver, cyanide, and other contaminants. We want to make sure that nothing contaminated gets over to the clean side. Good, I see you understand. That's also why we incinerate any PPE that's disposed of in this barrel. Jim, I think you're going to do fine. Just remember the things that we've gone over today. Thanks, Sam. As a maintenance worker, you will be exposed to mercury, silver, and cyanide. So, always wear appropriate PPE to prevent exposure to yourself. Regularly monitor for mercury. Follow proper spill cleanup procedures. Properly maintain and repair all equipment. Dispose of contaminated PPE to prevent cross-contamination. Always wear some type of personal protective equipment to protect us from the hazards associated with our jobs. A firefighter wouldn't go into a burning building without wearing his or her personal protective equipment. What type of injuries do you think a football player would suffer without his personal protective equipment? How about a surgeon? Would you want him or her to operate on you without personal protective equipment on? Good morning, Jim. Good morning, Sam. It was great to be on board. I'm glad to be moving to the refinery. We're glad to have you, Jim. Today we need to do some safety training that's required by the Federal Mind Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA. We're going to talk about some of the PPE that's required for a job in the refinery. Wow, I've never had to wear some of these things. What's the point? PPE is absolutely essential in protecting minors from serious, even fatal accidents, injuries, and illnesses. Today, I'll explain why you're going to want to wear your PPE in the refinery. Jim, anyone working at the mine will be required to wear personal protective equipment when appropriate. For example, in the refinery, you'll encounter hazards such as mercury and heat that demand the use of PPE specific to those hazards. We're also going to cover hazard recognition, evaluation, and control. The best place to start is at the beginning. Mercury is in our ore. When we recover gold and silver, we also recover mercury. Mercury's toxic and elevated levels of it are harmful to the body. We have to protect our minors from the hazards associated with it and we have to protect the environment as well. Mercury is a silver, white, heavy, odorless liquid with an eight-hour occupational exposure limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter. Airborne levels of 150 micrograms per cubic meter should not be exceeded for more than 15 minutes. A drop of mercury the size of a penny that fully vaporizes will fill the volume of a football field all the way to the tips of the goalposts, resulting in an airborne concentration that approaches 150 micrograms per cubic meter. You see, it doesn't take much mercury to reach a hazardous level. I used to play with mercury when I was a kid. You know, rolled around in my hands? I never knew it was toxic. I think we've all done that, Jim. Now these gloves will protect you from contact with mercury when you're handling materials in the refinery. On the other hand, leather gloves may be appropriate where the major concern is cuts or abrasions. But in the refinery, you don't want to use leather gloves because the leather absorbs mercury and mercury can come in contact with your skin. Now these are disposable coveralls that you'll wear while you're working in the refinery. If you have to leave the refinery, take off your disposable coveralls so you don't contaminate the clean areas. Then put them in the contaminated PPE disposal barrel. Now this is the respirator you selected yesterday for your fit test. It's approved by NIOSH, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Always look for the NIOSH label and be sure to use the right type of cartridges. For example, this cartridge will protect you from mercury vapor and silver fume. If you have any questions about respirator use, be sure to ask the safety department. They coordinate our respiratory protection program. It's important that you keep it in this sealed bag when you're not using it. Also always clean it after use but before putting it back into the bag. Here are the boots you need to wear when you're working in the refinery. As you can see, they're made of rubber and they've got steel toes. Oh wow, tough boots. The rubber is a physical barrier between your skin and the mercury and the steel portion protects your toes from heavy items that may fall on them. Other types of footwear with metatarsal protection may be needed in parts of the mind where there is a risk of dropping heavy objects. Now Jim, here's your hard hat. You can adjust it to fit properly. And here's your safety glasses. Except in the offices, a hard hat and safety glasses must be worn at all times. The hard hat will protect you from falling materials and the safety glasses, of course, are meant to protect your eyes. Look at all this PPE. Well, I have to wear all of it at the same time. You've got it, Jim. You've got to wear PPE at all times while you're in the refinery. Also, there'll be times when you'll have to wear a face shield or a pair of goggles. That'll be covered in your task train. The goggles protect your eyes from flying particles and the face shield protects your face from splashing materials. Jim, this is heat reflective PPE. When you're around the furnace, you always wear these items to protect yourself from the high levels of heat. Hey, check me out. I'm going to Mars. Well, Jim, that about covers it for the PPE. Can you think of any questions? Yeah. What about hearing protection? Oh, that's right. Thanks for reminding me. We do have a hearing conservation program here, and you have a choice of several different types of hearing protection. Areas that require hearing protection in the refinery are clearly posted. You have a bag for me to carry all this PPE? You won't need one, Jim. You've got a locker. Oh, great. Thanks. Any other questions? No, Sam. You've been very thorough. I appreciate it. Well, let's go to the refinery. All right. Hopefully, you have a clearer understanding of refinery hazards. The PPE program is in place to prevent injury to miners. It must be comprehensive enough to protect against all potential hazards. The PPE program involves wearing PPE as required, attending required training sessions, caring for, cleaning, and maintaining equipment, and informing the supervisors of the need to repair or replace PPE. This PPE must meet NIOSH or ANSI standards. Remember, personal protective equipment is no substitute for good engineering, work practices, or administrative controls. It is used in conjunction with these. PPE worn in the refinery includes hard hats, safety eyewear, gloves, disposable coveralls, heat-reflective clothing, and rubber, steel-toe safety shoes. Respirators and hearing protection are also types of PPE. MSHA has detailed requirements for programs which require these. Your daily commitment to following the safety program at your mine site, including the use of appropriate PPE, is crucial to maintaining a safe and healthy workforce and going home uninjured at the end of every shift.