The learning objectives of this chapter are that you will be aware of the
potential health hazards when dealing with marine fuels know the preventative
measures that should be taken to minimize the risk from these hazards and
be aware of the first aid measures necessary to deal with victims of these
hazards
as we have seen the liquid fuels for marine use are a complex mixture of
hydrocarbon compounds which can include a number of contaminant elements this
means that actual composition of the fuels will vary greatly depending on the
source of the original crude oil and also the refining processes used in the
production of the fuel there are a number of health hazards which may be
present when dealing with the fuel either through direct skin contact
exposure to vapors or through swallowing the liquid these are in addition to the
obvious fire and explosion risks which may be considered as indirect health
hazards the products of combustion and in particular the products of incomplete
combustion also constitute a health hazard
but are outside the scope of this module in this chapter we will look at the
direct health hazards and the means of reducing the associated risk to you we
will also consider the first aid that should be given in the event of skin
contact inhalation or ingestion there are a number of humble toasts which have
potential risk of skin contact that you were likely to be involved with these
would include but not be restricted to bunkering operations including sounding
and sampling maintenance of fuel related equipment including purifiers filters
and engine fuel system components and cleaning and inspection of fuel tanks
the above tasks are covered in detail either in the module marine fuel
handling and pretreatment or marine fuel systems they are mentioned here only as
examples of where risks might occur there is evidence to show that prolonged
contact with fuel oil either distillate or residual can result in skin
irritation or dermatitis or in some cases skin cancer this risk is
associated with the presence of particular aromatic compounds polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons which result from the various cracking processes used in
refining there is a risk of skin penetration and possible blood poisoning
when carrying out fuel injector testing if the spray is directed onto the body
with residual fuels you should also be aware that there is often a risk of
scolding due to the high temperatures required for pretreatment and
preparation as an engineer aboard ship you cannot avoid having to deal with
fuel it is therefore your own responsibility to ensure that you take
all necessary proportions to minimize the risk to yourself and others take
particular care to avoid exposure to high-pressure sprays when testing fuel
injectors remember you should always make yourself familiar with the safety
data sheet for any materials that you have to deal with before you deal with
them you should also use suitable personal protection equipment when
handling fuel or fuel related equipment this should include boiler suit oil
resistant rubber gloves and safety goggles if you have sensitive skin then
you should also use a good barrier cream you should never use distillate fuels to
clean your hands or personal protection equipment it is obviously good practice
to keep your hands clean by washing them as soon as you finish any dirty tasks on
board ship in the event of contact with fuel oil you should immediately remove
any contaminated clothing and thoroughly wash the skin with soap and water
clothes and shoes should be thoroughly washed before reuse in the event of any
skin irritation occurring then you will need to seek medical advice remember you
should avoid unnecessary prolonged or repeated skin contact with fuel if you
wish to minimize the risk fuel oil may enter the eye during normal cleaning and
maintenance operations due to spillage spray or rubbing your eyes with oil
covered hands there are no significant health hazards linked to this although
irritation of the eye may result from fuel entry any high pressure spray
directed onto the eye may cause physical damage whenever you are dealing with
fuel oil and fuel related equipment you should wear suitable safety goggles that
offer full protection to the eyes avoid hand contact with the eyes when fuel is
present in the event of fuel oil entering the eye the eye should be
washed out with plenty of clean water that a suitable I wash I wash station
should be available in any areas where testing or cleaning a fuel equipment is
likely although unlikely accidental ingestion
may occur when dealing with leakages or large spills which result in fuel oil
spraying into the air it could also occur if a victim accidentally drinks
liquid fuel oil that is stored in an unsuitable container if fuel oil is
swallowed it may result in a stomach upset or diarrhea although this is
obviously inconvenient it is not considered to be serious what may be
considered a serious indirect risk however is that in the event of vomiting
following ingestion fuel may be aspirated into the lungs you can think
of aspiration in this case as breathing in the liquid fuel this could lead to
life-threatening lung damage such as chemically-induced pneumonia if you are
involved with dealing with a fuel spillage or cleaning of a fuel tank then
you should take all precautions to minimize the risk of fuel ingestion
these will include a facemask which covers and protects the mouth never for
any reason drink fuel oil or any unknown fluid from a drinking container remember
never use drinking containers old bottles are similar for storing fuel
oils any small containers used for fuel oils should be clearly marked so that
mistakes are not made if the partial ingestion of fuel is limited through
contamination of the mouth then the victim should rinse the mouth thoroughly
with plenty of clean water if however the fuel oil is swallowed then no
attempt should be made to induce vomiting as this may lead to aspiration
of the fuel oil and major health risk medical assistance should be sought with
some urgency it is necessary to provide full information on the product to the
medical staff treating the victim the greatest inhalation risk is not directly
from the liquid fuels but from the gases and vapors that may be released during
storage and use the risk of gas and vapor release is increased as
temperatures increase with residual fuels in particular highly toxic
hydrogen sulfide gas may be present and this constitutes a major hazard
inhalation of the gases and vapors may result in breathing difficulties and
drowsiness with the risk of the victim losing consciousness in extreme
circumstance we're concentrations of the gases and
vapors are high a fatality may result the best method of minimizing the risk
due to inhalation is to maintain good ventilation wherever fuel oil is present
and in particular when heating the oil if operations require entry into a fuel
tank then this should be treated as any other enclosed space and the relevant
procedures should be adder 2 these will include risk assessment is M
requirements permit to work the tank should be thoroughly ventilated to
ensure an oxygen content of at least 20% and hydrocarbon gas concentration less
than 1% of the lower flammable limit normal rescue preparations must be
maintained with sufficient personnel and breathing apparatus available in the
event that the atmosphere cannot be brought within the limits stated above
and tank entry is essential then breathing apparatus must be warm in
cases where exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas is possible then a suitably
certified air supplied respirator working on positive pressure must be
warm if entry into a badly ventilated fuel tank is not absolutely necessary
then you should not enter at all in the event that irritation to the nose and
mouth or dizziness or breathing difficulty is experienced then the
victim should be taken to an area where fresh air is present if breathing has
stopped then artificial respiration should be applied and a victim given
oxygen to aid recovery medical advice should be sought