                          SUBMITTED BY
                        KENNETH P. SOBEL
                      SAFETY ADMINISTRATOR
                       CITY OF LOS ANGELES
                         (213) 485-4691
_________________________________________________________________


              Hazardous Waste Minimization Seminar
            Los Angeles Valley College - Monarch Hall
                       5800 Fulton Avenue
                        November 29, 1989

                      PURCHASING FOR SAFETY

I.      Introduction

        A.      With the City for 26 years.

        B.      Have seen many safety & health changes.

                1.      Regulations.
                2.      Management & Employee interest.
                3.      Media coverage.

        C.      The size of the State Safety Orders went
          from inches thick to feet thick.

        D.      City started the Safety Approval Program
in 1977.

II.     Hazard Communication Program

        A.      Program requirements have thrust indus-
          trial hygiene into the forefront of
          occupational health and safety concerns.

        B.      Significant media attention.  Every
          airplane crash is seen on the six o'clock
          news.  I have never heard of the news
          reporting that there were "12,000 safe
          landings today."



                1.      Every hazardous materials spill,
               mishandling, fire or abandonment of
               chemicals is cause for significant
               news coverage.

                        a.      Asbestos removal job at seniors'
                    building in Santa Monica. 
                    Eighty-six year old man inter-
                    viewed while wearing a non-
                    approved dust respirator.  He
                    would most likely be 106-116
                    before any symptoms appeared.

                        b.      Silver recovery shop in Chicago. 
                    Owner removed cyanide danger
                    labels so employees wouldn't be
                    overly concerned with the
                    chemicals they used.  One
                    employee died and the owner was
                    convicted of murder (in
                    absentia).

                        c.      Now, like every airplane crash,
                    the news carries stories about
                    highway closures due to a leaking
                    tank, railroad derailment, etc.


                2.      Greater employee awareness.

                        a.      Industrial hygiene and safety
                    staff receives a constant stream
                    of phone calls from concerned
                    employees.  Asbestos problems
                    lead the list, however, chemical
                    exposures are growing in
                    frequency.

                        b.      Material Safety Data Sheets are
                    being utilized more at the
                    jobsite.
        


                        c.      More frequent calls to Cal/OSHA
                    due to employee awareness. 
                    Unions are contacting us more
                    than ever before.

                        d.      LAPD Crime Lab cut into a "solid"
                    door.  It had asbestos inside. 
                    The whole staff demanded and was
                    sent to the doctor for
                    evaluation.

                        e.      Fleet Services employees moved a
                    500 gallon tank.  They thought it
                    was empty.  The leg of the tank
                    broke off and 500 gallons of Per-
                    chlorethylene spilled to the
                    ground.  All employees were
                    immediately sent to the doctor. 
                    It cost $9,500 to clean up after
                    the spill.  The employees spent a
                    long time worrying about their
                    exposure.

III.    Material Safety Data Sheets

        A.      MSDSs are your first line of defense.  If
          possible, you should request and review
          them prior to purchasing the product.  Be
          aware that some companies allow employees
          to purchase products with petty cash. 
          The City requires a Material Safety Data
          Sheet in order to receive reimbursement
          for petty cash purchases.

                1.      You can use them to determine whether
               or not you want to purchase the
               product due to the hazard(s) posed by
               its contents.    

                2.      You can use them to determine if the
               company knows what they are talking
               about, or whether they are hiding the
               truth from you.

                3.      You can use them as an important tool
               for employee training.

                4.      By following the sections concerning
               proper handling of the material, you
               can avoid employee exposure, toxic
               releases into the atmosphere and/or
               the water supply.  You will lower
               your workers' compensation costs and
               continue to be a "good neighbor."

                5.      Before you use a product, make sure
               that you have all the personal
               protective, first aid and spill
               procedure equipment available.

IV.     Purchase of Materials

        A.      Attempt to find the best product for the
          job with the lowest cost and with the
          least amount of hazardous materials in
          it.

                1.      I was walking through the main
               building at the Police Academy and
               smelled a very strong ammonia odor. 
               A custodian was stripping an office
               floor with the door closed and the
               room was filled with enough ammonia
               vapors to choke a horse.  The job was
               closed down and a non-ammoniated
               stripper was found.  The head
               custodian told me that the new
               stripper worked just as good and that
               he didn't receive any complaints from
               his staff or from the Police due to
               the strong odors normally found in a
               stripping job.

                2.      Our Department of Recreation & Parks
               was purchasing 1000 quart bottles of
               pool chlorine at a cost of $1.00 per
               quart.  This would be a normal
               function of an organization with so
               many swimming pools, however, not one
               ounce of this product ever found its
               way into a pool.  It was being
               ordered for our custodial staff and
               they were pouring it down the toi-
               lets.  They thought that a high
               concentration of chlorine would make
               the best disinfectant.  Instead, it
               constantly exposed them to high
               levels of chlorine vapors.  They
               didn't know that chlorine has no
               lingering effect.  An inexpensive
               disinfectant was recommended which
               not only was about 1/40th the cost of
               what they were buying, but
               disinfected the porcelain much better
               and for a significantly longer time.

        B.      Maintain a good working relationship with
          your purchasing department.  Even though
          the City has a very strict bid system for
          purchases, "low bid" means lowest
          ultimate cost.  If a purchaser can show
          that a product is safer or less likely to
          cause a harmful exposure, that product
          will most probably be the one purchased.

V.      Proper Use of Chemicals

        A.      Storage - Don't purchase more than you
          can safely store.

        B.      Observe employees' use of hazardous
          chemicals.  Good company relations is
          worth quite a lot.  All we have do is
          think back to the Bophal disaster
          involving Union Carbide.  If your
          employees handle hazardous chemicals with
          the skill and care that they demand, you
          won't be placed in an embarrassing
          situation.

If you consider the costs of an ineffective
purchasing system as it relates to hazardous
materials, it can cost your organization its
very existence.