hazmat question

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
I have been looking for inf o on a product, chemical ingredient in a pkg on my truck which was leaking, and I got very ill from it. I took myself out of service as I was impaired from it. I could not find it, until I tore my whole truck apart by that time I was bombed. I didnt get much help except they came and got me and then once in fresh air was asked to go deliver somewhere else in a clean truck. I did not. My brain was shot, my memory not good and my legs were numb. My husband came and got me and I slept for 14 hrs, it was a fuel injector cleaner booster, and the reason I could not find it was when it leaked it evaporated. Like an idiot true to form I did not go to the hospital. After they kept me in the office for close to 3 hrs making out forms, I had such a migraine I had to go home and take my migraine pills. I feel it was an unmarked hazardous, but the product sheet did not come through the fax very clear, (no ink) No one but me seemed very concerned about how I felt. I realize it was not UPS fault, but if it was improperly pkgd and marked I think someone owes me answers like, will I have lingering symptoms,long term efects or fatal damage. I did read that breathing it for long periods of time could cause respiratory problems, anesthetic like reactions, and could be fatal. I dealt with it for 3 and 1/2 hrs. I have worked the websites and msds, and cannot get a product sheet. My center manager who handles things will be back Monday, but does anyone know how I can get info before then? I have tried online msds to no avail. The copy was not clear enough to read the Un # if there was one. and have not got an answer from the product mfg. Any idea where I should go for answers?
 

BrownBusDriver

Active Member
From a web site on octane boosters:

There's no mystery here. Most octane boosters are nitrogen carriers. Common ingredients are methanol, isopropyl alcohol, naptha, xylene, toluene (tyline), benzine, hexane, nitro benzine and aniline. Available octane boosters do not have tetraethyl lead in them, as lead is very toxic.

BrownBusDriver
 

Ms Spoken

Well-Known Member
I once caught a air bag replacement shipped in a regular box with no hazmat tags. The only reason I knew it was coming is that the customer told me to be careful with it might explode if I drop it. HELLO !!!! I gave the pkg to my sup and told him what might be inside. Needless to say the customer had to drive to the center to get his pkg.
Hope you get to feeling better Tooner.
 

trickpony1

Well-Known Member
.......because she was probably afraid of being fired or, at least, harassed by management for refusing to complete her day's work.
How was she supposed to know it wasn't finger nail polish remover or perfume?
If every driver stepped out of their truck every time they smelled something unusual, management would have more service failures and alot more work on their hands and we all know that's not gonna happen. The business agent would also be really busy getting people's job's back.

Tooner,
I would document everything that happened, when, where and who said what to whom. You may want to put OSHA on notice as well as YOUR medical doctor and an attorney.

Anyone who would say "what happened to "don't touch, leave the area, notify a supervisor"", is either a driver living in a dream world or a member of management trying to pass the blame. I suspect the latter.
 

upsdude

Well-Known Member
Tooner........

I'd assume the package was going to a repair shop, dealer, etc. The consignee should have info on the contents. Getting that information should lead you to the manufacturer.

A little off topic. I deliver a few cases of cartridges to a gun store every week. Those cases should be labeled as hazmats. In the event of a fire every one of those rounds could be deadly for firefighters or anyone else close by.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
I appreciate the help, from all, even the ones who would have done it the smarter, better way. I wish I had. And I wish I had went to the hospital to see what my blood count was per ppm, as the product list stated. I didnt want to call in and say my truck smells bad. But I did call in at 10:10 and said as soon as I got my air off I was pulling it over to search for the source. Which I did, but I could not find it, mainly because as soon as it spilled it dried. My son got the info and it is not hazardous on the web site. It came in a bottle like dry gas, but no plastic over the mouth and all of the screw on caps on all of them were loose. I thought it was because it is clearly marked combustible. No I was not afraid of being fired, although I dont like being singled out as a whiner. I thought if I could find it and get rid of it I would be Ok, but once I found it my head hurt too bad even if the dizziness had gone away once I got in fresh air. It was going to an auto parts store, and I looked in all the areas where I had auto parts, paint shops, etc.
There are many reasons quite often, we could dump our loads, and refuse to drive them. Most of us dont. I didnt like being in the office making out this paperwork when drivers called in for help and they said I dumped my load on them, so there was no help. My sup even said he could have finished the day in that truck, even though we switched the load, coz the driver who took over didnt want to drive it. He says his sinuses are shot anyway, so it would not have bothered him. Which just shows he didnt understand it wasnt my nose hurting, it was what the fumes did to me.
It was called pro-blend plus thirty. but that company is already out of business and taken over by http://www.lubricationdynamics.com/techfuel.html
I just wonder if any one ever got hold of them to talk about their packaging, so some other idiot like me doesn't end up hurting themselves or someone else because of it.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
Trick, come on now, you know better than that.

Tooner, the proper way to have handled it was to call the center, tell them that you suspect a hazmat leak, but there are no stickers in the hazmat pouch, what do they want you to do.

That puts the monkey on the managers back.

Now suppose you did have a legit hazmat that someone shipped out without it being marked etc. (like it does not happen all the time) You could have been injured and your health compromised. And without allowing your management team any say in what you decided to do.

What the hell could it cost, a quick phone call to let them know what is going on and how it is affecting their driver. At the very worst it might take a few minutes, but your butt is covered after that.

One more thing Trick, UPS is very strict on safety, especially if it involves things like hazmats leaking. Believe me, they are not going to take any short cuts on this issue, and if they do, then they deserve whatever OSHA put to them.

As for smells in a package car, they all have them. And if you were really honest, you would know if something is bad or not for you, or if something was leaking in your package car, and not just the package car stink. So I would reject out of hand your post of
How was she supposed to know it wasn't finger nail polish remover or perfume?

But by the same token, someone with severe allergies would/could have a very bad reaction to perfumes etc. But even they are for the most part considered hazmat or ORMD.

So sorry, call the center, put the information out there to them honestly, and they will respond to that honestly. If not call your safety cochair or the district safety sup, the number is available to you at the center.

Tooner, hope you are back to feeling well.

d
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
I feel much better, the headache finally went away.
First off I am not blaming anyone. Period. It was handled wrong because I did not park my truck and say I fear I have a hazardous material leak and I cannot find it.
I do not have allergies but I did once get carbon monoxide poisoning, and since then I cannot handle bad smells. Perfume sends me into a migraine, unless it is good perfume. Este Lauder seems to be the only brand I can wear and also one of the most expensive, at least in my world. So I was thinking, maybe it isnt that bad and maybe I am a wuss. Thats why 3 1/2 hrs. There were no hazardous in my pouch, so I am thinking just get it out and Ill be OK.
So for everything I did wrong, it was only coz I was trying to do a job and not be a pain in the a**. And I expect that shippers are legit, which I for my time should know is not always the case. As much as we all buddy* about mgmt, I think they would have taken the precaution to come out, I should have insisted, but like I said before, I thought I could find and get rid of it. Although not "considered" hazardous by Hazmat standards, they have so many products which are, I just wonder where the line is drawn. Because I was pretty sick from it. Now I guess there will never be a test to vindicate me, but if it made me sick, it may make others sick. If it hurt my thinking and impaired me, I would hate to see it happen to others. Thats all. A visit from Customer SErvice to review their pkg method, put a plastic seal on the bottle, thats all. But will it happen. No one seemed to think any follow up was necessary. I call it improper packaging.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
Too funny. I had to complete a "quiz" tonight because of my "spill". The first ? just blew my mind.
1. What does a physically handicapped/impaired (I dont remember which)person require
A. Friends
B. Buddies
C. a helper
Now what the heck does that have to do with a chemical spill......
and what was the correct answer????????......
I guess I got an 80% so I will be questioned in the am at my wonderful weekly safety meeting. I did not answer the ? as it must have been imported from sesame street.
DUH
My thoughts are they are calling me impaired.
Then I guess I should not be working.
I showed it to several other drivers who were clocking out and they all said "what the friend".
What was the point of this "test"? any thoughts?
 

btcmrico

New Member
I once caught a air bag replacement shipped in a regular box with no hazmat tags. The only reason I knew it was coming is that the customer told me to be careful with it might explode if I drop it. HELLO !!!! I gave the pkg to my sup and told him what might be inside. Needless to say the customer had to drive to the center to get his pkg.
Hope you get to feeling better Tooner.
I would have not picked it up. It only put you at a risk. I would then call the center you work out of, and inform them of what is going on. I can't begin to believe that they (shipper) would actually ship something like that.
 

Ms Spoken

Well-Known Member
rico,
This pkg was coming from a Hub that I had no control over.. It was the customer who was waiting for the pkg and told me not to drop it when it came in. The next AM I found the pkg and turned it over to my sup. Not much more I could have done.
 

mittam

Well-Known Member
you called in at 10.10 and told them, did they reply or say no to looking for it ? I would be sure to tell that to the steward put it back in UPS's hands did they instruct you to look for it or to wait till it could be found? any thing said like finish NDA and they would meet you to see what it was? If not put it back on them they should have made a call there to find out what the smell was it is on them
 

livinitup

Active Member
You should have went straight to the company doctor. Then you should have reported to the RMP (Responsible Management Person). They should be versed on the proper procedures to follow. They are supposed to fill out a report about your exposure. Sometimes, a designated responder will write the report.
 

magoo57

Well-Known Member
Livinitup is becoming the go-to guy for hazmat questions on this site. Tooner, please file an official report on this in case the symptoms come back to haunt you. And don't worry about the fact that the material is not a hazmat. Some years back, our center had a one gallon glass bottle of Tabasco sauce drop and break. The responders had the full gas masks on during the cleanup.
Bottom line, anything that makes you sick is by definition a hazmat(excluding your supervisor)
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
GOOD ADVICE MAGOO. AND WELCOME TO THE BOARD.
It has been over a year, the sup who didnt know how to follow the rules hammered into our brains is gone, and I guess Im fine, although smells like that still bother me, much more than may bother others.
They still make fun of me at the auto parts store, where I delivered it, calling me a lightweight.
I learned alot,
#1 being, trust my judgement, because it is usually right.
#2 if it seems like a problem it is, coz I dont make trouble unnecesarrily~ sp
#3 dump the truck if necessary, if mgmt doesnt respond to
dont touch,
leave the area
notify a sup
DUH
I still remember him telling me, keep looking and let me know when you find it................................
 
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