Do not treat all chromium as equivalent
The INSST Conocer para prevenir collection warns of the carcinogenic effects of exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds. The generic name chromium is insufficient to identify the hazard or choose a comparison criterion.
Review the compound, its classification and how it is used or generated. Incomplete commercial information must be clarified before concluding that a product contains no Cr(VI).
Review baths, materials and tasks
BASEQUIM factsheet 023 describes manual chromium plating with chromium trioxide and exposure to mists from tanks. It distinguishes inhalation from dermal contact through splashes, deposited aerosols or contaminated surfaces.
Assessment must include preparation, movement of parts, cleaning and maintenance. When the agent is generated during a process, an inventory of purchased containers may be insufficient to identify it.
Apply the priority of substitution
In Spain, Royal Decree 665/1997 requires substitution of agents within its scope where technically possible. Alternatives must be assessed for the required function and the risks they introduce.
Where substitution is not technically possible, the regulation requires closed systems and, if those are also impossible, exposure reduction under its requirements. Compliance with an exposure limit does not remove these obligations.
Control emissions and skin contact
Control must act on the operation: prevent dispersion, capture emissions at source and organise movement and handling to reduce contact. Cleaning and waste management must maintain that control throughout the activity.
Work involving baths or corrosive products must also consider splashes and compatibility of protective materials. Gloves and protective equipment are selected for the product and task, without assuming that any chemical-protective glove is suitable.
Request measurement that addresses the risk
INSST publishes FTA-01/A24 for determining hexavalent chromium in air. The existence of a specific method demonstrates why total chromium data should not automatically be interpreted as Cr(VI) concentration.
Occupational hygiene personnel must define the fraction, method, strategy and representativeness for the scenario. Results are compared with current applicable limits, checking dates and table notes rather than only a number from a historical factsheet.
Maintain follow-up and health protection
Assessment is updated when products, conditions or tasks change. Check the effectiveness of measures, information for personnel and management of irregular exposures, including repairs and cleaning.
Health surveillance belongs to competent healthcare professionals and must suit the exposure. Its results do not replace process improvement or authorise continued avoidable exposure.
Hypothetical example: expanding a surface-treatment operation
A workshop introduces larger parts into a surface-treatment process. Before starting, it reviews bath composition, movements, emissions and splashes that the new operation may generate.
The prevention service checks extraction and establishes the necessary measurements. The company does not reuse the earlier assessment simply because the product retains the same name and declared concentration.
