OSHA Tools Cover Fluorescent Bulbs' Mercury Hazards
The agency says the information will benefit workers engaged in crushing and recycling fluorescent bulbs.
Two educational resources from OSHA, a fact sheet and a Quick Card, bear information about avoiding mercury exposure while crushing or recycling fluorescent bulbs. The agency notes that compact fluorescent bulbs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs "but the shift to energy-saving fluorescents, which contain mercury, calls for more attention to workers who handle, dispose of, and recycle used fluorescent bulbs."
The fact sheet explains how workers can be exposed and which engineering controls and PPE to utilize. The card is briefer, outlining mercury hazards and explaining how workers can safely clean up bulbs that are accidently broken.