Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA #2002-0284-2908: Capitol Heat & Power, Madison, Wisconsin

Details

• Personal Author:
  Nemhauser, Jeffrey B. ; Snyder, Erin M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  On June 7, 2002, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request to conduct a health hazard evaluation (HHE) at the Capitol Heat and Power (CHP) plant in Madison, Wisconsin. The requestor cited concerns regarding worker exposure to heat stress and noise during power plant operations. Health concerns listed on the HHE request included lethargy and flu-like symptoms. Two NIOSH industrial hygienists and a NIOSH medical officer visited the power plant to conduct an industrial hygiene and medical survey from July 29 through August 1, 2002. Monitoring of employee heart rates, skin temperature, and exposure to noise was conducted over two 8-hour shifts. Environmental temperatures during the same period were recorded in the facility using wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) monitors. Workers' pre- and post-shift body weights were recorded to assess dehydration, a measure of heat strain. Private interviews were conducted with workers to gather information about health symptoms and concerns. Indoor WBGT measurements ranged from 64.9 degrees Fahrenheit (degrees F) to 88.9 degrees F, and outdoor WBGT measurements ranged from 73.8 degrees F to 93.6 degrees F. Workload categories (light, moderate, heavy, or very heavy) based on activity were assigned to each monitored employee and compared to the screening criteria in the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values (TLVs). When compared to this screening criteria, results indicated that none of the five monitored workers were exposed to excessive heat stress conditions during the NIOSH survey. Heart rate monitoring data for the five consenting CHP employee participants did show that one employee had a heart rate in excess of the recommended ACGIH criterion, indicating an increased risk for heat strain. None of the six workers interviewed reported health symptoms related to heat exposure at work, nor did any experience a weight loss of greater than 1.5 percent (%) of their pre-shift weight over the course of their shift. NIOSH investigators targeted various areas within the power plant to monitor for noise. Sound levels were consistently greater than 85 A-weighted decibels [dB(A)] in the areas near the turbines and in the chiller basement near the condenser water pumps. In addition to the area noise measurements, five employees were monitored for personal noise exposure. In one instance, noise exposures exceeded the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) of 85 dB(A). Two employees spent most of their time exposed to noise levels between 70 and 80 dB(A), and two others spent most of their day exposed to noise levels between 70 and 90 dB(A). In response to employee concerns, air samples for bromine were taken at the pellet storage tank and near the cooling tower. Colorimetric readings from the bromine detector tube did not indicate a presence of bromine at detectable levels. NIOSH investigators observed that communication between CHP management and employees was a problem at the time of this survey. There appeared to be a lack of regular, ongoing communication and training regarding health and safety issues within the plant. NIOSH investigators concluded that there is a potential for heat stress conditions to exist in the plant
  
  one monitored worker showed signs of heat strain on the day of the survey. A plan to increase awareness of heat exposure should be implemented. Noise levels recorded in the plant indicate that a hearing conservation program is necessary for all employees. Communication between employees and management needs to be improved, especially in the areas of health and safety training and responsibilities.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Body Temperature Body Weight Bromides Coal Ear Education Hearing Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Noise Occupational Health Power Plants Safety Sense Organs Staff Development

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• Keywords:
  Biological-monitoring Body-temperature Body-weight Bromine Coal-fired Power Plant Coal-processing Combination Utilities, Not Elsewhere Classified Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Hazard-Unconfirmed Hearing-conservation Heat-stress Heat Strain Heat Stress Noise-exposure Noise-levels Noise-measurement OSHA Region 5 Power-generation Sampling Training

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA200202842908
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Wisconsin ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  41 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Blythe, Ellen E. ; Krake, Ann M.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20024330
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2004-103513
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 2002-0284-2908, 2003 Jun ; :1-41
• CAS Registry Number:
  Bromine (CAS RN 7726-95-6)
• Editor(s):
  Arthur, Penny
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  4939 - Combination utilities, not elsewhere classified - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:19d6afce758cd83348a71670dfbaf318de019051fa09e9c2640a69445e9201619554c9e502d9bd4360f983d2e4466732e254743ff686413a755be33a5fa2a433
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/170828/cdc_170828_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 519.89 KB ]