Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 97-0079-2658: Northwest Airlines, Memphis, Tennessee

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cook, Calvin K.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, an investigation of carbon- monoxide (630080) exposures among baggage handlers were conducted at Northwest Airlines (SIC-4581), Memphis, Tennessee. The airline employed about 30 baggage handlers over three shifts. The Baggage Handling facility was an open bay. In the bay, a real time carbon- monoxide monitor was connected to 16 sensors positioned throughout the bay area. Ventilation to the area was provided by 27 separate exhaust diffusers. Twenty-nine personal breathing zone measurements were taken, and a real time area measurement was also taken. A copy of a confidential symptom’s questionnaire was distributed to each baggage handler. Time weighted average (TWA) exposures to carbon- monoxide ranged from 1 to 14 parts per million (ppm). However, peak carbon-monoxide exposures were as high as 393ppm, which exceeds the NIOSH ceiling of 200ppm. TWA concentrations of 1ppm and a peak concentration of 186ppm were recorded during the 24-hour real-time area sample. Of the 30 baggage handlers, 16 reported headaches and eye, nose and throat irritation. The author recommended that worker exposure to carbon-monoxide be reduced, and that tobacco smoke exposure also be reduced. The potential for heat stress was noted.
• Subjects:
  Aircraft Carbon Monoxide Environmental Monitoring Hazardous Substances Hot Temperature Occupational Health Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Air-quality-monitoring Airport Airports Airport Terminal Services Baggage Facility Baggage Handlers Carbon Monoxide CO Exhaust Emissions Hazard-Confirmed Heat-exposure Heat Stress HETA-97-0079-2658 NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 4 Toxic-gases Ventilation-systems

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9700792658
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Tennessee ; OSHA Region 4
• 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:
  17 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Nelson, Juanita
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00241061
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB98-137672
• 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 97-0079-2658, 1997 Oct ; :1-15
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1998
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  4581 - Airports, flying fields, & services - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bd125e975974eec64550cc7dd6d21bb8a4fcd24376d25f31d2cb68accea1517b49877e095f1c1867d61fe39cb301fbcd70c24345b4afbaffa682465b88dafeca
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171083/cdc_171083_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 216.85 KB ]