Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 96–0100–2636: Harley–Davidson Motor Company, Tomahawk, Wisconsin

Details

• Personal Author:
  Driscoll, Richard J. ; Esswein, Eric J. ; Reh, Beth D.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a confidential employee request, a health hazard evaluation was begun at Harley Davidson Motor Company (SIC-3714), Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Workers had reported chest tightness, breathing difficulties, headaches, heart irregularities, and hoarseness directly related to their work environment, specifically the paint and clear coat booth areas. Measurements were taken of exposures to organic compounds, microbial contamination, and endotoxins. The ventilation system was evaluated, and employees participated in a symptoms questionnaire. The microbial contamination in the water pits was up to 10(6) colony forming units per milliliter of water of gram-negative bacteria and 10(4) fungi. The endotoxin air concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 1,359.1 endotoxin units per cubic meter of air during August and from 0.4 to 12.2 during November. The workers in the pin striping and masking areas had the highest prevalence of symptoms, and no statistically significant increases of symptoms were reported during the heating season in any area of the facility. The authors conclude that low levels of chemical and biological exposures were seen, but no overexposures. The authors recommend that additional local exhaust ventilation, routine symptom surveillance, and industrial hygiene monitoring, along with improved communications be implemented.
• Subjects:
  Endotoxins Microbiology Occupational Health Paint Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Solvents Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Breathing Difficulties Chest Tightness Coatings Direct Gas-fired Heating Hazard-Unconfirmed Headaches HETA-96-0100-2636 Microbial Contamination Microorganisms Motor Vehicle Parts And Accessories NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Organic-solvents OSHA Region 5 Painting Paints Respiratory-system-disorders Respiratory Symptoms Solvents Thermal Desorption Tubes Ventilation 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/NIOSHHETA9601002636
• 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:
  131 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Hartle, Richard W. ; Marlow, David A. ; Grote, Ardith A. ; Blythe, Ellen E.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00238624
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB98-106677
• 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 96-0100-2636, 1997 Apr ; :1-125
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1997
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3714 - Motor vehicle parts and accessories - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:39b765be3e17a572379b00cad7cedc19178932fa1fc415ad36bd0777aeb30578d0d196103132656429aee57ee95a873ef4710dcbf3f8a81ab47d5856de17b7ce
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171105/cdc_171105_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.07 MB ]