Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 96–0129–2615: Roudebush Veterans Administration Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cook, Calvin K. ; Palassis, John
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from a group of Pathology Lab employees at the Roudebush Veterans Administration Medical Center (SIC-8071), Indianapolis, Indiana an investigation was begun into possible hazardous working conditions. Workers reported symptoms of eye and upper respiratory irritation. The staff in the Pathology Laboratory included medical technologists and technicians working 8 hours a day performing routine tests. Even though the airborne respirable particulate concentrations were low, settled particulates were noted throughout the laboratory which could contribute to worker health complaints of eye and upper respiratory irritation. Carbon-dioxide (124389) concentrations were below the 800 parts per million guideline for indoor air. Temperature and relative humidity levels were not within the comfort guidelines for optical and acceptable ranges for occupants of buildings. Air velocities were nearly five times hood face velocity, which may cause a pressure difference, allowing contaminants to escape. The author concludes that settled particulates could contribute to eye and respiratory irritation, and that ventilation deficiencies caused thermal comfort problems. The author recommends that excess particulates be reduced by improving housekeeping practices, and thermal comfort problems be resolved by modifying supply air diffusers and adjusting the relative humidity.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Dust Environmental Health Laboratories Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Temperature
• Keywords:
  Airborne-particles Dust Dust-control Eye Irritation Gypsum Hazard-Confirmed HETA-96-0129-2615 HVAC IEQ Indoor-air-pollution Indoor-environmental-quality Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory-workers Medical Laboratories NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report OSHA Region 5 Particulates Relative Humidity Sick Building Syndrome Temperature-effects Thermal Comfort Upper Airway Irritation Ventilation

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9601292615
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Indiana ; 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:
  15 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Blythe, Ellen E.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00235930
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB97-164024
• 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 96-0129-2615, 1996 Dec ; :1-10
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon dioxide (CAS RN 124-38-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1997
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  8071 - Medical laboratories - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:392d3c25ef58a7014f9b97f0ad050efb87b468efad5c604f32cb0d48c902f40cbe5e251c5ba45d0ff12d9a7545f06256b1c36117e540ed29e7934382794a7a02
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171154/cdc_171154_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 234.18 KB ]