Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA 93-1037-2541: Johnson Brothers Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cocalis, Joseph C. ; Jennison, Elizabeth A.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a management request from Johnson Brothers Company (SIC-1721), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an investigation was begun into possible health hazards at steel plate sandblasting and painting operations. The company employed about 20 workers in the surface preparation and painting of steel plate water tanks at sites throughout the country. Environmental sampling was performed at two sites in Pennsylvania. Workers were noted to be overexposed to crystalline silica (14808607) during tank interior sandblasting and shoveling operations at the Pike County site. Airborne concentrations of respirable silica during blasting exceeded the recommended exposure limit (REL) from NIOSH by a factor of 300 to 540. An abrasive blasting hood with an assigned protection factor (APF) of only 25 was used. During sand shoveling operations the REL was exceeded by a factor of 94 while the respirator with an APF of only 10 was used. Deficiencies were noted in the respiratory protection and hearing conservation programs at the site. Eleven of the 13 employees at these sites participated in the medical evaluation. Three had abnormal spirometry test results, and an obstructive pattern of abnormalities. The authors conclude that a health hazard existed at the time of the survey due to exposure to respirable crystalline silica. The authors recommend that effective respiratory protection, hearing conservation, and medical surveillance programs be implemented, and a less toxic abrasive blasting material be used.
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Dust Ear Noise Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Sense Organs Silicon Dioxide Tuberculosis

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• Keywords:
  Abrasive Blasting Abrasive Blasting Contractor Construction Crystalline Silica Dust-exposure Elemental Metals Hazard-Confirmed HETA-93-1037-2541 NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Occupational-exposure OSHA Region 3 Painting And Paper Hanging Painting Contractor Pneumoconiosis Respirable Quartz Respirator Respiratory-protective-equipment Respiratory-system-disorders Sandblasting Silica Silica-dusts Silicosis Steel-Plate Fabrication Structural Steel Erection Water Tank

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9310372541
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Pennsylvania ; OSHA Region 3
• 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:
  31 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Greskevitch, Mark F. ; Linch, Kevin D. ; Piacitelli, Chris A. ; Short, Steven R. ; Vandestouwe, Kurt H.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00231092
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB96-209960
• 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 93-1037-2541, 1995 Nov ; :1-31
• CAS Registry Number:
  Crystalline silica, quartz (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1996
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  1721 - Painting and paper hanging - (SIC) ; 1791 - Structural steel erection - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7db14837f38baf6b1d7e2c539179e0f23e0a8f42289c2f136fdd31228cf2337e0aa4a1a9fea9c0437c3462e8fad82913b4e22955e3e141fd16c7188265feef09
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171211/cdc_171211_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 248.39 KB ]