Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-90-075-2298: Boston Edison Company; Boston, Massachusetts

Details

• Personal Author:
  Connon, Catherine L. ; Freund, Eugene ; Kinnes, Gregory M. ; Moss, C. Eugene ; Venable, Herbert L.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the Utility Workers Union of America, Local 377, an evaluation was conducted of smoke, gases and other unknown potentially toxic substances present in underground utility vaults at the Boston Edison Company (SIC-4911), Boston, Massachusetts. Blood lead (7439921) levels were determined in workers and ranged from less than 5 to 43 micrograms/deciliter. Surface wipe and air samples from the vaults were analyzed for lead. Airborne lead concentrations ranged from 0.22 to 17 micrograms per cubic meter. Wipe samples taken from work surfaces, clothing, and hands had lead concentrations ranging from nondetectable to 9.3 milligrams per sample. Potentially hazardous work practices were observed in and around the underground utility vaults including the handling of molten lead in uncovered containers
  
  use of infrequently calibrated gas detection meters
  
  the generation of smoke, gases, and vapors during cable slicing operations
  
  poor housekeeping practices
  
  cramped working conditions
  
  and working on uneven working surfaces. The authors conclude that potential safety hazards existed during work within the utility vaults. Blood lead levels in several workers exceeded the public health service goal of 25 micrograms/deciliter. The authors recommend changes to the basic health and safety practices for work in underground utility vaults.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Confined Spaces Electricity Lead Lead Poisoning Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Poisoning Safety
• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Carbon Monoxide Confined-spaces Electrical-workers Electrical Shock Electric Services Enclosed Spaces Explosive Gases Hazard-Confirmed HETA-90-075-2298 Lead-poisoning Lead Exposure NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Occupational-exposure OSHA Region 1 Power Cable Work-practices

  More +
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA900752298
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• 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:
  61 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Kelly, John E. ; Rhinehart, Richard D. ; Echt, Alan S. ; Smith, Louis D. ; Angoli, Carl A. ; Grote, Ardith A.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00218665
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB94-162856
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, Ohio: 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 90-075-2298, 1993 Apr ; :1-61
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1993
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  4911 - Electric services - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cbdb0e4f4d216c752622d55234df0ec3e3a344aa4bb5a125ca74bfe48329d1d130a1299c7481bb7cb74609aa7a03c1722c8b94fae5f76a10bdeca090ae54d1e5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171430/cdc_171430_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.89 MB ]