Evaluation of Exposures to Dust and Noise at a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brueck, Scott E. ; Echt, Hannah ; O'Connor, Colleen
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Management at a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility requested a health hazard evaluation of employees' exposures to pharmaceutical dust and noise during pharmaceutical manufacturing. During our visit to the facility, we observed work processes, work practices, and conditions
  
  measured particulates in air during pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging
  
  took personal noise exposure measurements from workers involved in manufacturing and packaging pharmaceuticals
  
  and measured sound levels throughout the manufacturing and packaging areas of the facility. We found that none of the average particle mass concentrations from the activities measured exceeded the OSHA PEL for total or respirable dust or ACGIH guidelines for respirable dust. However, particle concentrations reached these levels for short periods of time during tablet pressing when scooping powder by hand into the hopper. We recommend reducing airborne dust exposure as much as practicable by reducing or eliminating hand scooping of powder, reducing powder transport distance from containers to hoppers, eliminating use of compressed air to blow dust and powder off clothing, and minimizing use of compressed air to clean equipment. We also found that employees in the bottling room had the highest full-shift noise exposures. However, noise exposures did not exceed noise exposure limits. Noise in the bottling room and other areas where compressed air is used could potentially be reduced by using compressed air nozzles designed to produce less noise. We recommend continuing to use hearing protection during activities that generate sound levels above 85 dBA.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Biopharmaceutics Dust Ear Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Sense Organs

  More +
• Keywords:
  Airborne Particles Dust Exposure Manufacturing Noise Exposure OSHA Region 6 Particles Particulate Dust Pharmaceutical And Medicine Manufacturing Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Pharmaceuticals Respirable Dust Sound

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• Source:
  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, HHE 2021-0111-3391, 2023 Oct ; :1-32
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE202101113391
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  New Mexico ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  32 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Booher, Donald E. ; Hamilton, Cheryl ; Moore, Kevin ; Watts, Shawna
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068712
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2023]. Evaluation of exposures to noise and dust at a pharmaceutical manufacturing ; facility. By Echt H, Brueck SE, O’Connor MC. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and ; Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational ; Safety and Health, Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2021-0111-3391,
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  325412 - Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9c1944cbb494295b28931dfe7e8910a8011a827ff943cd8eb81b8a7d99b86774a80e4a691ec53779fc5d11a5c8f87af7054ecaedf2ac41c0338b3514ff6cd4e8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172306/cdc_172306_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 664.82 KB ]