Evaluation of Potential Exposures to Railway Hazardous Material Inspectors

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beaucham, Catherine C.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Concerned about potential exposures to hazardous material inspectors, representatives from a local union submitted a NIOSH health hazard evaluation request to help determine the best way to keep inspectors safe while they carried out their duties. Inspectors became concerned after experiencing accidental exposures to hazardous materials while inspecting railway shipping containers. The hazardous material inspectors will examine containers, including boxes, barrels, drums, tank cars, railcars, intermodal shipping containers, and other bulk containers, to determine compliance with regulations. We visited four railyards to learn more about the job and employee health concerns. During our visits we observed work practices, evaluated for the presence and levels of oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon monoxide, as well as the lower explosive limit using a 4-gas meter, and tested for the presence of hazardous gases with colorimetric indicator tubes that work for various hazardous materials. We found that it is possible for hazardous material inspectors to be exposed to a variety of hazardous material while inspecting shipping containers, which includes tank cars and box cars. Using a 4-gas meter, with or without a photoionization detector or using colorimetric indicator tubes, would not protect inspectors during these inspections. Increasing hazard communication training, anticipating the type of hazardous material they will be inspecting, and preplanning emergency response scenarios would better protect the inspectors.
• Subjects:
  Disaster Planning Dust Emergencies Hazardous Substances Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Railroads Safety Transportation
• Keywords:
  Emergency Preparedness Gas Meters Hazard Communication Hazardous Materials Occupational Exposure OSHA Region 5 Railroad Railroad Industry Regulation And Administration Of Transportation Programs Shipping Transportation Workers United States

  More +
• 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 2022-0049-3387, 2023 Aug ; :1-20
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE202200493387
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Indiana ; Illinois ; OSHA Region 5
• 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:
  20 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Booher, Donald E. ; Hamilton, Cheryl ; Moore, Kevin ; Watts, Shawna
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068273
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2023]. Evaluation of potential exposures to railway hazardous material inspectors. By ; Beaucham C. 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 2002-0049-3387,
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  926120 - Regulation and Administration of Transportation Programs - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:126186dfb66d10339df007890fc19a93133596dbc0130bef08d328a00f5c7c1cea45ac15a46b2b32e56e5a87798181d91b64a85e62325ac4c6045b28e366074c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172310/cdc_172310_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.73 MB ]