Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-82-107-1444: Torrington Company; Torrington, Connecticut

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cohen, Steven R. ; Sparer, Judith
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  An outbreak of dermatitis among workers at the Torrington Company (SIC-3443) in Torrington, Connecticut was investigated in April 1981 and January, May, and September 1982. The evaluation was requested by the United Auto Workers Local Union on behalf of about 85 grinding operations workers. Work procedures, conditions, and processes were observed. Workers were questioned about health effects, examined for the presence of skin lesions, and given patch tests with various chemicals used in the workplace. Grinding machines did not have splash guards, and dirty rags left on the machines allowed for skin contact with metal working fluid. Protective gear was used little or not at all, and there were no standard procedures for removing fluid from the skin. No hazard warning signs were posted identifying skin irritation hazards of the fluids. Thirty one of 49 grinding department workers reported itching and burning skin on the hands, and 18 had signs of advanced skin disease. Two of 10 workers with severe dermatitis had strong positive reactions to patch tests with formaldehyde (50000) which could be released by some of the chemicals used. The authors conclude that a dermatitis hazard exists at this facility from coolant fluids used in grinding operations. They recommend industrial hygiene improvements regarding the machinery, protective clothing, production schedules, personal hygiene, and worker education. Preemployment and periodic medical evaluations, including assessment of skin problems, should be provided to all workers.
• Subjects:
  Automobiles Dermatitis Formaldehyde Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Safety Skin Skin Diseases
• Keywords:
  Automotive-industry Biocides Contact Dermatitis Coolant Fluids Cutting-oils Fabricated Plate Work - Boiler Shops Grinding-equipment Grinding Operations Hazards-Confirmed HETA-82-107-1444 Industrial-processes NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Occupational-dermatitis OSHA Region 1 Patch-tests Work-practices

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA821071444
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; 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:
  29 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Welch, Laura ; Robbins, James ; Burkholder, Judith
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00139362
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB85-184117
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 82-107-1444, 1984 May ; :1-27
• CAS Registry Number:
  Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1984
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3443 - Fabricated plate work (boiler shops) - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b07d6d87f690503d075af6e2a52cc9a945dfed099fddaa80a7873da618e6195bb41386e860236012e873fb4cf0d124b4d7b6e234f117b462de77fa85b70dd959
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172800/cdc_172800_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.10 MB ]