Health Hazard Evaluation Determination Report HHE 80-107: Westvaco Corporation: Luke, Maryland

Details

• Personal Author:
  Piacitelli, Laurie A.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Exposures to asbestos (1332214) were evaluated at the Piedmont Parts warehouse of the Westvaco, Corporation (SIC-4225) in Luke, Maryland on July 31, 1980. The evaluation was requested by a representative of the United Paper Industry Workers Union on behalf of Westvaco employees and the seven workers under contract to strip asbestos insulation from the warehouse. Insulation stripping processes were observed, but no air samples were collected. The seven workers from the contracted company received safety and work process training before the work was begun, underwent preemployment chest X-rays and physical examinations, and used protective clothing and equipment. The insulation was wetted and removed, the surface was vacuumed and sprayed with a zinc based paint, and the asbestos was packed in plastic bags for delivery to an approved disposal site. Westvaco employees entered the warehouse without proper instruction about asbestos hazards or safety procedures. Parts stored in the warehouse were contaminated with asbestos fibers due to improper covering, and some of the doors and holes in the warehouse walls had not been properly sealed to prevent fugitive emissions. The workers also used respirators that were not properly equipped for asbestos exposure. The author concludes that the contractor was operating in accordance with applicable regulations concerning the removal and disposal of asbestos, however deficiencies existed in the personal protective procedures of Westvaco employees. Recommendations are included for controlling asbestos exposure and for worksite decontamination. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asbestos Carcinogens Dust Inorganic Chemicals Occupational Health Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Asbestos-dusts Control-methods Dust-control Dust-exposure Hazards-Unconfirmed Health-surveys HHE-80-107 Insulation Insulation-workers NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation Occupational-health OSHA Region 3

  More +
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Luke (MD) ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  10 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Hewett, Paul ; Greife, Alice L. ; Tiberio, Patty A.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00114158
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB82-191248
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 80-107, 1981 Feb ; :1-5
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1981
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  4225 - General warehousing and storage - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b97ef4dcad755069f91fe7943c1ad66f44fa5119dbb62b39ee2a82f8f5f219184166955655b8e48a54f31e43fd9e1ae540ea425a56b76d1bb5d74b0573441a7e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/173409/cdc_173409_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 305.85 KB ]