Health Hazard Evaluation Determination Report HE 78-138-580: Tecumseh Products Company: 900 North Street, Grafton, Wisconsin 53024

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bridge, Timothy L. ; Colligan, Michael J. ; Melius, James M. ; Moseley, Clifford L. ; Murray, Linda
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Medical records were reviewed, employees and management were interviewed, a specialized questionnaire was distributed, and personal and area environmental samples were taken in the Carburetor and Engine Assembly Areas of the Tecumseh Products Company (SIC- 3714) in Grafton, Wisconsin on October 19 and 20, 1978. An authorized employee representative requested the investigation to determine why employees were becoming ill and fainting during engine and carburetor assembly. Measurable concentrations of 1,1,1- trichloroethane (71556) and carbon-monoxide (630080) (CO) were found in both assembly areas, however, the values were below the OSHA exposure criteria of 350 and 50 parts per million, respectively. Two cases of elevated carboxyhemoglobin values were found, but no toxic exposures or related toxic reactions were identified. The investigators suggest that the initial illness outbreak was related to psychological stress among the workers, and that there was a contagious reaction. They recommend increasing and improving space and ventilation and decreasing vapors and odors, and suggest that employees be informed of first aid methods and reasons for environmental adjustments. A program of environmental surveillance or biological monitoring also is recommended, and if significant CO levels persist, ambient CO monitors equipped with a warning system should be installed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automobiles Carbon Monoxide Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Hypersensitivity Mental Health Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Ozone Phosgene Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Ventilation

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• Keywords:
  1,1,1-TCE Air-quality-measurement Assembly-workers Chemical-exposure CO Hazards-Unconfirmed Health-surveys Motor-vehicle-parts NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation OSHA Region 5 Physiological-effects Psychogenic Illness Psychological-responses

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE78138580
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Wisconsin ; Grafton (WI) ; OSHA Region 5
• 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:
  34 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Flesch, Jerome P. ; Johnson, Paul L. ; Culver, Mayme ; Morris, Linda ; Connor, Rita
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00092147
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB80-199243
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 78-138-580, 1979 Apr ; :1-34
• CAS Registry Number:
  1,1,1-Trichloroethane (CAS RN 71-55-6) ; Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1979
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  3714 - Motor vehicle parts and accessories - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:92acf348321b37296fe2ac6619455912d15e601ae689762aec1ae0777fd4166c88601a3a8fcbccf75a453101bd1c91c2843a9b54f9672064c98f6b2342eaa774
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/173746/cdc_173746_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.58 MB ]