Exposure evaluation in new residential construction

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dennison J ; McKernan, John ; Methner, Mark M.
• Description:
  The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize potential chemical, physical, and ergonomic hazards associated with various work tasks performed at five new residential construction sites in the Denver, Colorado area. Tasks to be sampled were selected using information gathered during preliminary walk-through surveys of residential construction work sites, and information gained from the use of a newly developed exposure assessment tool. An evaluation of the identified potential health hazards was then conducted using a task-based exposure assessment method. Thirteen trades were selected for quantitative exposure assessment including: excavators; foundation pourers; framing carpenters; masons; roofers; plumbers; electricians; HVAC workers; insulation installers; drywall workers; painters; interior finishing carpenters; and flooring installers. The task-based exposure evaluation included data from worker interviews, inspections of work practices, collection of MSDSs for products used, and a qualitative assessment of potential exposures. A sampling plan, utilizing NIOSH sampling and analytical methods, was formulated to monitor potential health hazards. Sampling involved the collection of 60 personal breathing zone samples to characterize exposure to 111 potential chemical and physical agents. Qualitative ergonomic evaluations were also performed by observing the tasks performed by the 13 selected trades. Results indicate that exposures in four trades (drywall workers, insulation installers, painters, and plumbers) exceeded the ACGIH TLVs, NIOSH RELs, or OSHA PELs for particulates, solvents, and metal fume. Noise exposures exceeding the OSHA action level of 85 dBA were observed for six construction trades (framing carpenters, roofers, flooring installers, foundation pourers, plumbers, and HVAC workers). The most predominant ergonomic hazards observed were hand-arm and whole-body vibration. A general lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) was observed for all trades. These results suggest that residential construction workers need to receive training on the importance and use of PPE, as well as other controls, to reduce exposures to selected chemical and physical agents. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Construction Industry Construction Materials Electricity Environmental Monitoring Ergonomics Hazardous Substances Metals Noise Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Paint Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Safety Solvents Staff Development Surveys And Questionnaires Ventilation Vibration Wood Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Air-sampling Cements Chemical-agent-detectors Chemical-properties Concretes Construction Construction-equipment Construction-industry Construction-materials Construction-workers Control-systems Electrical-workers Employee-exposure Excavation-equipment Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Floors Hazards Health-hazards Health-surveys Insulation-workers Job-analysis Masons Metal-fumes Noise-exposure Noise-levels Painters Particulates Personal-protective-equipment Physical-properties Plumbers Qualitative-analysis Quantitative-analysis Questionnaires Roofers Sampling Task-performance Tile-workers Training Ventilation-systems Vibration-exposure Woodworkers Work-environment Work-practices

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• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Florida ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Virginia
• 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:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041392
• Citation:
  American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 20-25, 2000, Orlando, Florida. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2000 May; :10
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2000
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 20-25, 2000, Orlando, Florida
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:010089de51fc401d164cb4a532b5e8b008944bbc5cf5b55d9f587d4a644f74a55603856d295d7b45042c7d4888efb0f8a4aa0ed70f092cf107750e016cacb6bb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193970/cdc_193970_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.02 MB ]