An Evaluation of a Local Exhaust Ventilation Control System for a Foundry Casting-Cleaning Operation

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gressel, Michael G.
• Description:
  The ability of a local exhaust ventilation system to control silica (14808607) dust exposures during foundry casting and cleaning operations was evaluated. The original system consisted of a down draft booth containing a turntable mounted on a table approximately 5 feet (ft) long and 2.5ft deep. The exhaust system consisted of a 12 inch diameter duct that led to a cutoff saw located elsewhere. The damper on this branch was opened when the saw was being used. The average airflow during the duct was 5,400 cubic feet per minute (ft3/min) when the damper was closed and 2,900ft3/min when it was closed. The new system was installed and connected to the facility's existing ventilation system through the original ductwork. A direct reading light scattering based aerosol monitoring meter was used to measure exposure to respirable dust, as a surrogate for silica dust, while cleaning casts over an entire work shift. The work activities of the operator were videotaped. A similar experiment was performed using the facility's original ventilation system for comparison purposes. The recorded activities of the operator included using a cup grinder, a cone grinder, the cutoff wheel, and a pneumatic chisel. The new ventilation system achieved an overall reduction of the operator's respirable dust exposure of 72% compared to the original ventilation system. When the various tools were used, the decrease in exposure was 46% when the pneumatic chisel was used, 77% when the cup grinder was used, 59% when the cone grinder was used, and 75% when the cutoff wheel was used. The author concludes that this ventilated workstation which relies on local exhaust ventilation can effectively reduce airborne dust exposures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Metal Workers Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Silicon Dioxide Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Foundry Operations Control-technology Dust-control-equipment Equipment-design Exhaust-ventilation Foundries NIOSH-Author Occupational-exposure Respirable-dust Silica Ventilation Ventilation-systems

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• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DPSE - Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  354-358
• Volume:
  58
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00236941
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1997 May; 58(5):354-358
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1997
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ba14e27dbbd083bda91057fc32a8deb659f4fa0ed0980bfd0776a7c16caf079915c00ade316db974873c3efcd4815785b051d52894651081d5c8a5fd3bdc8d9e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/197858/cdc_197858_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.02 MB ]