Chemical exposures on a new construction site

Details

• Personal Author:
  Schneider S ; Susi, Pam
• Description:
  Exposures associated with construction of a four story steel structure in suburban Maryland were investigated. A considerable number of brief, intermittent chemical exposures occurred during the execution of this project. Fireproofing composed of a resin coated slag/rock wool was sprayed on steel beams and columns. Workers complained of eye and skin irritation. Roofers were engaged in installing a four ply build up roof system on the building. The task involved layering insulation and felt paper with several coats of hot asphalt. The kettle operator had the highest exposures, ranging from 10.4 to 28.85mg/m3 of total fume particulate and a benzene soluble fraction particulate concentration of 21.8 micrograms/cubic meter. Laborers and operating engineers were also exposed. Ironworkers and steamfitters were exposed to welding fumes. Exposures were also noted to dusts and quartz (14808-60-7) along with epoxy resin. The authors conclude that there are a number of chemical exposures on new construction sites for which few if any controls are used and there appears to be a general lack of awareness of the health risks associated with these hazards. The authors recommend measures to increase the safety of similar workplaces. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Adhesives Air Pollutants, Occupational Construction Industry Environmental Monitoring Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Solvents Welding
• Keywords:
  Air-quality-monitoring Airborne-particles Construction-industry Construction-workers Occupational-exposure Organic-solvents Roofing-industry Welding-industry
• ISSN:
  1047-322X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  100-103
• Volume:
  10
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00225310
• Citation:
  Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1995 Feb; 10(2):100-103
• Contact Point Address:
  Pam Susi, The Center to Protect Workers' Rights, 111 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Editor(s):
  Moran JB
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• Performing Organization:
  Center to Protect Workers' Rights, Washington, DC
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19900928
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• End Date:
  19961231
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7063ac72b88b763b2d0c52096a4f2b65a5be9bb6151b5742f0161a902921be577a7104e95189b73abab48892fdaeaaf6c642bfc9a2626fce78b957708f75f9cd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204316/cdc_204316_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 701.54 KB ]