Reducing exposures during the pouring operations of a brass foundry

Details

• Personal Author:
  Clark NJ ; Edmonds MA ; Gressel, Michael G. ; O'Brien, Dennis M.
• Description:
  Aerosol exposures encountered by workers engaged in pouring activities at foundries were identified and prioritized so that effective control measures could be devised. Both a stationary and a continuous pouring operation were observed. At the stationary operation, sand molds were placed on a stationary roller conveyor and a moveable hood and duct system were used to control aerosol emissions. At the continuous operation, the molds were placed on a slow moving conveyor and a side draft hood approximately 12 meters long and located along the continuous conveyor protected the worker. The highest concentrations for both the stationary and continuous operations occurred during the transport of the unventilated full ladle. The cumulative exposures from the continuous operation's task were far greater than those from the stationary operation due to the greater time spent on the continuous operation by the worker. The control methods at the stationary operation were also more effective than the control methods used on the continuous operation. Controlling exposure during transport of the full ladle was identified as the main priority for controlling the overall aerosol exposures to the worker during the continuous operation. The moveable hood and duct system for the stationary operation reduced the aerosol concentration by a factor of about ten during full ladle transport and a factor of four during empty ladle transport. Suggestions were made to improve the controls at this foundry which the authors suggest may also be helpful throughout the industry to reduce similar exposures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Aluminum Compounds Metal Workers Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Aerosol Particles Aerosol Sampling Aluminum Foundries Brass Foundries Control Technology Foundry Workers Metal Fumes NIOSH-Author Occupational Exposure Steel Foundries
• 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:
  260-266
• Volume:
  54
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00216492
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1993 May; 54(5):260-266
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1993
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Control Technology and Personal Protective Equipment
• 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:f825cd3b617e260784171692142e6e010cf4203d4fcb30b092010c481b3236c4c3da9803bfb909cba35e96f65e4882a19aeff67cbb651c722f7062030e719bdf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/205471/cdc_205471_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 635.29 KB ]