Silica exposure in hand grinding steel castings

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bost, Patrick ; Clark NJ ; Fischbach, Thomas J. ; Froehlich, Phillip A. ; Gressel, Michael G. ; Hall, Ronald M. ; O'Brien, Dennis M. ; Bost, Patrick ; Clark NJ ; Fischbach, Thomas J. ; Froehlich, Phillip A. ; Gressel, Michael G. ; Hall, Ronald M. ; O'Brien, Dennis M.
• Description:
  A site visit was made to a steel foundry in New Jersey to determine if current workers were at risk of developing silicosis by identifying and evaluating worker exposures to silica (14808607) containing dusts. This facility produced steel and stainless steel castings. Induction furnaces were used to melt and adjust the alloys. Fifteen personal samples for crystalline silica and respirable dust were collected to estimate the exposure to workers who performed chipping and grinding operations using hand held tools. Real time measurements were made on two workers to determine which tools and procedures were the primary exposure sources so that control efforts could be prioritized. The removal efficiency of the air recirculation system employed in the downdraft benches was measured. Four of the 15 personal examples exceeded NIOSH recommended exposures limits of 50 micrograms/cubic meter for quartz. The type of tool used, the direction of the grinding swarf, and the position of the tool inside or outside of the casting caused noticeable exposure differences. The exhaust from the downdraft tables was recirculated back into the foundry. Measurements of dust removal efficiency indicated that an improperly maintained bench offered no protection and that even an apparently well maintained bench removed less than half of respirable sized dust particles. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Dust Metals Metal Workers Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Silicon Dioxide Workplace
• Keywords:
  Abrasive-grinding Airborne-particles Dust-exposure Foundry-workers Metalworking-industry Mineral-dusts NIOSH-Author Occupational-exposure Silica-dusts Steel-foundries Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DPSE - Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering ; DPSE - Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Pages in Document:
  42-48
• Volume:
  53
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00204981
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1992 Jan; 53(1):42-48
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1992
• Performing Organization:
  New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19920930
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• End Date:
  20060929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ab17b555e55cdb40d7c4b6f64e72f6e543c42a5c8be949e835315ba465537478c8a6a6122923fbe2632317167e6567baca9c1d4803f44f30f4be826e2bc6241a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/205594/cdc_205594_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 881.73 KB ]