Assessment of Dermatitis Among Chair Sanders

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burton, Nancy C. ; Tapp, Loren C.
• Description:
  Situation/Problem: NIOSH received a Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) request from management of a chair manufacturing facility. They were concerned about skin rashes among sanders in the clean-up (or sanding) department. Two employees had severe skin reactions at work and could no longer work in the department. The employees performed repairs using epoxy resins, sanded rough areas on wooden frames, and cleaned the frames using different chemicals including acetone. The work was done on downdraft benches, raised platforms, or the floor, depending upon the size of the piece. The screws used in the chair frames had been changed to a larger size that required angled holes to provide additional strength. The holes had to be filled with epoxy resin which was mixed by hand to match the color of the frame. The company required employees to wear either nitrile or vinyl gloves. This area of the facility did not have general ventilation. Resolution: Several recommendations were made: installing local exhaust ventilation for the hand sanders; adding a vacuum system instead of compressed air to remove dust; using an epoxy gun to apply epoxy; using polyvinyl gloves when working with epoxies; using goggles or safety glasses when working with epoxies and other chemicals; reporting skin rashes to management when they occur; and referring employees with persistent rashes to a dermatologist with occupational medicine experience. Results: Wipe sampling showed that dust from epoxy resins was found throughout the cleaning department. Air sampling for volatile organic compounds showed no over-exposures. The downdraft tables were not effective in controlling dust levels due to the size of some of the chair frames. The amount of epoxy used in the cleaning department was greatly increased after the change in frame design. Confidential medical interviews with employees showed that 8 of 18 employees reported current or recent skin irritation. Review of medical records confirmed that one employee showed an allergic skin reaction to epoxy resins when tested by skin patch testing. Lessons learned: Epoxy resins were suspected to be the cause of the skin rashes. Engineering controls, improved work practices, and the use of personal protective equipment were needed to reduce the exposure to epoxy resins. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dermatitis Epidemiology Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Safety Skin Skin Diseases Ventilation Wood
• Keywords:
  Dermal Exposures Furniture Workers Manufacturing Skin Disorders Ventilation Systems Woodworkers
• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• 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:
  71
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066037
• Citation:
  AIHce 2016: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition Pathways to Progress, May 21-26, 2016, Baltimore, Maryland. Falls Church, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2016 May; :71
• Contact Point Address:
  N. Burton, CDC/NIOSH, Cincinnati, OH
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  AIHce 2016: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition Pathways to Progress, May 21-26, 2016, Baltimore, Maryland
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0817fe67ea0e4543c9aaa9812b9c335ef3346c730ec1052dcc6fb6c3905512e47a64d584699f04030ee175c2ee00d6a0e25fa415bf931c916fb17ae41170e1b2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209121/cdc_209121_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.41 MB ]