Health Hazard Evaluation Program: Evaluation of Workplace Exposures in a School Ceramics and Visual Arts Studio [HHE-2023-0069-3420]

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Evaluation of Workplace Exposures in a School Ceramics and Visual Arts Studio
• Personal Author:
  O'Connor, M. Colleen ; Rinsky, Jessica L.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Management of a school requested a health hazard evaluation of their ceramics and visual arts studio. They were interested in an assessment of potential exposures related to ceramics, including exposure to respiratory hazards such as respirable crystalline silica. We visited the school to learn more about the art studio space, potential hazards, and health concerns associated with the art studio. We completed the following activities during our visit: (1) observed a ceramics class, including set-up, and clean-up procedures; (2) collected air samples for respirable dust, respirable crystalline silica, and respirable metals; (3) tested surfaces throughout the art studio for metals, and (4) assessed the ventilation system throughout the art studio space. We found that metals were present on all surfaces tested. Respirable dust, respirable crystalline silica, and respirable metals were not present in any of the air samples collected. The ventilation system in the art studio was not sufficient for the space. Nondetectable levels of RCS, dust, and metals in air samples indicate that employees are unlikely to be exposed to hazardous levels of these exposures in air while spending time in the space. However, opportunities to improve employee health and safety exist by reducing metals on surfaces through improved cleaning; reducing potential safety hazards by improving the labeling and storage of materials; improving employee comfort through assessment of the ventilation system; and improving personal protective equipment selection, use, and storage.
• Subjects:
  Ceramics Dust Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Silicon Dioxide Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Art Studios Respirable Crystalline Silica Respirable Dust Sculpture
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Case Report
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  28 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Watts, Shawna ; Booher, Donald ; Dunn, Kevin L.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070998
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2025]. Evaluation of workplace exposures in a school ceramics and visual arts studio. By O’Connor MC, Rinsky JL. Cincinnati, OH: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2023-0069-3420, https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2023-0069-3420.pdf.
• CAS Registry Number:
  Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Editor(s):
  Hamilton, Cheryl
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  611110 - Elementary and Secondary Schools - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4d683cee9a5bc3e0540f3f10fa495409dc9384f8045cbd4449ce9efc2f99e60a56d21e25ad8db64d746f0a6802f678a20923aeb8504a149fcbbd15bc960853a7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/232223/cdc_232223_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 679.82 KB ]