Industrywide studies report, industrial hygiene survey, Col. Florence A. Blanchfield U.S. Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Elliott, Larry J.
• Description:
  Personal and general area air samples were analyzed for ethylene- oxide (75218) in the central material supply area of a US Army hospital (SIC-8062) in Fort Campbell, Kentucky in December, 1984. Work practices and engineering controls were observed. Time weighted average (TWA) personal ethylene-oxide exposures ranged from non detectable to 0.48 part per million (ppm). Short term exposures averaged 2.41ppm TWA. The OSHA standard for ethylene-oxide is 1.0ppm. Area air ethylene-oxide concentrations ranged up to 106.6ppm (15 minute exposure) on the second shift. Work practices such as opening the door too wide after completing the sterilizer cycle and not vacating the central material supply area during the exhaust/air flushing stage may have increased ethylene-oxide concentrations. Conducting the sterilization process on the second shift when few personnel were present and using gloves when handling sterilized packages reduced overall ethylene-oxide exposures. The facility lacked such engineering controls as local exhaust ventilation hoods at the air break between the vacuum line and drain and properly placed exhaust ventilation grids. The author concludes that personal ethylene-oxide exposures did not exceed the OSHA standard. Exposure potential can be reduced by improving work practices and installing necessary engineering controls. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Content Notes:
  in NTRL, no pdf
• Subjects:
  Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Occupational Health Safety Safety Management
• Keywords:
  NIOSH-Author; NIOSH-Survey; Field-study; Medical-facilities; Quantitative-analysis; Workers; Analytical-models; Surgery; Safety-monitoring; Region-4
• Series:
  Industry Wide Field Studies
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; 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:
  1-32
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00153409
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB86141884
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, IWS 152-11, 1985 Sep; :1-32
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ethylene oxide (CAS RN 75-21-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1985
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  8062 - General medical & surgical hospitals - (SIC)
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dc847c09aedf140bc731323e8446b4703641ae07d6ad9e7b7238120dab30b8f7dcaa9b938d34d035f87873a0fe7fec262d5d13dcaf290925445e82b6de3b57d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/233340/cdc_233340_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.02 KB ]