Impact of ergonomic posture on the chemical exposure of workers in the petroleum and chemical industry.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Davis, Kermit G. ; Eturki M ; Maier MA ; Rao MB ; Snawder, John E. ; Whitehead C
• Description:
  Objectives: Despite a rise in automation, workers in the petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing industry are potentially exposed to various chemicals through inhalation while performing routine job duties. Many factors contribute to the degree of exposure experienced in this setting. The study objective was to characterize the impact of workplace conditions, anthropometric variability, and task orientation on exposure for a simulated routine operations task. Methods: A chemical exposure laboratory simulation study was designed to evaluate the dependent variable of chemical exposure level in the breathing zone for methane and sulfur hexafluoride. The independent variables were (i) posture of the worker, (ii) worker anthropometry, (iii) process configuration, and (iv) gas density. Results: Pipe height was a significant predictor of gas concentration measured in the breathing zone when located in a position that encouraged the gas to enter the breathing zone of the worker. Worker anthropometry had a major impact; tall worker's (male) chemical concentrations exceeded those of the short worker (female) for methane simulations but the opposite resulted for sulfur hexafluoride. Also, worker posture had a significant impact on gas exposure where nonneutral postures were found to have higher levels of chemical concentration. Conclusions: The study findings indicate that the breathing zone location is altered by posture and worker height, which changes the exposures relative to the emission source depending on the gas density of the chemicals that are present. As a result, qualitative risk assessment cannot be performed accurately without accounting for these factors. Practically, controls may need to account for worker size differences and posture adaptations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Petroleum Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Anthropometry; Posture; Petroleum Industry; Petroleum Refining; Chemical Industry Workers; Risk Assessment; Exposure Assessment; Inhalation; Oil Refinery Workers; Author Keywords: Anthropometry; Oil Refning; Petrochemical; Postural Stress; Process Design; Qualitative Exposure Assessment; Risk Assessment
• ISSN:
  2398-7308
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  66
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065210
• Citation:
  Ann Work Expo Health 2022 Oct; 66(8):1022-1032
• Contact Point Address:
  Kermit G Davis, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
• Email:
  kermit.davis@uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Oil and Gas Extraction
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e914bc862a98fe7fbe10573220fbeabf7990673dae979098b511fd1e5a1b8623aed6a9b8431115191ae33dddd20e0075e016268fcf915709ada06f5bc0e07b5e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/249370/cdc_249370_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 916.06 KB ]