S. Caporali Filho, M. Vincenty Luyando, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, PR.
Environmental noise levels in San Juan, Puerto Rico, are considerably higher that those reported in the literature for other important metropolitan areas. High demographic and vehicular densities are considered to be important contributors to these higher noise levels. Within the service industry, there are occupational groups particularly affected by environmental noise. To a certain extent, these occupational groups are also exposed to carbon monoxide, a known ototoxic chemical. The purpose of this study is to characterize (1) the degree of environmental and occupational noise exposure in five nontraditional service industry occupations (tollbooth operators, residential trash collection employees, traffic control police officers, school teachers, and highway maintenance personnel); (2) its interaction with carbon monoxide exposure; and (3) its effects on subjects’ hearing. By the time this study is presented in the AIHA conference, up to 170 subjects will have participated in this study: 70 tollbooth operators, 40 police officers, 20 residential trash collection employees, 20 highway maintenance employees, and 20 schoolteachers. All of them will be monitored for noise dosimetry and carbon monoxide exposure, and a subsample of each occupational group will be submitted to a complete audiometric test and an otoacoustic emissions test. The information collected in this study will generate a better, realistic, and representative understanding of the degree of noise exposure and hearing loss of nontraditional service industry occupations within the island of Puerto Rico, contributing to the development of scientific-based criteria for the evaluation of current local occupational/environmental noise exposure regulation. Moreover, the knowledge gained from this study will represent a benefit for the scientific community, providing representative information on noise exposure and hearing loss for nontraditional service industry occupations for which very little data is currently available.
A. Zainudin, R. Ronaldin, PETRONAS, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In ensuring that chemicals are properly managed, Malaysia’s national oil company has established an online chemical database system using a chemical database software. This software is available in the company’s local network and accessible by all employees. The software has been used to facilitate developing and updating the chemical register. It has been used to characterize chemical hazards including chemical incompatibility, dangerous goods areas, risk assessment, and hazard identification. The software has also been used to translate the material safety data sheets from English to Malay, the Malaysian national language. The use of an online chemical database system has assisted the corporate planning for a chemical management program in the workplace, because of its ability to identify chemicals that are commonly used in the company. For PETRONAS as a multinational company, the database system will assist in future Globally Harmonized System (GHS) implementation. This presentation discusses the components, effectiveness, and benefits to the company of managing chemicals using an online database program.
M. Pryor, R. Kenzie, General Motors, Pontiac, MI.
General Motors (GM) facilities in Mexico and South America have traditionally depended on contractors to provide their industrial hygiene (IH) air sampling and analysis. We have found that in most Latin American countries, field services are lacking and there are few adequate labs for IH sample analysis. The field services that are available tend to be more focused on environmental sampling (ES) and do not know there is a difference between IH and ES sampling. Oversight is needed to allow the plants to perform IH assessments independent of contractor recommendations. GM’s IH group developed a global air sampling plan for assembly plants and plans to develop a similar plan for machining and stamping facilities. We have had successes in similar situations in Mexico. The GM de Mexico facilities had a contractor determining what to sample as well as when and how many samples to collect. We found that many samples were unnecessary and some contaminants sampled were not even part of the process. A thorough assessment was conducted and an air sampling plan was developed. In addition, we were able to work with our contractor in Mexico City and assisted the contractor with AIHA accreditation. There is a great opportunity to help these plants develop sound IH programs. They have many young and talented workers with an interest in IH.
D. Walters, KCP Inc., Raleigh, NC.
A three-day workshop on laboratory health and safety and laboratory design was conducted in June 2006 at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad. Approximately 140 persons from government, academic, and industrial institutions throughout India attended. The workshop included sessions on environmental health and safety (EHS) program management, chemical hazards and controls, transportation, storage, waste disposal, emergency planning and response, fire protection and prevention, biosafety, radiation safety, and mechanical and electrical safety. The workshop was organized because of a belief that Indian occupational health and safety is lagging behind the world community and that it is not yet supported by appropriate, sufficient regulations and enforcement. To be competitive in the current era of globalization and to enhance safety and health protection for laboratory students and employees, Indians have a crucial need for additional training in the concepts and principles of laboratory safety and design. This presentation describes the organization and presentation of the workshop as well as analysis of the participant reception and evaluation of the material. It will also discuss the objectives and goals of the workshop and how well they were accomplished. An overview of key EHS issues challenging our colleagues at India’s research and teaching institutions also will be presented.
A. Ellis, EORM, Atlanta, GA.
This presentation will look at global trends and challenges, including company-specific examples of organizations overcoming difficulties in implementing global environmental health and safety (EHS) programs, and showing success from a technical, managerial, and cultural vantage. It will include (1) key facts about China, India, and Eastern European countries; (2) a brief overview of the history of EHS as well as the status of EHS legislation; (3) challenges for these countries and opportunities for Western support; (4) successful approaches to working as a Western partner, with examples of successful programs from a technical and cultural viewpoint; and (5) some truths and misconceptions about what works and what doesn’t.
C. Simmons, F. Boelter, Boelter Associates, Inc., Park Ridge, IL.
Gaskets and packing, more broadly referred to as fluid sealing devices (FSDs), are used in most every application where mated or machined surfaces require leak control. Occasionally, the FSDs fail and need to be replaced, undergo preventive maintenance change-out, or must be handled during construction activities. This presentation includes the personal exposure results of workers using aggressive techniques in over 20 studies from 1994 to 2006. In each study, the individuals performing the work used their own tools and techniques. Frequently, aggressive techniques were used such as grinding, along with dry removal practices. These activities were performed with minimal to no ventilation. They included forcefully scraping adhered gasket material with a scraper, hand wire, or power wire; digging to remove packing; pounding material with hammers; and using compressed air to clean surfaces. We will discuss and describe the perceived level of aggression for these operations and the average airborne asbestos concentrations. A database was compiled that contains the following: 94 full-shift personal time-weighted average (TWA) samples with a range of 0.003 to 0.085 total f/cc and 0.003 to 0.010 asbestos f/cc; 348 full-shift area TWA samples with a range of 0.002 to 0.088 total f/cc and 0.003 to 0.053 asbestos f/cc; and 340 30-min, short-term samples with a range of 0.041 to 0.94 total and asbestos f/cc. A portion of the total data set represents the aggressive techniques. Samples were analyzed using NIOSH Method 7400, Phase Contrast Microscopy, followed by NIOSH Method 7402, Transmission Electron Microscopy, whenever results were above the limit of detection. While the total data sets did show a small amount of variability, none of the measurements exceeded regulatory occupational exposure limits, leading to the conclusion that the use of aggressive techniques had little effect on resulting exposures.
W. Shen, Delta Consultants, Troy, NY.
As China is industrializing rapidly, becoming a primary “factory floor” of the global economy, occupational hygiene issues have become more frequently identified there. While the public is exposed to sporadic media coverage of fatal occupational injuries and illnesses, the situation also creates pressure on all parties involved. The need for a distinct profession of industrial hygiene (IH) is being recognized in China. Does China have the educational resources to support the growth of this profession? Who is practicing IH there, and how? The four fundamental elements of industrial hygiene profession — the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace hazards — have not yet been well incorporated into the educational programs and practice of industrial hygiene in China. This presentation provides an overview of IH practice in China. A review of real-life occupational incidents will show the weaknesses and suggest ways the international IH community can help promote the profession in China.
R. Rinehart, NIOSH, Washington, DC.
The Work Improvement in Small Enterprises (WISE) program of the International Labor Organization (ILO) promotes practical, voluntary action to help owners and managers of small and medium enterprises improve materials storage and handling, workstation design, machine safety, control of hazardous substances, and other working conditions. Since 1988, the WISE program has resulted in improvements in thousands of small-scale industries in over 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, and Africa. A training program for workers, based on the WISE approach, has also been developed. Based on many experiences of the ILO and other organizations around the world, the effectiveness of WISE and related approaches has been demonstrated in provoking voluntary and practical action to improve working conditions of unprotected workers. The next challenges are (1) to expand the content to include other key working conditions issues, such as maternity protection, working time, and sexual harassment; (2) to adapt the methodology to other groups of unprotected workers, such as young workers and those in the informal economy; and (3) to forge more effective links to the broader development community and with local partners, such as local governments, community-based organizations and nongovernmental organizations, which can bring the benefits to a much larger number of workers and small businesses. The author has worked for many years as an external collaborator or short-term employee with the ILO and is helping to update and expand WISE. Some of the materials are currently being piloted in several developing countries. This presentation will provide an overview of the new WISE materials and resources that can potentially benefit the international occupational hygiene community.