Document 4876jq8XN72d6QxxQDG2qn2x

4 // industrial ufoinKS auKVrf PORT ARTHUR FORKS made by Allan E. Dooley, Industrial Hygiene Engineer This report presents the results of a surrey of eertaln operations and processes at Port Arthur works from the Industrial hygiene aspect. It is not a complete surrey of all operations at that refinery. Other operations will be oorered in future surreys. The report eonelste of three sections: (a) Sunnary of Findings, (b) Recommendations, and (e) Detailed Findings. Summary Qt Findings 1. Lead burners were exposed to lead in excess of the maxlaon allowable oonoentratlon. 2. Unloading clay (Lena bentonite) produced exposures to dust in sxoess of the naxinua allowable oonoentratlon. . 3. Dumping of the contact filter presses resulted in ex posure* (skin oontact and. inhalation} to a blaok oily sticky dust. The sffsots of suoh exposures are not presently known but they - must be considered as pctsntlslly hazardous. h. Reclaiming insulation and ganistsr resulted in exposures to duet in excess of maximum allowable oonoentratlon*, 5. Lead exposures during the manufacture of load naphthenate were found to be in exoess of the maximum allowable oonoentratlon. While the exposures were intermittent eo that the overall exposure vae somewhat lees than indicated by air sampling results, the operation cannot be considered non-hasardous. .6 Handling of litharge and litharge drome in the spiking of doctor sweetening solution was done without proper regard for health and eoonomy. 7; The handling and use of solvents other then additives was found to be satisfactory from the health standpoint. 6. Additives wars, in general, handled in a satisfactory manner with due regard for their toxioltiss. In the oast of nitrobenzene spills, th* proosdure for insuring that the effected employe received immediate medioal attention was not thoroughly worked out. j WA-TEX 003732 TEX I 0II8 ;i m Industrial Hygiene Surrey ?AW 19*9 I V* Roobamendations , Recommendations baaed on the surrey are summarised belov. The full recommendations are stated in the detailed finding#. Where, periodic physical examinations are recommended, it is to be under stood that they are to be compulsory. .. Lead burning 1. Lead burners should be giren periodio physical examinations. 2. Lead burners should wash their hands before eating lunch. . 3. washing facilities should be prorided in the lead burning' shop. ^ b. Housekeeping in the lead burning shop should be improred. 5 Consideration should be giren to the installation of a local exhaust rentilatlon system in the lead burning shop, the system to hare small hoods on flexible duots so that the lead fumes oan be remored at the source. . 6. Consideration should be giren to the use of a similar portable exhaust system to be used inside vessels. 7. Periodic surreys should be made to determine lead exposures during lead burning. Filter plant operations 1. Employes should wear approred respirators vhile unloading clay from freight oars. ' 2, Clay unloaders should be giren periodio physloal examinations erery 18 to 2b months. 3. Consideration should be giren to haring clay dellrered to the refinery in eorered hopper oars. b. Employes should vear approred respirators when dumping contact filtsr presses. 5. Employes who dump the pontaot filter presses should be giren periodic physloal examinations vith speolal reference to the lungs and skin. Wb-TEX 003733 TEX 10119 ti * Indtrll Hygi.n. Btimj PM - 19*9 a 5 Handling of solvents No recommendation* At this ting. Handling of additirea 1. Employe* who *-111 nitrobenzene on clothing should re move soiled* clothing And wash immediately, 2. The foreman should be notified at one# in the event of a nitrobenzene epill, 3. The foreman should notify the first aid room immediately in the event of a nitrobenzene spill. 4. If an employe who haa spilled nitrobenzene is sent to the flret aid room, he ahould always be accompanied. 5. The foreman ahould make a record of each' nitrobenzene apill. 6. Before resuming the uee of halowax 1014, the Health Division should be consulted ae to recommended safe handling. Storehouse handlin'? of nS*--*'' ^als 1. A wash baain with hot and cold water, soap and tovela should be installed in a readily accessible location in the wax basement. 2. Signs instructing what should be done in case of acei- dental exposures to ohemlcals should be posted in all storage locations. ....................... 3. Drums and other containers of hazardous ohemlcals should be so designated. 4. Periodlo inspections should be made to deteot leaky drums and other containers. Car shor 1, Employes who clean or work on tank cars which have been used for ethylene oxide should avoid skin contact with even dilute solutions of this materiel. WA-TEX 003734 TEX 10120 Industrial Hygiene 3urvey >A\/ - 19^9 1 2. Employee should avoid inhalation of vapors of euoh sub* stances ab methanol, ethylene dichloride, aromatic distillate, tolildlne and other volatile solvents, 3, Enroloyea should avoid skin contact with such substances as caustic soda, sulfuric acid. b. The medical and safety departments should be consulted as to proper safeguards if cars containing substances of unknown toxicity are received. Hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide exposure^ 1. Gas mask canister record cards should be revised so that each card will have snail squares each representing 15 minutes of use, the total number of such squares to be determined by the normal life of the canister. 2. Each employe using a canister should cheek end initial . a square for each use of 15 minutes or less. If the banister is used for a period longer than 15 mlnutea, the proper number of squares should be checked. 3. Consideration should be given to furnishing a canister to each employe who is assigned a facepiece and making each employe responsible for replacing his canister when necessary. The revised record card as described above should be used. No recommendations concerning sulfur dioxide are made at thie time. .. Personal hygiene facilities 1. Deficiencies and Inadequacies in the personal hygiene facilities dssorlbtd in the March 16, 19U9. report by the PAW Safety Department should be oorreoted. 2. A continuing educational program should be developed to improve personal cleanliness and to aid in keeping facilities'^ neat and dean.' ' 3. Frequent inspections should be made to insure that all personal hygiene facilities are being maintained properly. : WA-TEX 003735 UX 10 12 1 lilt*trial Hygienefjurrey i- AV.' - 19*9......................... i Ir i aa! aerrlces and facilities 1. Greater effort* should be made to derelop a desire among a greeter number of eaployes to hare periodic -hyklbal examination*. 2. Continued effort* should be made toward reducing absent^ iim due to illneee and non-induetrial injury. . | WA-TEX 003736 .k r In'iuBtrial Hygiene Survey . PAW - 19^9 A fc I( Detailed Findlnge Detailed finding* of the variou* operation* and condition* studied during the surrey are given on the following peg**. are arranged so that if desired, the varlou* section* can he dlstributes to those conoemed vlth the particular operation** |! WA-TEX 003737 TEX 10123 H 'f Industrial Hygiene Surrey PAW - lW 3 i,osd burning - Lead burning at Port Arthur Works was don# both In th# lead burning ehop and inside certain vessels and units. xpoeures were determined at both locations. The lead burning ehop itself was a building about 19 x 21 feet In else with a large door-about 8 feet vide on the vest vail and a alallar one directly opposite it on the east vail. The two other vails had tvo windows each, and a fifth vlndov was in the vest wall. A large work table was placed along the south vail between the doors on the east and vest walls. The shop had a rough wood floor. . The doors were kept open except during lnoleaent weather. Housekeeping vas fair, the floor being svept occasionally by means of a straw broom. At the time of the survey, six lead burners were employed, all on the day shift. They ate their lunches either in the shop or direotly outside it. It vas observed that several did not wash their hands before eating. No washing facilities were provided in the lead burning shop. - Samples vers collected by means of an electrostatic preolpitator and were analysed for lead content by the Port Arthur Works laboratory by means of the polarograph. All samples were collected in the breathing senes of the lead burners. In the lead burning shop, con centrations ranged from 0.35 milligram per oublo meter of air to 1,56 mg. per cubic meter. Two samples collscted in No. ho separator during a patching Job ehovtd concentrations of 0.33 and 0.53 mg. per cu. a, (Details of the individual samples are given In the accom panying table.) All of these concentration# vers in excess of the maximum allowable concentration of 0.15 milligram of lead per cubic meter of air. It should be pointed out that the lead burners were not exposed to these concentrations over the entire shift each day. The time required for sueh operations as laying but and setting up work, cleaning bar lead, ontting lead sheet, preparing the surfaces and similar aotlvltlss would result in somewhat lover daily exposures than indioated by the sampling results. However, even making allow ances for these periods, whan lead burning was not being done, the exposures of the lead burners must be considered as being hazardous to health. Accurate and up-to-date information as to the amount of lead absorption ooourring among these employes vas not available, considerable tins having elapsed slnos they lest had physical ex aminations. (Some of them reported that they had not been examined since the beginning of the war,} Accordingly, the following recommendations are mads for the purpose of reducing exposures to lead fume and dust, end to detect WA-TEX 003738 TEX f 0 J 2 *f IsL& trial Hygiene Murray PAW - 15*9 ^* tf sign* of increased lead absorption: .1. All lead burners should be given periodic physical, examinatiohs, the frequency to be determined by.the plant physicians. 2. As a part of the program of increased personal cleanliness among all employes* the lead burners should be required to . vaeh their hands before eating lunch. It is realised that lead intake by ingestion is only a minor faotor In industrial lead poisoning* however* the practice of washing hands before eating is an essential part of good personal hygiene. 3* Washing facilities to include hot and oold running water and soap should be provided in the lead burning shop. ' 4. The housekeeping of the lead shop should be improved. Dry sweeping normally produoes more dust than vkouum or wet methods of cleaning* and if dry sweeping of the shop is to be done* it should be done when a minimum number of employes are in the shop, ' 5. Consideration should be given to the installation of a local exhaust ventilation and fume oolleotor system in the lead shop* the systsm to hare small hoods attached to flexible metal ducts so that the hood can be plaoed close to the point of generation of the lead fumes. 6. Consideration should also be given to the use of a portable exhaust systsm with a hood and flexible metal - duct for use when lead burning is done inside vessels. 7. Periodlo industrial hygiene surveys should be made to determine lead exposures during lead burning. !I WA-TEX 003739 TEX 10125 ( Results o f determination* o f load dust and fume concentratIons during load burning. Port A rth u r Works - June, 19^9 Note: Maximum allow able concentration fo r lead - 0.15 m illigram s per cubic meter of a ir WA-TEX 003740 TEX 10126 , ,* - .`"V ' lo^btriei Hygien* Jurvey A * %1 ?Ayt - 19*9 ................................................................ Filter Plant Operation! - Duat exposure! vmrm AmtmfminmA for eeveral operations in connection with the handling of clays. '/--Samples were ooUeoted in the breathing tones of the employe* by mean* hf f midget implngsr using distilled water a* a collecting medium. Duet oount* were made at a magiiiflostion of 100 diameters, ueing the . etandard light-field technique. - v*; . During the unloading of Lena .olmc from a freight oar, the two ' ' employe# were expoaed to a concentration of 282.5 million particle*...... per oubio foot of air. Unloading of a car required about 3f hour*. RasDir&tore were provided for theee employee but it was noted that . they were not being worn. Lena clay, aocordlng to ah earlier analysie by Washington University, St. Louie, contained about 12 to 13 per cent of free silica., Similar analysis showed that the Hivereide fuller*a earth contained about 7 per cent of free silica. The maximum allowable . concentration, of duets; containing- $ to 5'0, par/cent'':;of-,'-fres':ailiOu;-.'. . ?: has been set at 20 million particles per oublc foot of air. It is ; ' recommended that: \' - ; ' 1, Employes should wear respirators while unloading clay from freight ears; . 2. Clay unloaders should be given periodic physical examinations at 18 to 2b month intervals. 3. Consideration should be given to the plan of having the clay shipped to the refinery in covered hopper oars. This would . reduce time required for unloading and reduoe duet exposures, On the tjpr> EttMll&ft 2l Xtttff? SlaBb *** neral air in the area of the elevators and the conveyors contained lag.8 million particles; per cubic foot of air, normally no onevorked for long periods in this area. An inspection of the jl2aC Si JttL tlllfC -taiitUng but no samples were ooUeoted because construction and repair, worit vas in progress. However, the amounts of dust which hadeettledon equipment, beams, eto. shoved that high dust concentrations occurred daring normal operation#. r The daiPlOS 8Lpatilt resulted in exposures to a biachoiTy; sticky dust. Each press was dumped at intervals of about bo minutes, saoh dumping requiring about 5 minutes. A sample collected while Ho. 2 press (POR-55] end Ho. 6 press (Wax diet. 10} were dumped shoved a oonoentration of 65.3 million particles per cubic foot of air. The presses were dumped by swinging the bottom part of the shell downward and to on# side so that the blaok oily spent olay would fall through an opening into oars beneath the press floor. Clay which adhered to the filter plates was dislodged by means of scrapers. During the operation, in addition to Inhaling | WA-TEX 003741 TEX 10127 Inaa*trial Hygiene Burvey PAW - 1949 the duet, the emoloyes ' work clothing and exposed body eurfabs* became rather heavily eolled with the spent day. It was reported that under certain wind conditions, dust oonoentrat ions vara higher than at the tins of the ssapling beoause up-drafts through tbi floor openings caused greater dispersal of the dust. While there is no Information available on the effects of in halation of. or of prolonged skin contact with this aoent day dust, the presence of the heavy blaok oily materials doe* not permit this duet to be classed as a mare nuisance dust. Therefore, it is reoommended that: 1. Exposed employee ehould be required to wear approved type respirators.. 2. Periodic physical examinations should be made on this 'group of employes with special reference to the lunge and akin. Time did not permit an appraisal of other operations involving exposures to day and fuller's earth dust. Beoause 01 the fact that these dusts are capable of producing pneumoconiosis, it is reoommended that: 1. Periodic physical examinations every 18 to 24 months should be made of all employes exposed to dusts in the filter building. - i WA-TEX 003742 TEX 10128 In^itrial Hygiene^-tarrey PAW ~ 1949 Redlining insulation- and ganlstor - One employe on the flay shift was exposed to high 00noentrations of dust during the reclama tion of insulation and ganister, These tvo materials were fed into a hammer mill and the crushed materials were discharged Into a olosed bin. At mterrals, when the bln was filled, the material was removed and bagged. The bin was fitted with a natural-draft stack which ex tended to above the roof of tho Quonset building which housed the operation, . ... The operator fed plecee of insulation into the hammer mill by hand. The action of the mill caused duet and fragments of Insulation to be dleoharged through the feed hole. The operator held a piece of burlap over this opening to reduce the amount of dust emitted Into his breathing tone. This was not an sffsctire means because a ample collected while the employs was feeding insulation Into the mill showed a concentration of 175.7 million partlolee per cubic foot of air. The crushed Insulation was shoveled into an upright drum mounted on trunnions, an empty bag plaoed over the top of the drum and the whole thing upended so that the material dropped Into the bag. ' A dust sample taken during this work showed a dust concentration of 165.1 million particles per cubic foot of air. The Insulation handled was known as 85 per oent magnesia insulation. This material contained 85 per oent of magnesia and 15 per oent asbestos. Asbestos dust* if lhhalsd In sufficient amounts and for a prolonged period, will cause a lung fibrosis termed "asbestosIs*. The maximum allowable oonoentratlon of asbestos dust in the breathing sons of workers has been set at 5 million par*, tides per oublo foot of air. Naturally, the pereentage of asbestos In the dust to whloh tbs employe was exposed during crushing and bagging of insulation would be low beoause of tho high magnesia oontent of tho material. Seen so, assuming that tho dust contained 15 per oent of asbestos, the exposures during the crushing and bagging of insulation were in exoees of the maximum allowable eon- oentration. .. Dust exposures during the reclamation of ganietor were not determined beoause this material was not being processed during the surrey. Howerer, beoause the asms equipment was used and the fact that the ganister Is auoh harder, it is reasonable to assume that its processing would also produce high dust concentrations. The percentage of free silica in ganister was not determined but it is essentially a refractory clay. Host days hare been considered as relatirely harmless when inhaled but reoent reports hare indicated that some of them are oapable of producing disabling lung pathology. ' WA-TEX 003743 TEX 10129 I.i Ustrial RyglenS feurvsy PAV - 19^9 '] -- The respirator whloh the employe had beep using for many years vas one whloh has nevor reoelrefl approval under the standards established by the U. 3. Bureau of Mines. It consisted of a white rubber faoepieoe eontalning a snail sponge which was subposed to be kept moistened with water to remove dusts. It did not fit the employe*s faoe properly because he had stuffed a handkerchief around the edges,. The ineffectiveness of this respirator was explained to the operator by the area safety engineer and, while the employe insisted that the white rubber type was the only satisfactory res pirator, ha agread to try an approved respirator for one week. After a week's trial hs reported the new rsspirator vas so superior to the old one that he wondered how he had gotten along for eo many yeare and requested that hie thank* be conveyed to the area safety engineer. The reclsaatlon of insulation and ganister was a steady opera tion and the employe was exposed to high dust concentrations over the entire shift. Respirators are normally reoomnsnded only for exposures which are intermittent and of relatively Short duration. For exposure# ocourlng over the whole shift day after day, control of the dust at its point of generation - is the preferred method. Therefore, it is reoomaended that: . i. Looal exhaust ventilation and duet oolleetlng system should be installed for the insulation and ganister reclamation operation. Until such time as this dust control system ie Installed, employee should be required to wear respirator# approved for protection against pneumooonlosls-produclng dusts. Periodic physical examinations should be made of employes engaged in crushing and bagging-ganister and insulation at intervals of 18 to 2k months. WA-TEX 003744