Document 5kpBJ4ekbmo8Q9LOgaRjG6bRV

FILE NAME: National Safety Council (NSC) DATE: 1933 Oct DOC#: NSC230 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: NSC Safety News - Keeping Down the Dust K eeping Down the Bust b. By E. O. JONES* Closer supervision of plant practices will often reveal methods of many localities it is only quite recently reducing the amount of dust created. After dust gets into the that the medical profession has been confronted with our problem. atmosphere its removal is extremely difficult and expensive It is also of interest to note that in some states where there is no occu pational disease act, or where the disease D URING the last few years, much has been written about the pathological effects of dust. From this material there seems to be some lack of agreement among scientists as to the pathological effects of these types of dust, their dangerous dimen sions, the length of time one must be exposed to their inhalation, the density of concentration which is dangerous, and must carry some of the risk, particularly if it is his own option to work at the par ticular trade he elects. There has been a tendency to hysteria in consideration of the problem. Vari ous legislative bodies, state industrial boards and other associations have lately become very much interested in the subject, and there is no question but that they have an honest and humane in question is not specified, a more seri ous medico-legal aspect was developed. The examination of old employees and pre-examination of new employees, in many instances, discloses a surprising lack of evidence to support or substanti ate that we are harboring a health hazard in proportion to the suits which are being brought against the members of the industry. (the extent to which they are directly purpose to inquire into the conditions ;\ causative or contributory to disease. under which work is performed and to The Dust We Create t It is unfortunate that in the twilight see to it that those conditions are as The mechanical control of dust is not zone between ethics and non-ethics, sanitary, healthy and safe as they can our only problem, nor does the ac 4 \| athnedremaerdeiccalerptarionfesmsieomnbewrhsoofarethewillelignagl mbea,nbuufatctounreermius stnontoet qausaslulymeinttehraetstethde, cuopmonplliasrhgmeeenxt peonfdistuucrehs coofnmtroonl eyd.epeWnde to take advantage of these uncertainties and with as good a reason, or that he is know from experience that gradually , and capitalize on them largely for their not willing to do his part to the limit. human ingenuity will provide ways and I own benefit. When the foundry industry was con means to this part of the problem. Everyone will agree that the day has fronted with the accusation that it But let us digress from the subject to passed when employers in civilized harbored a potential health hazard, its consider the amount of dust we as indi countries can be accused of neglect or leaders immediately took steps to study viduals create. Take the molder, for indifference to the welfare of their the problem, with the object of eliciting instance, who goes to his bench at the people. Were it not that education, all the facts and determining upon a start of his day's work. He reaches for civilization and the broader culture of course of procedure to eliminate the his air hose, and starts the day by re modern life would make these things causation. This study has been under moving with its force everything he can abhorent, the very economic essence of way in some localities for some time, from his. equipment. In close proximity the thing would bring forward the truth but its procedure presents many difficult to his bench, or on the window sill in that sickness, causing the employees to problems. front of him, you will usually find a be absent or replaced, is reflected in varied collection of relics. He will labor turnover which is an important Varying Compensation Laws usually wet down his sand pile, but item of expense in industry. seldom his floor or gangway. When he In our modern life, there are duties to Our industry is widely spread over the is through with his shift he usually grabs be performed in essential industries United States, our compensation laws the air hose and proceeds to take a which are inherently dangerous. There are not uniform, and vary to a large compressed air bath. are risks in many industries where degree in their scope of provisions. Only And we have the foundry laborer; he human ingenuity has been unable to ten states at the present time cover occu has many menial tasks to perform. provide complete protection, but the pational diseases in a general way and When he sweeps or uses a shovel he demands of modern existence call for in some of these states, the law still seems to be of the opinion that his efforts these risks to be taken, and no accusa provides fertile ground for dispute due are judged by the atmosphere he creates. tion of homicide has been made against to the wording of the Act. Some occu If he does sprinkle the floor it is usually \ the industry in which they occur. pational diseases occur as quickly as an done very sparingly. ' When all the facts are known, all pos sible preventive means should, of course, be adopted, but the individual must also be trained to do his personal part to minimize the hazard. He individually accident. Others are of gradual onset and slow development. Members of the medical profession are continually con fronted with new problems and it usually takes some time before sufficient experi Shake-out men and crane men seem ingly give little attention to the results of their thoughtlessness. Grab buckets are usually lifted to the limit of their lift and then dumped. Many companies Consultant, National Founders A ssocia tion Chicago (A paper presented before the 22nd Annual Safety Congress). ence is gained to qualify one for an have furnished equipment, such as posi- expression of authoritative opinion. In ( Please turn to page 72) NOVEMBER, 1933 t /Jail or) -ouP A lt cOS I 2 9* ' Jj ^ WoRSt Than Pin k Elephants / *The n ig h tm a r e of lost- t /m e Ac c io e n t s " -- u p to 1929 -- N o R E S T - OREAMIN<S. OF A L L THOftB A C C ID E N T S IS T E R R IB L E ,. 1930 S O M E S E T T E R - ONL.V D ISTU R B ED TWICE*. 1931 ONLV O N E BAD O R ftA N . 1932 A H O 1933 < M A v e > SOUN O, U N IN T E R R U P T E D SLEEP PRODUCES EFFICIENT; SAFE W ORKERS ON THE U09 / SINCE their safety drive was started back in 1928, the distribution de partment of the El Paso Electric Com pany has overlooked no opportunity to think in terms of safety. The ac companying cartoon strip, planned by P. D. Kennary, and executed by their cartoonist, J. C. Tipton, is a graphic illustration of the kind of interesting material displayed regularly. Once this distribution department had a veritable "nightmare" of accidents, but the safety consciousness of the men has consistently been built up to a point where accidents rest at zero. Up to and including July 24, the 78 men in the de partment had completed a total of 422,802 man-hours without a lost-time accident. During the last 27 months, or since April 24, 1931, men in the distribu tion department have maintained a record of perfect safety in operation. Keeping Down the Dust (Continued from page 15) tive pressure helmets and respirators, to employees who work in extremely dusty atmospheres. But it is surprising to note the apparent lack of interest on the part of the employee for whose protec tion this equipment is furnished. From these remarks some may say "Why shift the responsibility?" Not a bit. We have merely cited these few facts as an indication that possibly we can improve the supervision. If we make every man responsible for the cleanliness of the vicinity in which he works, and every foreman responsible for his department, and then in turn make the superintendent answer for the cleanliness of his shop, we will not have to worry about the increase in labor cost. After dust gets into the atmosphere, it is,of course, very difficult and expensive to remove. Keeping the foundry floor off the ceiling is a man size job. Now to return to our subject. Venti lation is a problem everywhere. A dili gent survey of our existing equipment may develop the fact that by small ex penditures we can improve conditions. Inspect your dust-arresting equipment. See that the rapping device is in order, that the screens are in good condition, we suggest that they are rapped and the hoppers emptied regularly. Repair any leaks in pipes. See that the valves close properly. Chirtes should be kept in good repair, and when emptying arrestors, respirators should be worn by the men whose duty it is to perform this work. If refuse from the arrestors is not re moved at once, keep it in containers or wet down until it is removed. Above all, watch your air velocities and make sure you are removing at the source as much of the dust as the equipment was originally designed to do. You pay for the current the motor consumes to oper ate your suction equipment, therefore get the proper return for that expendi ture. Do not store or allow sand to accumu late around your blasting equipment. Make sure you are receiving the proper air changes in your sandblast rooms. Inspect your masks to the amount of air purging through. The wearer is prone many times to just crack or partially open the valve, and when this is done he is not getting the full protection for which the helmet was designed. We suggest that the helmet be removed from the sand blast room and stored at the end of the day in a dust tight cabinet, instructing the wearer to clean before re-using. In your cleaning rooms where tum bling barrels are used, we deal again with air velocities. Piping should be diligently inspected and kept in good repair. Make sure traps are performing the service they were designed for. It might be well to keep floors in this de partment wet down. Remove the day's accumulation of refuse at the end of the day's run. When cyclones are used, make sure you are not exhausting at the level of windows which may be opened in other parts of your plant. We will have to look for further co operation from the foundry equipment manufacturers who serve our industry. Equipment will have to be sold to us not to meet existing codes, but as dust tight as human ingenuity can design them. After the equipment is installed, it will be the purchaser's responsibility to see that it is regularly inspected and maintained to perform the service for which it was originally designed. And we refer again to the employee's responsibility. When he elects to work in a foundry, he should be willing to cooperate and wear the safety devices which are provided bj- his employer, and it will be the purchaser's responsibility to see that the equipment is well cared for and properly maintained. Our industry is a basic one and we hope that it will long continue to be essential. For this reason we want to assure those who are sitting on the side lines that it is our determination and hope that, with the help of those in the medical profession who have given so generously of their time in scientific study, we can soon determine the actual extent of the hazard. In the meantime, while many diverse opinions are being brought into agree ment, it is imperative that we give more than passive assent to suggested measures of precaution or improvement. The accomplishment of worth while results depends upon the diligent and active cooperation of everyone con cerned and the utilization of all known means of prevention and control. Only through united effort can we hope to ac complish an effective program which will give maximum of advantage to em ployers and employees alike, and to such an end we are confident the foundry industry will continue to dedi cate its earnest and conscientious efforts. NATIONAL SAFETY NEWS