Document 8RY66eBwLd04GEEZ8bYOyn4zk

FILE NAME Painters and Allied Trades PAINT DATE 0000 DOC PAINT064 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Article from Painters and Allied Trades Journal - Eula Bingham -kers . for ended for No Known Safe Level for Asbestos Exposure by Dr. Eula Bingham Assistant Labor Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health 40 percent of asbestos workers will die of asbestos diseases Even very brief exposure may cause Do you work with asbestos It's worth finding out because asbestos one of the most serious threats to the health of American workers Asbestos can be found at con- struction sites shipyards textile and chemical plants auto repair shops Schools paper mills and many other workplaces It can travel from one part of a work area to another through ventilation systems can be inhaled or swallowed with a deadly lung disease or cancer which may not show up for 20 years or more Other studies have shown that 38 percent of asbestos work- ers family members may suffer lung disorders apparently as a result of exposure to fibers which are brought home on work clothes There is no known safe level for exposure to asbestos so it is im- portant that your employer reduce your exposure as much as possible The standard issued by the Occu- In all three to five million work- may be exposed to asbestos Studies have shown that more than pational Safety and Health Administration OSHA requires your employer to limit average exposure over an hour shift to two asbestos Dr. Bingham fibers longer than five micrometers federal district court has ordered the Occupational Safety & Health Ad- ministration to establish definitive Safety Standards provements must come in annual in- crements of 20 percent each the court said in each cubic centimeter of air _ To meet this standard employ- ers must use engineering controls These may include isolation and enclosure of work processes exhaust ventilation systems and dust benchmarks for states that operate their own job safety plans to insure a fully effective enforcement program The ruling by the U.S. District Court Judge John Lewis Smith Jr. eal the District of Columbia is the result of a challenge the AFL and the Industrial Union Dept. iniliated in 1974 because of concerns Over the quality of state safety plans approved by OSHA After an appellate court upheld the grounds for the suit Judge Smith dierected the Secretary of Labor to set benchmarks and timetables for new and existing state plans on the staffing inspectors and industrial hygienists criteria for needed funds to effecconseively operate the programs The order calls for federal officials . utilize the best information and chniques currently available in de- mamining the number of hygienists ates need to run an effective work- ' safety program gives OSHA 90 days to come up a program for establishment of e benchmarks and to determine by ext May 1 which states are deficient meeting the goals of the 1970 fedThe job safety and health law The year order lays down a metable in which George H. R. Taylor the AFLCIO's occupational safety and health director said that Judge Smith's rul- ing was a welcome development in labor's efforts to improve the quality of standard state programs He noted there is a strong possibil- ity the ruling would prompt a number of below state plans to be abandoned in favor of more effective federal enforcement OSHA has the authority to crack down on state plans that fail to meet the standards of operation laid down by the federal safety law Taylor noted but thus far its actions have come mainly in threats to lift the safety agency's approval : Currently 24 states operate OSHA- approved plans which under certain conditions empt federal jurisdic- tion on enforcement of the 1970 job safety law : The court said that in establishing the benchmarks OSHA must con- sider in each state The number of employers and workers ; The number and type of health hazards The number of general inspec- tions that should be conducted an- nually to provide proper coverage The anticipated number of healthrelated complaints and accident in- . collection All operated and operated tools which might release asbestos must be equipped with local exhaust systems As far as possible asbestos must be kept wet when being handled Employers must provide approved respirators while changes are being made to reduce exposure or if otherwise necessary Workers who can't function normally when wear- ing a respirator may not be as- signed to tasks which require respirator use Employers must also provide change rooms two separate clothes lockers and laundry service so that asbestos fibers will not be transferred to street cloths At workplaces where asbestos is present employers must conduct tests at least exery six months to determine asbestos exposure levels They also must provide regular medical examinations Workers have the right to see their exposure records and to have their medical records made available to their doctors If you have questions about as- bestos and the OSHA asbestos standard contact the nearest OSHA office Look in your phone book under United States Government De- partment of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration or write to OSHA 3rd and Constitu- spections tion Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20210 THE JOURNA