Document 93E4mM5EpkNaXNzNe5Kgv0qVR

FILE NAME Jewelers JEWEL DATE 1978 DOC JEWEL002 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Published Report from OSHA Journal Job Safety Health US Department of Labor Occupational Sately and Health Administration January 1978 Vol 6 No 1 Articles 6 People Plywood and Logging Abating Dangers to Life and Limb The forest products industry is one of the oldest and most hazardous industries known This article focuses on logging and plywood manufacturing in the Pacific Northwest and some of the efforts being made to curtail related injuries and illnesses 17 22 Charting New Courses at the Review Commission The new chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission is independent outspoken and personally with the risks that have plagued several hazaacrqduoauisntoecdcupations Job Safety and Health takes a look to see how the Commission is and will be affected by Timothy Cleary Hidden Jeopardy for Jewelry Workers In 1794 Nehemiah Dodge established the first factory manufacture of costume jewelry in Providence Rhode Today more than 70.000 workers face big safety and problems in the manufacture of small products for the Island health Departments 2 OSHA News Briefs 5 News of NIOSH 32 Review Commission 33 Spotlight 34 Index 35 Directory 36 Letters to the Editor 37 Publications Hidden Jeopardy Jewelry Workers Gail M. Martin In 1794 Nehemiah Dodge established the first factory for the manufacture of costume jewelry in Providence Rhode Island Today more than 70,000 workers face big safety and health problems in the manufacture of small products Ivery Saturday our workers make up a new cleaning solution They were emptying it into the same drain that they were later emptying the cyanide tank in There was some hydrogen cyanide gas being produced in the room not enough to kill anybody but still there was some Then they would get a headache and not put two and two to- gether This incident retold by a chemist from a large making company is perhaps common to all metal finishing industries It represents the growing complexity of making operations since Nehemiah Dodge first began production of costume jewelry by using an inexpensive alloy and the growing number of occupational health and safety hazards facing jewelry workers Today 70,000 to 80,000 workers turn out products in four different segments of the making industry costume and precious jewelry silverware and findings small unfinished jewelry parts Daily jewelry workers are exposed to a number of potential health hazards 22 JANUARY 1978 similar to the hydrogen cyanide incident be- cause of the number of chemicals and poten- tially toxic substances acids solvents lacquers metal fumes and dust used in jewelry production The chemical ingredients of these sub- stances are not always revealed to jewelry workers They are sometimes withheld by the supplier by using trade names or by the com- pany as proprietary secrets Jewelry workers also may be exposed to a variety of safety hazards In the face of eco- nomic disaster the Manufacturing Jewelers and Silversmiths of America in 1973 successfully lobbied along with others for the delay of im- plementation of the no hands in dies clause of the Osha mechanical power press standards The kind of investment necessary they said to comply with the no hands in dies regulation would have put a lot of their members out of business Also industry insiders report there are many machines in use in the jewelry indus- try for which no standards have been written How well the average jewelry worker is protected from these numerous health and safety hazards is a controversial issue one which evokes strong opinions from some industry and company officials It is also an issue which in- cites community health activist groups to campaign for a better awareness of the jewelry worker's plight and for improvements in the industry Worker operates press where she is able to put hand in the die Pinning down the industry The great majority of jewelry factories are small operations Of the 787 companies within the Providence Rhode Island area the capital of the costume jewelry industry only 2 percent employ 25 workers or more and most have 10 or fewer employees James Hickey industrial hygienist and acting chief of the Rhode Island Division of Occupational Health says In general the jewelry industry tends to be made up of many small companies and they have the problems of all small businesses lack of knowledge lack of information financial difficulties high turnover of employees and in many cases marginal operations The jewelry industry seems to have its share Officials of the Manufacturing Jewelers and Silversmiths of America MJSA say their association has made efforts to educate members about worker safety and health issues and to help them comply with occupational safety and health standards George R. Frankovich execu- tive director of MJSA cites seminars on osha in 1974 and 1975 which featured consultants speaking on the problems of stamping casting and electroplating In the early days we encouraged members to report on an anonymous basis the results of their inspections he says This served as a basis for osha Hotline a column in our monthly magazine the American Jewelry Manufacturer It concentrated on those areas which posed the most difficulty for our members Yet Frankovich maintains excessive government regulations are hampering the operations of jewelry companies In a recent interview he stated OSHA has gone beyond the helpful stage and has exerted a heavier hand than conditions have seemed to warrant This naturally has re- sulted in some resentment on the part of management whose principal considerations are in operating a profitable business and in furnishing constructive employment Despite Frankovich's contention statistics seem to show the opposite Of 2,970 jewelry manufacturing companies nationwide only 202 JOB SAFETY AND HEALTH 23 PRE SuO i were inspected in the 1976 calendar year And for an industry in which product shipment value exceeded 2.4 billion the average proposed penalty per company was 90 totaling 24,480 for the entire industry This association attitude extends downward to some individual members In many compa- nies hostility runs high against government regulation Even some large companies with new facilities refuse to comment on their worker safety and health programs or to allow visitors to their plants There are exceptions Some companies have done much to ensure their workers safety and health and talk freely of their efforts in occupational safety and health Two companies which welcomed inquiry and visits to their facilities are Uncas Manufacturing Company and Bulova Watch Company Uncas Manufacturing Company with about 400 employees is one of the jewelry industry's largest ring houses The company has been interested for a long time in worker safety and health and has intensified its efforts in the past few years Fred Cologiovanni quality control and methods manager for Uncas describes the company's commitment We are very safety conscious from the presi- dent on down I have authorization to stop pro- duction to take care of safety problems We feel that communication is very important Workers should know in whatever language they speak what is safe and unsafe Uncas president Harry Snider adds what he thinks is an important impetus for the program If anything OSHA has made employees more keenly aware It's easier to sell our safety program now than ever before The Bulova Watch Company which employs 600 workers in two plant locations also has stepped up its safety and health program Raymond Capron manager of plant engineering maintenance and safety at Bulova gives his estimate of the results Since 1974 when we initiated a more vigorous health and safety pro- gram and have had a safety officer in charge we have made significant progress Both the frequency and the severity of our accidents have decreased Machine guarding The jewelry industry's attack on the no hands in dies proposal was spearheaded by an editorial in the American Jewelry Manufacturer of March 1973 calling for a delay in the stan- dard's implementation According to Franko- vich the no hands in dies standard far out- ran the state of the art We were operating certain kinds of machines where it was not possible to modify the machines Some jewelry makers argued the volume and size of pieces turned out daily in the industry makes automation of these operations impossible With backing from other industries and lobby groups the jewelry industry's campaign prevailed The standard was revoked on December 3 1974 Within the jewelry industry there are thousands of mechanical power presses drop hammers and punch presses In addition an untold number of foot presses are still in use Although foot presses are regarded as safe by many industry insiders there are those who recognize their hazards Cologiovanni of Uncas says his company hopes to eventually phase out all of its foot presses We hope to make the foot press as obsolete as the dinosaur Another problem pointed out by a jewelry industry executive is the lack of standard safety guards for certain types of machines used in making particularly in the watch ing industry Much of the superior equipment used in making is Swiss- or Germanmade American jewelry manufacturers may purchase these machines for use but often find it necessary to design machine guarding which complies with U.S. standards Bulova has done this in more than one instance Capron pointed out an automatic diamond cutting machine which is equipped with a guard designed by Bulova engineers The marketing and use of equipment which is not in compliance with OSHA standards is not uncommon in the jewelry industry For example there are vapor degreasers in use in the industry which do not have the proper freeboard as specified in section 1910.94 12 ) of the OSHA standards That requirement reads In any vapor degreasing tank equipped with a condenser or vapor level thermostat the condenser or thermostat shall keep the level of vapors below the top edge of the tank by the distance of at least equal to half the tank width or at least 36 inches whichever is shorter One hazard of heavy machinery is noise With just two or three drop hammers going at once the workplace can become very noisy While a medium company may have sev- eral drop hammers in the stamping department a large company may have as many as 20 or 30. An administrative assistant to the president 24 JANUARY 1978 of a medium company points out this noise affects not only the press operators but also many workers in surrounding areas if the drop hammers are not isolated Usually operators do not complain about the noise she says because they stay with her company for a short time only Some companies do take their safety responsibilities seriously and try to pass on this atti- tude to employees At Uncas management stresses the purpose of machine guarding Says Fred Cologiovanni Safety guards cost us a lot of money to install and are there for the safety of the employee If workers get caught fooling around with them they're in trouble And if a worker removes a guard from a machine that worker is fired At Bulova supervisors suspected a noise problem in the screw machine department After consulting with acoustical specialists the company installed absorbent panels to deaden the noise In addition workers are now required to wear ear protection Worker operates drop hammer press to stamp out jewelry pieces Where jewelry is born Not all jewelry is produced by stamping Many jewelry pieces are formed by casting die casting lost wax casting or rubber mold cast- ing Whether to cast or stamp a piece is largely a matter of convenience and economics It also may be determined by the type of piece being formed During casting operations metals are heated to high temperatures which may generate toxic fumes The greatest potential for worker exposure to fumes is during the pouring operations when the worker must take a ladle full of molten metal and pour it into the casting machine with the mold intact These toxic metal fumes may pose a serious health hazard to the worker especially if venti- lation is insufficient Toxic fumes can have ef- fects on the body which are not manifested until years later They may cause metal fume fever an illness with like symptoms muscular pain fever chills weakness nausea burning throat dry cough While metal fume fever is of a brief duration 12 to 24 hours reports indicate that repeated attacks may do permanent damage to the lungs Lost wax casting also called investment casting is a process which is thousands of years old A cast is made by molding plaster around a wax model of a jewelry piece After the plaster hardens the mold is put into a furnace which JOB SAFETY AND HEALTH 25 I Oe ae at RO hee icon 7 { yan cup melts the wax leaving an impression of the piece The plaster material of the lost wax mold contains significant amounts of silica ranging up to 30 percent This may present serious respiratory problems for the worker The silica dust can become airborne when dry materials are mixed in making operations When the molds are broken up after casting the worker may again be exposed to silica dust Brass and bronze two copper alloys are east using the lost wax method Since this method uses high temperatures to cast the produc- tion of oxides is greater than with rubber mold casting Consequently the worker is more susceptible to metal fume fever because the syn- Frome most often results from toxic exposures to copper iron or zinc oxides Copper alloys also may contain trace amounts of beryllium beryllium and arsenic The inhalation of toxic fumes from these two substances may create other health problems for the worker The effects of inhaling toxic beryllium beryllium fumes may range from a mild inflammation of nose and throat to severe pneumonitis or chronic beryllium beryllium disease In chronic beryllium disease the lungs are rarely the only organs affected Liver spleen heart skin kidneys and bones are often involved The onset of the condition may be delayed for a period of years after exposure Chronic beryllium disease has been known to lead to cancer The inhalation of beryllium even from set- tled fumes which have been reintroduced into the atmosphere may be very dangerous Workers also may be exposed to beryllium through the grinding up of casts drilling or machine operations in the tool room Arsenic poisoning is characterized by a great variety of symptoms Exposure to fumes and dust can be irritating to the nose leading to nose bleeds and perforation of the nasal septum and to the eyes leading to corneal damage Besides creating disturbances of blood kidneys and nervous system arsenic contamination also can cause lung cancer Rubber mold casting is used chiefly for low temperature metals 400-700 of the cos- tume jewelry industry The most common metal used is white metal which may contain large amounts of tin and lead and smaller amounts of antimony nickel copper or zinc The potential for toxic exposure to metal fumes during melting and pouring operations is lessened by The jewelry worker casts using the wax method but fails to use adequate personal protective equipment goggles face shield gloves and a respirator The worker wears a head bandana to avoid getting talc dust in his hair apparently unaware of the precautionary measures necessary to avoid inhaling talc dust which may contain asbestiform material as a component 76 JANUARY 1978 After casting the mold and cast are separated in breakdown operation If the molds have become contaminated with excess lead the worker may be exposed to lead dust which may be ingested or inhaled In addition to inhalation of toxic substances there are several other hazards to which casting- room personnel may be exposed If ladles are not preheated before use condensation can occur The metal molecules expand very quick- ly with a resultant explosion The possibility of heat exposure and burns is very real Dermatitis is a common affliction of casters due to the many irritants with which they work Improper work habits contribute to the danger of the workplace Workers who smoke or eat on the job or who fail to use available washing facilities compound the hazards associated with casting Contact with contaminated hands food or cigarettes allows toxic substances to enter the digestive tract and eventually to spread throughout the body All that glitters is not good Rubber mold casting rubber mold casting because the metals are not heated to exceptionally high temperatures Ex- posure to lead oxide may occur however from agitation of a thin film of dross which forms at the surface of the melting pot Inhalation of this lead oxide by workers may produce ab- dominal cramps pain headache weakness loss of appetite or nausea muscular In larger quantities it can cause severe tinal blood and central nervous gastrointes- system dis- orders Moreover lead is a cumulative poison and a part of even a small daily dose is not eliminated but stored in the body Tale is used often in rubber mold casting operations Before casting the rubber molds are manually dusted to prevent the jewelry piece from sticking to the cast The tale powder is applied generously so the work area becomes quite dusty This can result in significant exposure sometimes on a daily basis to talc silica and possibly asbestos all components of many tale powders The final phase of the rubber mold casting operation presents one additional health danger Some of the most serious health hazards in the jewelry industry are created by the metal finishing operations degreasing cleaning and electroplating These operations make use of solvents acids metal salts and cyanides After the jewelry piece is formed and before it is electroplated it must undergo mass finishing This procedure also called tubbing or de- burring smooths out the edges of the piece Much mass finishing today is accomplished with the use of automatic equipment These machines smooth out the jewelry piece by vibration rotation or by some other method When microswitches were added to tubbing machinery the biggest safety hazard for the worker was removed The switch stops all motion of the equipment once the lid is opened preventing the worker from catching fingers hands or arms in it The cleaning and degreasing operations create more serious problems These operations utilize solvents which are known health hazards some of them carcinogenic to animals and suspected of causing cancer in humans The danger of these substances is that they work invisibly for years on the body of the exposed worker Trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene the most common organic solvents in the jewelry industry are noted for their effects on the cen- JOB SAFETY AND HEALTH 27 MED SH f tral nervous system Affected workers may ex- hibit symptoms of dizziness fatigue headache nausea and loss of coordination Both trichloroethyltricheloronethyelene and perchloroethylpercehlornoetheylene are particularly dangerous to workers who have consumed alcoholic beverages or who will consume them after leaving work where they have been exposed to these solvents The worker ex- posed to trichloroethylene may experience effects ranging from mild narcosis to respiratory arrest and death Perchloroethylene is a strong narcotic with similar effects but has the added threat of permanent longed exposure Industrial fatalities liver damage from pro- have resulted from ex- posure to high vapor concentrations of trichloroethylene The standard for trichloroethylene requires that the worker be exposed to no more than 100 parts per million over an hour time- weighted average with 200 ppm for an acceptable ceiling concentration and 300 ppm for an acceptable peak concentration provided that exposure to this concentration occurs no more than 5 minutes in any 2 hours Although the industrial use of another solvent carbon tetrachloride has diminished since it was ascertained to be extremely dangerous it still is in use in some jewelry shops as a degreaser and to clean molds after casting At one company it was used in a vapor degreasing operation where workers sprayed liquid carbon tetrachloride on jewelry pieces Carbon tetrachloride is a potent toxin which affects the liver and causes tumors in animals It can be fatal since it has a tendency to replace oxygen Its effects also are magnified by the consumption of alcohol In vapor degreasing a cleaning solvent is heated by a coil and the jewelry piece is suspended in the vapors to be cleaned The cold surface on the jewelry causes the solvent to condense and flush away dirt Jewelry dried by the heat of the coil vapors is then If the degreaser is improperly located de- signed or maintained toxic solvent exposures may result A degreaser located close to cross trafts dead space exhaust systems or open lames can cause problems The temperature of the degreaser heating coils should not be allowed to rise sufficiently above the boiling point of the solvent to allow the vapors to rise above the condenser If the temperature of the de- greaser is not regulated properly thermal decomposition of chlorinated solvents can occur producing phosgene a deadly poisonous gas Currently many jewelry manufacturers are changing over to stabilized chlorinated solvents but industrial hygienists see these alternative solutions as presenting workers with an equal if less known threat James Hickey is one industrial hygienist who is extremely wary of them He says Besides unknown toxic effects these alternative solvents may have different types of toxic effects The main example is 1-1-1 trichloroethane also known as methyl chloroform It has cardiac effects at high concentrations and we really don't know the cardiac implications at low levels Also we don't know the effects on people who have existing heart conditions or people who are on drugs like digitalis Industrial hygienists such as Hickey favor solvents which are more susceptible to oxidation by the sun fluorinated solvents since these are less toxic to workers Other cleaning materials used in degreasing operations are acids and alkalies Alkali cleaning is done by spraying or soaking jewelry pieces in baths using ammonia or caustic soda The heat and agitation of the bath solutions may result in the worker's exposure to alkaline mists which may be irritating to the eyes and in severe cases cause blindness Also the worker may be exposed to alkaline dust when the solutions are prepared from dry powders Acid cleaning also called bright dipping presents problems because acids are chemically active and irritating to tissue Some common acids used in baths are hydrofluoric hydro- chloric sulfuric nitric and chromic acids Ad- verse exposures to acid fumes and mists may occur depending on the solution concentration temperature level agitation of the bath and the ventilation of the fumes A hazard peculiar to acid cleaning is the formation of arsine gas This occurs if a metal which contains arsenic as a contaminant such as zinc copper or white metal is treated with an acid The arsenic reacts with the hydrogen of the acid to form the highly poisonous arsine gas Workers exposed to arsine gas may suffer heart brain kidney or liver damage Early symptoms of exposure include severe headache faintness and severe digestive disturbances When an acid comes into contact with cy- anide hydrogen cyanide gas may result The gas is formed when there are accidents in handling preparation or storage of the chemicals or if acid and evanide fumes are vented into a com- mon duct Hydrogen cyanide gas exposure 28 JANUARY 1978 causes headaches nausea and in severe cases Nickel sulfate and nickel chloride two nickel death salts which make up the nickel plating solution Workers using acids for cleaning are susceptible to corrosive burns particularly when are strong skin irritants They can cause a con- tact dermatitis known as nickel itch The irri- they employ sulfuric hydrochloric and nitric tation begins in the fingers wrists and arms acids If acids are accidentally splashed in the and can spread to the neck legs and entire face they may cause ulceration of the eyes or mucous membranes Toxic exposure to sulfuric body Also nickel is a suspected carcinogen Precious metal plating presents the worker and hydrochloric acids causes coughing or chok- with hazards from acids and cyanides similar to ing when vapors irritate the mucous mem- branes of the nose and throat Nitric acid is those involved in copper plating Acid plating uses gold potassium cyanide which is more dangerous because it does violent respiratory reflex warning like the other two not set up a in the worker corrosive to the skin eyes and mucous mem- branes Both phosphoric and hydrochloric acids used in gold solutions are irritating to skin Gilding the lily Electroplating the process by which various metals are deposited on a base metal presents additional dangers to jewelry workers It is ac- and mucous membranes upon contact with the liquid or inhalation of the vapors Silver plating uses cyanide salts silver cyanide and potassium cyanide These are not only irritants but possible asphyxiants Rhodium plating and imita- complished by passing a current through an tion rhodium plating present problems similar electrolyte and thereby depositing one metal on another This process exposes the electroplater to those encountered in nickel and copper plating to two major dangers burns and poisoning Burns from hot tanks and solutions or acids may be thermal chemical or electrical heat exposure involved in the operation result in heat exhaustion cramps or even The may heat Besides acids cyanides and metal salts other chemicals present hazards to electroplaters Various brighteners are added to the baths to improve the luster of the metal These include potentially toxic substances such as cobalt and stroke In addition the electroplating room pre- selenium sents the potential hazard of electrical shock and even electrocution Poisoning may occur from the inhalation of The health hazards of electroplating are somewhat alleviated by the use of automated sys- tems such as those at Uncas and Bulova Uncas gas or from the ingestion or skin absorption of was one of the pioneers in automatic barrel chemicals The particular toxic exposure de- plating and Bulova has both automatic and pends upon the type of plating being done and automatic systems pate upon the chemicals involved The three major types of plating in making are copper Some companies emphasize to their workers the precautions necessary in electroplating op- nickel and precious metal All three present erations At Bulova for example an active edu- . different kinds of hazards to the worker cation program is carried on to tell workers Copper plating may be done with acid or about the chemicals and processes of electro- cyanide Acid plating baths contain copper sul- plating In addition workers are required to fate and sulfuric acid The release of the sulfuric read and to abide by the company book- acid mist in the air can injure the worker Irri- let Hazards in Handling Acids and Other Cor- ten tation of the skin and mucous membranes may rosive Materials He RIT occur while the worker is adding salt to the plat- ing solution Nose and throat irritation also may But how well workers are informed about the hazards presented by the electroplating process occur as well as perforation of the nasal septum is a debatable question Some industry insiders With cyanide plating the cyanide salts suggest that many workers engaged in electro- sodiucmyanide and copper cyanide cor- plating operations are informed about the rosive to the skin eyes and mucous membranes chemicals with which they are required to work These salts are dangerous since contact with One quality control supervisor from a large acid results in formation of hydrogen cyanide jewelry company commented Most electro- gas which can be absorbed through the skin as platers are uninformed about what they are well as inhaled using They don't know the basic chemistry of The hazards of nickel plating are somewhat what is going on I have platers who think that less lethal than those related to copper plating the colored solution that they are using is liquid JOB SAFETY AND HEALTH 29 AND SM metal Someone told them 5 years ago not to mix this with that and they have been operating that way ever since Just because there are not lot of house deaths doesn't mean that the workers are informed Contributing to the problem of informed electroplating workers is the high turnover rate of workers in the jewelry industry and in electroplating operations particularly As one worker points out There is a large turnover in plater's helpers And they do all of the dirty work cleaning and the tubbing Hickey suggests this turnover to some extent has an impact on the type of plating supervisors working in some small shops and directing other workers He says There is such a big worker turnover in the jewelry industry that sometimes the small shop may be employing a plating supervisor whose own experience is questionable A few further rubs Airborne contaminants endanger jewelry workers in other industry operations as well A common department in many shops which may have conditions posing additional health risks is the polishing and bufling department Although polishing and buffing may be done by machine a great deal of hand buffing still is done in the jewelry industry Hand polishing is done by using a polishing wheel made of canvas muslin or felt and equipped with various coatings or abrasives The type of abrasive and wheel used varies with the type of finish desired The speed of the polishing wheel and the worker's proximity to it are factors in his or her possible inhalation of dangerous particles Some common abrasive compounds used in buffing are ground silica aluminum oxide soft silica silicon carbide and chromium oxide powder The use of crystalline silica and the inhalation of finely divided silica in the free state can be particularly dangerous to the worker since it can lead to silicosis In addition the adhesives put on the polishing wheel to hold the abrasives intact may create problems These substances may irritate the skin or eyes of the buffer or polisher Grinding or polishing removes more metal than buffing operations These operations gen- erate dust from abrasion of the worked metal and from the abrasive polishing compound However if the area is well ventilated and the worker wears eye protection polishing tions can be relatively hazard In addition the metal dust from these tions can cause dermatitis in number of opera- operaforms skin irritations contact dermatitis and allergic dermatitis Copper tin zinc brass and lead particles may irritate the skin as metal splinters Many jewelry workers also are exposed daily to the hazards of soldering Soldering can bring the jewelry worker very close to the flux and solder fumes containing fluorides cadmium and lead Solders may contain cadmium copper tin lead zinc and silver Cadmium is a particularly noxious substance Intense exposure to its dust and fumes produces a chemical pneumonia with symptoms of chest pain labored breathing and edema Repeated exposure may result in emphysema Moreover cadmium poisoning is progressive continuing after actual exposure ceases Soldering in many jewelry shops is done on resistant asbestos boards Workers may be exposed to asbestos fibers in sanding operations which remove metal traces when production switches from a less expensive to a more pre- cious metal Also many of these boards are made house powdered asbestos as a result workers may be exposed to asbestos fiber during construction Jewelry workers also face health hazards in several other major operations of jewelry ing In epoxying and gluing workers use resins which are prepared from epichlorohydrin a polyamine compound hardening agent Epi- chlorohydrin is a strong irritant and causes asthma bronchiospasm and coughing The lacquering and enameling department presents added risks for jewelry workers in the form of solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone Some of these solvents are skin irritants as well as lung irritants Certain jewelry companies do plastic embedments These operations present risks to the jewelry worker similar to those of the plastic industry as a whole Brightening up not just the product There are many companies in the jewelry industry that have done much to comply with OSHA standards and make their workplaces more healthful and safer for employees Herb Kilguss of the Rhode Island Division of Occupational Health describes these and other com- panies A lot of jewelry manufacturers have gone to great lengths to comply with osHA standards There are also some companies who 30 JANUARY 1978 haven't done anything but they will be forced to do something very shortly It is the workers in the companies who have not done anything who are in the greatest jeopardy These workers themselves sometimes reach out for help Kilguss reports that a common service of his department is responding to jewelry workers themselves aware of the potential dangers in their workplaces As one industry insider claims Many operations of jewelrymaking are inherently dangerous the problem is informing the worker The workers at companies who have done their part to make their shops safe and healthful have a head start it anonymous complaints He says The majority of our visits are initiated by employee com- is now time for the others to catch up plaints On a visit we usually take air samples and if we ascertain that it's above limits we make recommendations allowable Useful Publications for Jewelry Makers , The Rhode Island Lung Association has been instrumental in helping to organize an occupational health advisory group in that state to reach out to those workers employed by com- Health and Safety Guide for plating Shops GPO Stock No. 1733-00069 Electro1.60 ane panies that are negligent in complying with OSHA standards This advisory group has dealt Health and Safety Guide for Foundries with health and safety problems of the jewelry GPO Stock No. 1733-00123-5 2.35 Bgen industry We Health and Safety Guide for Metal One member of this occupational health ad- Stamping Operations ahTr visory committee has been involved hand GPO Stock No. 1733-00093 1.40 with victims of occupational health hazards Dr. James Valicenti chief of pulmonary medicine How To Get Along With Your Solvent at St. Joseph's Hospital in Providence Rhode GPO Stock No. 1733-00097 1.27 ew Island has seen 21 cases of nonsmoking pa- tients who have bronchitis Dr. Valicenti attrib- Epoxy Wise is Health Wise nea utes their condition directly to their employ- HEW Publication No. NIOSH 76-152 Me ment as electroplaters Another member of the Spray Painting Practice for 272. committee has four patients with acute bron- Employees chitis directly related to adverse exposures to HEW Publication No. NIOSH 76-178 solvents ; One association campaigning for improve- Good Work Practices for Electroplaters Orn ments in the jewelry industry is the Rhode Island HEW Publication No. NIOSH 77-201 fb veg! ose Jewelry Workers group This group initially was formed by several Brown University students Spokeswoman Margaret Quinn explains We know an active citizen's group had to take One free copy of any of the above may be obtained from Publications over where government responsibility stopped We realized that in many cases nothing was being done to inform jewelry workers of the nu- Division of Technical Services MOSH 4676 Columbia Parkway Cincinnati OH 45226 merous health hazards associated with their work The biggest project of the group is the production of a booklet informing jewelry workers of the hazards involved in making There are special editions of this health and safety booklet in Portuguese and Spanish for speaking jewelry workers Interested persons may obtain copies by writing to Jeff Young Rhode Island Committee on Occu- pational Safety and Health Box 95. Annex Sta- tion Providence RI 02901 Gail Martin is a lance writer The purpose of the publication is to make JOB SAFETY AND HEALTH 31