Document E6YZ0wZDOax0LxkmLMEXDy60

FILE NAME: National Safety Council (NSC) DATE: 1948 May DOC#: NSC020 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: NSC - National Safety News - Health Hazards Under the Microscope -.PLAINTIFF'S '/e x h ib it : 'Health Hazards |sJVSCrtiy Under the Microscope NS PALPATION of a new- indus trial hygiene laboratory is an im portant development in Bethlehem Steel Company's industrial hygiene program. It will add to the effective ness of the company's long estab lished plan of seeking out and at tacking occupational hazards in its far-flung operations. This activity, a division of the company's medical orgar ization, is under the direction of an industrial hygiene engineer. Dr. Allen D. Brandt, who reports to the company's ' medical director, Dr. Loya- A. Shoudy. Located at Bethlehem, Pa., the new laboratory serves the company's steel plant;, mines,'shipyards and fabricat ing vorks,. Here, men with back grounds of training and experience which qualify them for the work are engaged in the important work of takinz special and routine samples of atmospheric contaminants where haz ards are suspected. Generally, these men are from the medical or safety staffs. ` The m ajor function, of the indus trial hygiene division is-'to detect and evaluate the health ' hazards and sources of discomfort which may ex ist throughout a plant. They assist in the development of corrective or con trol measures that will permit the eradication of such conditions or keep them within unobjectionable bounds. While the medical staff is dealing largely with the worker himself, the industrial hygiene division deals mainly with his environment. Its members are concerned not only with direct health hazards ,but with condi tions which- cause discomfort. This work of -preventing occupational ills -- chronic or acute--is already prov ing highly beneficial to the health and comfort of the workers. And many indirect benefits, such as higher mo rale and increased efficiency, are also invariably gained through an ade quate and efficiently conducted in dustrial hygiene program. Atmospheric Contaminants The control- of atmospheric con taminants is by far the most impor tant part in this work. These con taminants include-, dusts, fumes, smokes, mists, vapors and gases. Other environmental factors-- of im portance axe proper heating-jor cool- ' ing), ventilation, illumination and noise abatement. Protection against . radiant energy m ust also be provided' in some'locations.. " --.;;i. .... Dust is probably the- raajopf pherio contaminant oi iuduiitjji giene significance i, . . [ ` Sometimes the conditions tain operation are so sim ilar plants of the company suits of a study in any one j .be applied elsewhere,' Howi most cases each r,pla.nt tinct problems requiring^ method of attack. ' In making the present com sive re-survey of the plants! incidental laboratory work-! thing-first" approach, ha adopted. Due to their long in this type of work, the charge are quickly able to..re< processes or operations, sent major potential hazardlf jectionable conditions. -TEp| dealt with first, while-less saves ditions are taken - in;; ( portance, -Taking a Ion, this method offers the- advanjH eliminating the mostfeatures as quickly as possible; Three distinct phases.a in the technical work of- trial hygiene staff. They-a lection of samples andrsfr ditions in the plant;- -TSt]; work in the laboratory ff"a termination' and selection; and correction measu-resTgenlg M aking dust count with m lcroprojectar. Im age under the m icroscope is transferred to screen. Analytical workroom In Industlal hygiene lahonyiw 22 National Safety News, JVfay|l ai a$MS 3.r m oH? at : planf .>weve|i aI esentsgjj e jfoarai-q4; i rv-C B o O s j HiWKOJCL-m[J 5 0 DUST CPWTiNg SOPH T r '" CCHfBAL IDOOBA.TOHY fajjii/ ft n 6w,wcti < -n 'collaboration with the engineering, purthasing, operating or safety dejjar merits, `-i f / t n industrial hygiene laboratory mast be equipped to collect and ana lyze quantitatively a wide variety of Atmospheric contaminants, both solids taining samples for. analysis is to draw the air through a-- suitable me dium where the- contaminant will be collected. As the speed with which samples cam be taKeif is limited by Assam ...ag-t. the rate of' absorption, condensation, wetting, or electrostatic precipitation,. ~ // the samples are generally restricted to 10-20 cubic feet maximum, and / they often run as low as 0.1-1.0 cubic feet, and in some cases even 0.01 cubic feet. Quantitative determina tions of the minute amounts thus Floor plan of- Bethlehem collected, frequently traces only, pre Steel Company's new in sent real problems, entirely different dustrial -hygiene .labora from those encountered in tbe ordi tory. nary- chemical laboratory, and they call for reagents and chemicals of exceptional purity. and gases, in extremely small amounts The new laboratory is located on and in very High dilutions. Determina the second floor .off a building near tions of concentrations as, law as a- . the; maihi':oS.icey.andf;consist5;f pf-faix millionth'Of-;a ;'gfam- peK-cuEicrfboP b: ~rooms,'.witEg Combined; floor..area o f air are n-q^:unusual.s,(l.,,qunce-1= ,ap- f'approximatelyvATjlOO --square , -ieet.; proximately 30'. gramsd-.P:;jjpf ffThese,moomsf-include ianifoffice,' d u st. ,, The m ost common: m ethod.of ob- ... ' :-fi..;iTyTyTy-ycyt--r 9 fpage'bl-- Haiifarat/ng room. O perator is making colorim etric 8% -. analysis with spectrophotom eter. . ........ |> K , ' ~~ I! "r v" 1 ~" ":m k S m '' Measuring the flow of air in a spray-palntlng booih to check vent/iaiiorr. lC'u"u".r!"qtmtm m I"SOST'Cl-.lI f. ;f M ayjji Safety News, May, 1948 * 1" ` 23' jije tilth H a r a r d s i : y ta- p ,-:;o3;' Vgr-' ' ftfto m page 23 ^ counting room, general laboratory, call orating room, storage room, and repair shop. The main analytical room is sqUpped with a. large central work bench with the customary connections l r vacuum, compressed air, aas. and electricity, and with a sink and a drying rack at either end. Fac ing this bench is a hood with electric bot plates. A drying oven and a Haulfie furnace, both electrically hea ed, a pH meter for hydrogen ion determination, a still, and the regular chemical apparatus and glassware male up the principal equipment in this room. s. i di Who o feel i ` r i dov-jn.if ) come;" `M f hoUJK| he--c-a-du'.L^ reveni|| i m)vEan|j ve bej in. MenS 1 proof.tji the restp not doing after a Iw sain, it know', le proo in't give some It i*- I think viji people 1 you to . I general!1 percent-; r--and )' as h .. In the method most commonly used in determining the dust content of an fvatm: sphere, a definite quantity of the dus laden air is drawn through an impinger. This is a specially con structed bottle, in which the dust is arnsted by making it strike, at very high velocity, against a plate placed in tie stream of air. The dust is then collected in a suitable liquid. ' h ost of the dust thus collected is -anayzed chemically for its content i t of ( ontaminants' under investigation, f However, in the case of nuisance dust hand fibrosis-producing dust, an ac tual count of the number of particles ids lequired. To accomplish this, a |i|sm8ll sample of the liquid containing ||||th e collected dust particles is allowed 0 settle in a- specially designed glass shell which is then placed under a fflgmic roscope- Here definite areas repre|||senting 1 cubic millimeter are blocked Bjgllput. and the actual number of _,dust ''particles in several of these areas is ' determined by regular counting.. To facilitate and speed up the counting, gi|the image on the stage of the micro scope is transferred to a large screen "t means of a micro projector. n an industrial city atmosphere the number of dust particles is genw era.] ly in the order of one-half to two millions per cubic foot of air. For plant atmospheres, however, the dust content varies considerably. Ernst industrial air-borne dust has a Parlicle size less than 5 microns (1 ci = 25,000 microns). The equip ment used in routine dust counting will take in particle sizes from a little under 1 up to 10 microns. Particles larger than 10 microns will settle out luiekly in the immediate vicinity of May, i? 4 j iff fine Safety News, May, J948 -- ! - san aSaai S i a asa SPECIALISTS, in a ny pro fession have superior knowledge. I.I.L. members in all industrial areas are specialists in handling hard-to-wash work clothes. They have long experi ence and training. Clean Clothes A re SAFER Clothes Clean Workers Are MORE EFFICIENT Workers V US' I h e re a re IJ,L m o m 'u e ts in all in d u s tria l a r e a s . a n x io u s . to serv e), y o u ! Write headquarters far nam es a n d details. TW O LAUNDRY SERVICES Rental Service includes Coveralls, Overalls, Shirts, Pants, Wiping Towels, Shop Goafs, 1 Ladies' Aprons. - Hi Washing Service includes all above items and other industrial hard to wash, fabrics such as wiping rags, machine covers, drop cloths, filter cloths, buffer cloths, polishing cloths, etc. FOGGED LENSES SL O W P R O D U C T IO N Workers who. wear corrective glasses or goggles are often slowed up by fogged lenses. Sweat runs down the forehead and streaks the lenses. This means time out for cleaning glasses. There's seldom a dry rag handy, so the quality of work suffers because of im paired vision. Sweat-fogged lenses mean ess production, poorer quality and greater worker discomfort. KQOLPADS SOLVE THE PROBLEM Made of highly absorbent cellulose sponge, featherweight KOQLPADS soak up sweat and keep glasses or goggles clear and fog-free. Available with elastic head strap cr with snap fasteners for welder's hel nets, KQOLPADS should be washed daily. Wear one TRIAL OFFER 7 jjS. KQOLPADS damp for cool comfort and note pro duction pic!: up on hot jobs. <e Writa For Bulletin No. 1S9 STANDARD SAFETY EQUIPMENT CO. 232 WEST ONTARIO ST. CHICAGO 10, ILLINOIS THERE'S A RIGHT ANDA WRONG^WAY fo r your m errto close hopper bottom cor doors w ith latch ty p e locks.. Provide P re sc o tt S afety Tools-- p revent serious accidents to those now using dangerous hand, foot "and ja r m ethods. FREE! Write for Illustrated Folder Today THE TRUMBULL MFG. CO. WARREN, OHIO 62 _ .the. point of origin. Extermination, of theq content in the dust is'of. uttpportance and requires specSls! merit. Most of this work at Bet3f'"-!L is done with the petrographic scope, but the use of X-ray don methods is also being conafii.fi. Colorimetric methods are -yg|f fective in determining minuttei tities of many chemical coming and are therefore used exti industrial hygiene work. Theiffi amount of a colored chemical pound contained in a solution f quickly and accurately determinf1 comparing it with a similar -sol of known concentration. Suclifh parisons are frequently carri&: by visual observation, but i n j : cases a spectro photometer isff In this instrument a photo-eL cell, far more sensitive to colors; tions than the human eye, is eiop` in making the comparisons-. The laboratory is also equr "with a gas chamber. The chamb used in producing known conce. tions of various gases and' dibs calibration of field instruments.^, meters or air-flow meters o-fysg-' types are used to calibrate or. nBT the sampling rate of differed pling equipment. A well-equipped repair shopA vided for the proper mainteh&jfS care of the complex eqmpmen both in the laboratory andTM field,, and for building specitdjfe ment not available commerpi' Besides 'operating the-.daSojL the industrial hygiene stafEgt stantly engaged in studies:'-te processes and methods of prodr dliey make recommendations! proving and redesigning equi wherever this will provide inc. ' comfort and more healthful: Wconditions. They also make- sir materials used, in order to antp possible hazards from that sou^ And .they keep in touch with sig' cant developments in industrial pi cine that will aid in safeguardin health of the company's employ Slogans Win Cash U. S. Rubber Co, Safef" Contest "Safety Is Thought and Cal ! Action" was the slogan that wo $100' first prize in the U. S. Rf Company's 194-8 slogan contestprize winner was John C. Stey National Safety News,