Document J3OvVLg01mNZeQQEjaaJEzpY2

, 3' 4 - DEADLY BENZOL S T U WITH US .t-. Aphysician phoned the Safety Benzol May Possibly Be and Hygiene Division, saying he had Found in Paint Remover a patient sdering from leukemia. The physician suspected that the patient had exposure to benzol (benzene). An investigation by this Division showed that the patient, who became a claimant, had been exposed to concentrations well in excess of the safe limit. Of course, when this exposure was called to the attention of the employer he immediately corrected it. All he had to do for a safe operation was pro- We recently received a communi- cation from the U.S.Public Health Senrice (USPHS)stating that sub- stantial quantities of benzol were being used in a compound for the removal of varnish and paint from old furniture. The benzol was being used in the smaller furniture shops. The USPHS is taking steps to eliminate benzol from paint re- mover. vide a well designed, ventilated Petroleum naphtha may mntain booth. The claimant was making an substantial amounts of benzol. In exotic chemical which required fact, this Division found 40 per cent b v l . He subsequently died. benzol in one sample but apparently Beyond the TLV I s Danger The safe limit-TLV (Threshold Limit Valuebfor benzol is 2!3 ppm the benzol got into the naphtha by mistake. This situation was also corrected. (partsper million). This is a "ceiling" Dr. Hervey 13. Elkins wrote two value which should never be ex- articles on "Industrial Benzene Ex- ceeded. T h e American National posure from Petroleum Naphtha," Standards Institute (ANSI)has set which appeared in the January- a standard of 10 ppm for benzol. Decrmber 1961 and the Xlarch- To the layman, TLV is largely April 1963 American Industricl Hy- _meaningless or incomprehensible, giene Association Journul. He stated, Dr. L. H. Ballou. of Firestone, ex- - ~~ "Benzene is present in certain pressed the concept of ppm very_ naphtha solvents in amounts vary- well as folloys: ing up to 9.3 per cent by weight." *urn is a minute in 2 years: It behooves anyone who is using a 1ppm is a gram needle in a ton of petroleum solvent to be sure that hay; 1ppm is an inch in 16miles: solvent does not contain excessive quantities of benzene. 1ppm is one &$lO.OOO. One-fifth of a teaspoon of benzol According to the Hygienic Guide will saturate an mii.narv room 10' ' Series on benzene, published by the x 1w x fl' m,v. If yollcan American Industrial Hygiene Asso- smell benzol it is way too much. It is in the dmger zone. Benzol can be absorbed through the skin as well as taken in through the lungs ciation, atmospheric concentrations immediately hazardous to life arc 19,OOO to ZO.OO0 ppm within 5 to 10 minutes. This publication states: by breathing. Many years ago a physician re- ported a suspected case of a female employe being poisoned by benzol. She was cementing plastic parts together. Benzol was wed because it Stank" less than other less toxic solvents. Once it was found in one plant, we suspected all other plants doing a similar operation. A rapid survey was made of the plastic industry in Ohio and no other plant T h e most significant -toxic effectof benzene is insidious and often irreversible injuv to the blood-fotming tissue resulting most commonly from repeated low-level chronic exposures. Human exposure to concentrations in excess of 150 ppm may caiise headache. weariness, loss of appetite and lassitude with incipient bloocl effects including de- creased red cell counts, mild l p - was found in which benzol was being used as a cement. (Continued on pogc 1 4 ) 7 'W J Dllrussing tho company's saf8ly program 6.;TO 0 CODE VZOLATZONS I N 8 ICIONTHS Involvement, Support of T Q M~anagement Keystone of ~!ECCO'sSafety SU@@ZSSStoFW? Based on Workmen's Cornponsation claims against it during the oldest four yaon of the flvo-year period 1960-1964, the National Electric Coil t o . of Columbus oorned a 31 per cent credit rating in 1965. In 1966 that credit rating foll to 20 per cent. On these pages i s told the story of how NECCO i s battling its way bock up tho credit During the heyday of the railroad, periodic visits by the local line's electro-mognet were eagerly awaited by the town's youngsters. Notional Electric Coil t o . i s one of the nation's largcst manufacturers of clectro-magnets. (Photo Courtesy of National Electric Coil to.) a safety catch on o hoist hook, one of th many Innovations which have resulted from N E C W ' s renewed emphasis on safely. Thrm of the t on a l/,-sectio Hydro cleclric d on on flat e MONITOR AUGUST 1971 .. ' (Coc.+inucd from page 7) 0 DEADLY BENZOL STILL WITH US phocytosis, eosinopenia and monocytopenia although the total white cell count may remain unchanged. Sdxequent exposure may produce bleeding of the nose and mucous membranes with the appearance of purpuric spots and ecchymoses at the site of injury. The individual may also show shortness of breath, an anemic appearance, rapid pulse and low blood pressure. "As the condition progresses, the blood abnormalities may be manifested first by anemia and leukopenia and sometimes macrocytosis and thrombocytopenia. Leukocytosis, eosinophilia, immature marrow cells in the circulating blood and ele- rveapteodrtesder.u.m.b.i"lirubin have also been The International Labor Organi- zation's Washington branch office recently issued a news release relative to a conference for an interna- tional standard for benzene. This is a stmdard that has been long overdue. Needed: labeling laws For Hazardous Industrial Chemicals Contrary to the opinion of many people, there is no federal statute governing iabeIing of hazardous industrial chemicals such as benzol. Some of the states have banned certain chemicals. T h e F e d e r a l Hazardous Substances Act, and Regulations promulgated thereunder, specifically cover hazardous substaiices intended or packaged in a form suitable for use in the household; the Act does not apply tu industrial situations nor to industrial supplies taken into the home. Tlic Labeling Act of the State of Ohio, SecZion 3716.01-07Revised Codcs, applies only to the labeling of packages of hazardous substances intended or suitable for household usi*, wliich will include not only packages for use in the home but also packagcs for use in schools, hospitids, apartments, office buildings, hotcls, restaurants and similar placcs. Manual L-1 of the hlanufactunng Chemists Association (MCA), (1825 Connecticut Ave., XW,Washington, D.C. uK)o9),has become the "Bible" for proper labeling of hazardous chemicals. Indeed, the labeling re- quired by regulations promulgated under the authority of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, \\lhich applies to hazardous household products, is largely patterned along the lines suggested by the MCA Guide. The American Petroleum Institute, in its APZ Bulletin on Pre- cautionary Labels, also suggests a labeling system very similar to that recommended by MCA. -Oc-ccuLpJaktiownsael DFisoer ase q e r e is no excuse for an OCCU-~ pa>iohaI disease from b e n d or any other toxic substance. Accidents c a q liippen and cause injuries but ex-- fisures. @ contr- other than accidenta.l,- r-a-n_- and no stonczhould be ex Icft me usnaturernceodnturonl_tl_ield.a. il potential c What Can Be Done To Reduce Hazard From Benzol? 1. Know what is in the solvent you are using. Have the suppliers provide you with an analysis. 2. Substitute less toxic materials (the Division of Safety and Hygiene has published a Technical Bulletin entitled, Substitutes for Highly Toxic Sohents Such As Carbon Tetrachloride and Benzol. 3. If benzol is used, use it in a closed system such as found in some plastic plants where it is a basic ingredient. 4. If benzol is used in open containers in small quantities, work in well ventilated booths. (See American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' Ventilation Manual, or ZCS, Industrial Commission of Ohio.) 5: When there is a potential exposure to benzol, see that the solvent concentration is monitored by indicator tubes or other methods, and that the ventilation provided is always operating up to the design bctors. 6. Keep track oT the amount of benzol uscd. (By noting the amount that is evaporated, an idea can be obtained of the concentration.) '- .-..- -r"" - _ - The &Ro&hg-iubeswere found to read with'an tkcwacy of I at the 95-%. Con.fi-denc. e Level:. i -- I BWC AKRON DISTRICT OFFICE RELOCATED Tlie Akron District Office,Bu- reau of IVorkmen's Compensation, \vas moved to 680 E. hlarket Street in Akron (Zip 44304). The phone number remains the sanie (216) 253-8103. 14 MONITOR AUGUST 1971 L This," s t a w continues as he apoaches another work area, "is one ollr smaller balancers and Leon:I ?\lulIcnhcre, our hlachine Shop weman. will tell YOU about it." XIr. Mulien, a leader of the commy's safety committee, points out e safety shields which have been stalled around the balancer. W e ere balancing a rotor here one day nen a piece broke loose and went ;ht through the wall. Needless to y, that can't happen now." Pointing to a nearby rotor ounted in what appears to be a ant lathe, Mullen explains, "After e'd worked on this one we found a :feet the customer apparently asn't aware of and took care of at too. Sow we're machining off e excess of the materials we used die renovation process prior to dancing." Turning to the balancer, Mullen lints to a hshing light, noting at "the strobe light there tells us nere the unit is out of balance. ien, when we've put on the countweight and ruu her up to 3,600 volutioas per minute, it will coniue to flash until it reaches a perct pattern, then w e know the tor's in balance." "And over here," Tony Purbrick ys as he leads the way across the sle, "is Gene Manbevers, another fety committeeman and our hlainnancc Supewisor. He's the fellow call on when we need an item of fety equipment such as a guard r a machine." New Safety Ideas "But what is really gratifying is at our people are taking an intert in safety and coming up with .e= of their own,' Purbrick connues. `Here, f o r example, is Ralph ales who helped build a guard for s owii punch press." Haley explains the guard: 'We rst madc it out of sheet metal, but iat \vasn't too good because we mldn't see well enough what we 'ere doing. So then we made it out f heavy wire mesh with Plexiglas 1 the centcr so we can now see xactly where the coil we're worki g on is at all times." A little farther down the aisle two women busily operate the machine which combines mica flakes with an adhesive to produce the insulating material used extensively at NECCO. At strategic locations throughout the plant posters and streamers announce the safety message, as do various signs recommending "Caution" and other appropriate action. More Magnets , And thence out the rear exit and back to magnets-dozens of iron electro-magnet shells ranging from 14 to 92 inches in diameter lying in neat rows. "When we get an order for a magaegrneMta,r"isotatGesigManatneu, f"awcteurcionmg eMaonu-t here and pick out the size shell we need, take it back there, grind it off, and add the `guts.'" "Back there" is a converted warehouse which houses the electromagnet shop Inside, a worker wearing safety glasses grinds an inside section of a magnet shell and above an overhead crane moves an almost completed magnet. Tripled Output "About three years ago," says Gigante, "we decided to quadruple our electro-magnet business so we converted this warehouse into a shop. We've already tripled our output and are among the top two or three electro-mapet manufacturers, but now we're running into space problems again. -And the revitalization of the safety program." Gigante continues, "has meant a lot to us in meeting our electr o-magn e t p r o d u c tion goals." Outside again, Gigante directs us to a wire fence-enclosed Pbuilpen" containing several large dumpstertype trash containers. "We used to bum Zur trash in there, but we made our biggest contribution to the antipollution campaign some time ago when we discontinued burning in favor of these dumpsters." Next to the magnet shop is the building where XECCO does most of its work on the many U.S. De. fense Department contracts it holds. -Unique Device Here is found what is proba& the most unique safety-security de vice in the XECCO plant. Inside an area enclosed by a pipe railing a man works at a machine which rendered inoperablc by an electric eye whenever an unauthorized p rson enters. Thc machine also s L , i offautomatically when he leaves it. In response to a remark to the effect that the machine operator is probably thc loneliest man in the plant, Gigante points out that hc is well paid. As we pass through the wire mill-and coils require a lot of wire -Dick Moore calls Mill Foreman Pete Lenge over to demoatrate a safety catch on a hoist hook. This is one of the many benefits of the renewed emphasis on safety here," the Safety a n d Hygiene district supervisor remarks. The final stop on our tour of KECCO takes us to the southeastem comer of the plant where Industrial Relations Director Bob Lyich holds forth in T i e White HouseYn a double mobile home which bas been converted into a suite of offices. hlr. Lynch`s secretary goes to her files and gets out the October, 196s "attitude survey" and the September, L9iO follow-up to it. Solid Groundwork YAs you can see from your tour and from reading these reports," Lynch says, "we've come a long way and we've laid a goad, solid groundwork for even greater progress in the future in industrial safety and hygiene. It's also interesting to note that McCraw-Edison, our parent company, was so impressed with our experience here that it has adopted the `attitude survey'xoncept for companywide application." Perhaps an observation by KECCO General Manager Herbert bl. Appleton best sums up the Kationnl Electric Coil Company's attitude toward safety-"Action on what you learn is what really matters most. Finding out what's wrong and what needs to be done without the dcsire nor thc power to act is pointless." -. - 13