Document KJONKXLRyD03B14R2968ZEpGw

FILE NAME: BF Goodrich (BFG) DATE: 1973 Mar2 DOC#: BFG011 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Report by John Born - Survey of Asbestos Fiber Concentrations Jobo H. Field Dept. 1501 - Bldg. 276-B John W. Born Dept. 0020 - Bldg. 5-H Surveys of Asbestos Fiber Concentrations in Building 276-B 3/2/73 Summary: On December 18 and 28 1972, 1 measured atmospheric concentrations of asbestos fibers in Bldg. 276-B. The measurements occurred during each customary cyclic operation. The basic operations ere loading, hand trucking, and unloading the bags of asbestos and then emptying the bags into the churns. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) has set concentration limits of 5 fibers (longer than 5 micrometers) per milli liter until July 1, 1976. end 2 fibers/ml thereafter. The majority of operations involving asbestos in Bldg. 276-B are in serious violation of the OSHA limit. Prompt engineering and administrative steps oust be taken to correct the hazardous conditions. Recommendations 1. Install a local exhaust ventilation system at each chuta through which asbestos fibers enter the churns: a. Fit each local exhaust system vith a disposable filter. b. Dispose of the filters regularly in an approved manner. c. Have Dept. 0020 remeasure the atmospheric concentrations of asbestos s soon as the exhaust systems are Installed. 2. Ose a portable vacuum cleaner to remove residual amounts end spills of asbestos fibers promptly: a. Hake sure that the vacuum cleaner has e bag or filter which is approved for collecting asbestos fibers. b. Dispose of the filters regularly in an approved manner. e. Hake the vacuum cleaner permanently available in the churn and storage arses. d. Have the compounder remove the asbestos fibers from the churn and floor surfaces and from bis clothing end person as soon as the batch la mixed. , e. Have the supply man remove the asbestos fibers from bis clothing and person and from the hand-truck as soon as the bags hove been delivered. A 000350 -2 f. How the supply m b remove the asbestos fiber* iron die floor, skid, end beg surfaces in the asbestos storage areas whenever necessary. 3. Obtain and use a waste container for empty asbestos bags which will minimise the dispersal of fibers bring the disposal of the bags. 4. Keseal the open bags of dried asbestos before removing them from the bat room. 5. Until the local exhaust systems and the vacuus cleaner are in satis factory regular ass: a. Hava all worker bo are exposed to asbestos fibers wear dust respirators which are approved by the D. S. Bureau of Hines for asbestos fibers. b. Have ell each workers remove tbs asbestos fibers carefully fno chair clothing end persons promptly to void breathing or swallowing tha fibers afterward. c. Have ell each workers remove the asbestos fibers from the work surfaces as soon as the operation is finished. 6. Notify Dept. 0020 when the local exhaust systems and the portable vacuum cleaner are first pot into use. 7. Notify Dept. 0020 whenever there le e new job classification which requires exposure to asbestos fibers. Basalts end Discussion: The surveys of the operation in Building 276-B indicate Chet the pre sent excessive asbestos concentrations era correctable. However, it appears that extensive engineering improvements are necessary. Measurement* of atmospheric concentration of asbestos fibers were made during complete work cycles. These cycles are summarised in the accompanying table. There were two basic types of work. 0 type involved loading the asbestos bags fromnthe supply ares onto e band teach, taking tha bags to the churn ares, and unloading end restacking the begs. The second type involved emptying the asbestos from the bags into the chums through the chutes. There are two types of churn chutes. One type has e hood over its waist-high opening. The other type has a hinged lid ft its opening boat 18 indies above the floor. The asbestos fibers were used both in tbs as-received condition end after being dried in * hot room. The table states the atmospheric concentrations of asbestos fibers during the various types o f work. These concentrations were measured in die breathing xones of the workers. Tbs workers included the supply man who delivered the bags to die hum area and the compounder who A 000351 3 fed tha aabescoa Into tha chum. In two of the four can the sane ean did both jobs. Tha table gives the exposure tinea for the several types of work. It then gives the corresponding asbestos concentration in the air. The four concentrations oust be coopered with the threshold limit value (TLV). This value le the 8-hour time-weighted limit for the average atmospheric concentration of asbestos fibers longer titan five micrometers. At present title limit is five fibers per milliliter (ml). As of July 1. 1976, the Unit ill becoae two fibers per ml. In both cases concentrations frost 5 to 10 fibers per ml are permitted for IS minute periods each hour up to five times daily. The time-weighted average concentration still suit not exceed the threshold limit value. Studies of the information in the accompanying table permit several conclusions. Each average asbestos concentration per single cycle exceeded the threshold limit value. The TLV is a time-weighted value Which is averaged over an 8-hour workday. Whether the measured con centration actually exceeds the TLV depends upon the nature and number of the cycles of exposure per day. However, in ell four operations the concentration exceeded van the short-time limit. Therefore, in each case the exposure to asbestos fibers was in violation of tha 05HA stan dard. Loading, transporting, and unloading the bags of asbestos ex pose a marker to a higher concentration of asbestos fibers than does maptying ths sob number of bags into a chum. The atmospheric concen tration during the addition of asbestos to the churns mss higher for Chum 313 than for Chum 108. The higher value in the ease of Chum 313 nay be due to tw features. First, ths opening of Its tints is closer to the marker's breathing sons. Second, the sbepe of the chute tends to direct the escaping fibers toward ths marker's face. Furthermore, the asbestos fibers blew out of both chutes after addition of the asbestos when the mixing started. Them clouds of asbestos fibers undoubtedly added significantly to the average concentrations. On* likely cause of the higher exposure to She supply men le the dust collection on the statics of non-dried asbestos bags. Some asbestos escapes from the begs during stacking. When the begs are taken off the statics end put on the hand truck and than onto the floor, this dust rises into ths marker's breathing cone, ftamoval of the dust with the vacuum cleaner before handling would minimise this source of exposure. Also, prior to drying the asbestos in the hot room, the supply men cuts off the tops of the begs* Them openings allow the asbestos fibers to rim into his breathing gone when the bags are placed on the hand truck. Resealing the begs after drying would eliminate this source of exposure to asbestos fibers. Until July l, 1976, the required local exhaust ventilation ayatm must capture all but five fibers per ml of asbestos in the air around each chuta. After that date Ik must capture all hut tmo fibers per ml. This capture might be aceoopLishad by either one exhaust duct on each of two sides of the chute or a full exhaust ring. In addition to the H OOU -4- local exhaust system soma method of preventing blow-back of cba asbestos through the chute will be necessary. In the case of the chute with a hinged lid, a gasket seal and tight closure nay be sufficient. Also the local exhaust system asst avoid the release of hasardout concentrations of asbestos fibers to tits atmosphere outside the plent. The local ex haust system therefore may require a filter. A disposable type of fil ter is recommended. The workers must either clean or dispose of the filters regularly in an approved manner. Another source of exposure is a dispersal of asbestos fibers into the air during the sweeping after adding the asbestos to the churn. There fore, 1 recommend the use of a vacuum cleaner to remove residual amounts and spills of asbestos fibers promptly. The vacuum cleaner must have a filter with the right pore sis to retain asbestos fibers longer then five micrometers. Tbs Iters oust permit safe and easy disposal. Use of the vacuum cleaner should meke little or no sweeping necessary. Since both the supply men and the churn operators must use the vacuum cleaner at widely asperated locations. It must be portable and readily available. It is important to remove the asbestos fibers from each worker's cloth ing snd person as earnas he has finished handling the asbestos. This removal also can beat be dons with the vacuum cleaner. Asbestos fibers from 'empty" bags era a potential hasard during disposal. A different type of waste control for the empty begs is necessary to minimis the dispersal of the asbestos fibers during the disposal. It Is obvious from the accompanying table that the workers who are exposed to asbestos must have temporary respiratory protection. They will be required to wear dust respirators which ere approved by the U. S. Bureau of Ulna* throughout such exposures. These workers also must remove the asbestos fibers from their clothing end persons promptly to avoid breath ing or swallowing the fibers afterwards. OSHA requires two safeguards for workers exposed to asbestos fibers. It requires e cooprehenslve snmial pulmonary examination for each worker exposed to asbestos fibers. It also requires measurements of the atmos pheric concentrations of asbestos fibers Unger then five micrometers in each area where asbestos le used. Department 0020 therefore would ap preciate prompt notice of any new asbestos process snd any new job clas sification involving such asbestos exposures. tan ec: John S. Codree Kenneth G. Keep 'John tf. Born A 000353 -s- Asbestoa Exposure During t Compounding and Mixing of Adhesives Description of Work during Atmospheric Sampling Emptying of fifteen 50-lb. begs of Code 164 asbestos (non-dried) into Chum Ho. 108 Transporting of fifteen 50-lb. bags of non-dried Code 164 asbestos to the Chum 108 storage space Transporting of teenty-six 50-lb. bags of dried Code 164 asbestos to Chum 108 and emptying of the asbes tos into the chum Transporting of fifteen 50-lb. bags of non-dried Code 164 asbestos to Chum 313 and emptying of the asbes tos into the fchum Exposure Tioe (min.) 8.5 3.0 25.5 12.5 Avg. Asbestos Concentration* (flbars/ml) .11 24. 7.4 24. * The present 8-hour time-weighted limit (TLV) for the average atmospheric concentration of asbestos fibers longer than 5 micrometers is 5 fibers per ml. As of July 1, 1976, the limit will become 2 fibers per ml. In both cases the concentration must never exceed the ceiling limit value of 10 fibers per ml. A 000354