Document MJvzD7vB9egZwzYZJ8O1JzrQa

Rubber Section Officers 1942-1943 General Chairman--John L. Grides, Gould & Eberhardt, Newark, N. J. Vice-Chairman in Charge of Program--Paw Van Cleef, Van Geef Brothers, Chicago, I1L Secretary-rJoBS E. Loras,. U. S. Rubber Ok, Passaic, N. J. News Letter Editor--Roland Kastell, U. S. Rubber Co, New York, N. Y. Engineering Committee Chairman--Thomas H. -Boyd, The Manhattan Rubber Manofac- turingDiv, Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc,Passaic, N. J. Health Committee--Da. W. S. Ash {Chairman), U. S. Rubber Co., Detroit, Mich. Dr. J.Newton Shirley, Arrow Mutual Liability Insurance Co., Newton, Mass. Membership Committee Chairman--Glen D. Cross, The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co, Akron, Ohio. Statistics Committee--John H. Raytkwich, Scioto Ordnance Plant, U. S. Rubber Co., Marion, Ohio. Members at Larger E. W. Beck, U. S. Rubber Co, New York City, N. Y. *R. A. Bullock, Corduroy Robber Co, Grand Rapids, Mich. Ralph S. Farnum, U. S. Rubber Co, Detroit Mich. Oliver Hopkins. U. S. Rubber Co, Providence, R. L *C F. Horan,- Hood Rubber Co, Watertown, Mass. J. M. Kerrigan, U. S. Rubber Reclaiming Co,Inc, BnSaI(^ N. Y. W. H. MacKay, Dunlop Tire & Rubber Co, Buffalo, N. Y. R. M. Morse, The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co, Akron, Ohio. Wouam Spanton, American Hard Rubber Co;, Akron, Ohio. R. M. Wether, The Dayton Rubber Manufacturing Co, Dayton, Ohio. Officers 1943-1944f General Chairman--Paul Van Cleef, Van Qeef Bros, Chicago, HL Vice-Chairman in Charge of Program--,John E. Lovas, U. S. Rubber Co, Passaic, N. J. Secretary--Roland Kastell, U. S. Rubber Cel, New York; N. Y. News Letter Editor--Gles D. Cross, The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co, Akron; Ohio. Engineering Committee Chairman--Thomas H. Boyd, The Manhattan Rubber Mfg. Div, Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc, Passaic, N. J. . Health Committee--Da. J. Newton Shirley (Chairman), Arrow. Mutual liability Insur ance Co, Chestnut Hill, Mass. F. S. Mallette, The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co, Akron, Ohia B. J. Ficklen, U. S. Rubber Co, Charlotte; N. CL Membership Committee Chairman--Stanley Wright, Inland Mfg. Div, General Motors Corp, Dayton, Ohio. Members at Large-- E. W. Beck; U. S. Rubber Co, New York, N. Y. R. A. Bollock, Corduroy Rubber Co, Grand Rapids, Mich. Ralph S. Farnum, U. S. Robber Co, Detroit; Mich. John L. Grider, Gould & Eberhardt, Newark, N. J. Oliver Hopkins, U. S. Rubber Co, Providence, R. L ^ C F. Horan, Hood Rubber Co, Watertown, Mass. J. M. Kerrigan, U. S. Rubber Reclaiming Co, Buffalo, N. Y. W. H. MacKay, Dunlop Tire & Rubber Corp, Buffalo, N. Y. R. W. Morse, The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co, Akron, Ohio. R. M. Weimer, The Dayton Rubber Mfg. Co, Dayton, Ohio. #Past General tAs elected by delegates in Congress Session 595 I s'vil PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT |i rt/y*0-25 596 32nd National Safety Congress, 1943 TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 5, 1943 Presiding: Paul Van Cleef, Van Qeef Bros, Chicago. Safety Training and the War ByJ.LYBU.OTT Chairman, War Training Committee, Illinois Institute of Technology World War II has brought a great num ber of developments to American indus try. The spirit of unity which possessed the nation as soon as we were attacked has been manifested in an unbelievable increase in productivity. The victory which is now inevitable will be due to the ac tual fighting done by our men and by our Allies, but this victory will be made pos sible by the contribution of American in dustry. In a vast number of technical problems, the proverbial American in genuity has found the solution, and in no phase of the current emergency has this ingenuity been displayed to better advan tage than in the rubber crisis. No one can fathom the workings of the Japanese mind, but it seems obvious that the Nipponese hope of victory was largely based upon their seizure of the natural rubber resources of the world. It must be a matter of extreme disappointment to their worthy emperor to learn, if his attention can be turned from poetry to such mundane matters, that American in dustry will soon be turning out synthetic rubber at a rate greater than tire pre war output of natural rubber. The technical phases of the rubber pro gram reflect great credit upon the knowl edge, skill and vision of the rubber in dustry. Another crisis confronts these men, along with all of American industry. At the beginning of the war program,.our shortages were in machines and materials. The extraordinary efforts of the machine tool manufacturers have made up the first deficiency. The Controlled Materials Plan of the War Production Board appears to have gone far in the solution of the second problem. The third great shortage is be coming apparent now. America's man power is now the most critical shortage of alL The Manpower Situation An elaborate statistical treatment of onr manpower situation is not needed to con vince any manufacturer that there is a shortage of men and women available for industrial work. In time of war, military requirements must come first, and accord ingly, by the end of this year, some 11,000,000 of the best qualified young men and women in the nation will be serving in the Armed Forces. A large and well trained military force is apparently a prerequisite to a speedy victory, and cer tainly no civilian is competent to debate with our general staff the appropriate size of onr Armed. Forces. Industrial employment has increased be yond any previous expectations. Again, without resorting to statistics, the dassifieA advertising section of any metropoli tan newspaper will show us the'situation at a glance. Companies which formerly looked upon a help-wanted advertisement with disdain are now buying large display advertisements in the news section of metropolitan journals. Part-time employees, formerly rejected as a nuisance, are- now eagerly sought. Indeed, it Is feared that the return to school of a million high school boys and girls will cause a serious situation in the service occupations. It . is obvious that we .have come closeto the end of our manpower resources. Unemployment has decreased until, at the present time,'the United States Employ ment Service estimates that there are only one-half million men and women in the entire country who din be classed as unemployed. It Is equally evident that in dustry must conserve, its manpower, and In this conservation, two major problems arise. M inte hire tion is b ner. tion wbt prei the T can tirii mot met ,trai the emi zeal mir, any pro ctdt hap mei occ this atti car I res foe me itsi poi saf 1 as SU] SOI am lik '9 pri foi in dh wa ful tra joi xn< Rubber Section 597 Manpower mast be used sparingly and intelligently. No longer can we afford to hire unnecessary labor, and every opera tion must be surveyed to learn whether it is being done in the most efficient man ner. Of equal importance is the conserva tion of the services of the men and women who are employed. It is here that accident prevention enters the'Situation as one of the most important factors. The prevention of industrial accidents can only be accomplished through the un tiring efforts of management, and the most powerful tool with which manage ment can fights the accident menace is .training. Need for Safety Training No worker wants to hurt himself. In the present emergency, most industrial employees are working harder and more zealously than ever before. Only a small minority in most plants are interested in anything other than the maximum possible production. We know, however, that ac. cfdents happen, and so many of them happen that they constitute a very real `menace to war production. Most accidents occur because of some human failure, and this human failure can in most cases be attributed to lack of knowledge, or lack of care. Responsibility for accident prevention rests' squarely upon management. This fact is no longer disputed, , but manage ment too often feels that it has absolved itself of this responsibility by putting up posters, and by urging every one to work safely. Management exercises its responsibility, as far asthe worker is concerned, through supervisors, and unless the supervisor has some knowledge of accident prevention and is safety-minded, his workers are likely to be involved in frequent accidents. Training in safety should be directed primarily at those who have responsibility for the actions of-workers, and training in safe work habits must also be brought directly to each individual worker. These facts were recognized before the war by some far-seeing employers, but a full recognition of the necessity for safety training only now has reached the ma jority of employers. As long as accidents meant only a compensation problem, many employers were satisfied to let the in surance ieompanyhandle them. Now, when the Army requires safe working conditions as a part of its contracts, employers must give thought to the other aspects of the safety situation. Safety Training Possibilities Training in accident prevention has in creased tremendously as a result of the program established almost two years ago by tiie United States Department of Labor and the United States Office of Education, and operated by 120 colleges of engineer ing throughout the nation. This program is well known to thousands of supervisory employees in American industry, but a very brief resume is in order here. . When the National Committee for the Conservation of Manpower in War Indus try undertook the task of protecting war production by conserving man hours, one of its first activities was the spreading of safety training throughout the nation. There was established in 1940 a unique experiment in engineering education, known as Engineering Defense Training. As the country began to move into, war production, it was immediately seen , that there would be a tremendous shortage in engineering and technical personnel.; Ac cordingly, as a part of ..the Defense Train ing Program,'the United States Office _of Education was authorized to work with the accredited engineering colleges of the country in the establishment of short in tensive courses, in subjects essential to the national defense^ All costs of these courses were met from Federal funds, and the colleges operated from the beginning on a non-profit, basis. Formal training in safety engineering had been virtually absent from the cur riculum of the American engineering col leges until this program was established. A few colleges, cognizant of the great need for safety training^ established eve ning courses in Industrial Safety Engi neering as a part of the E.D.T. program. 96-Hour Course for Supervisors The National Committee, with the wholehearted co-operation .of the Office of Education, aroused the interest of the engineering colleges in this Safety Train ing Program, and as a result, a standard 598 32nd National Safety Congress, 1943 96-boar course known throughout the given specific technical information to country ns "Industrial Safety- Engineer representatives of many companies' which ing" was organized on a large scaled This have never bad 'any organized safety training program has done more to give plan they have conveyed to many com to the supervisory personnel of American panies information, on the best, way of industry a systematic training in accident setting up Safety programs and of mak prevention than any other single project. ing them work; they have in''many cases Once again, statistics are tedious, but it is brought to the attention of management at least impressive to know that 40,000 the necessity for a Safety program and the men and women have been trained in ac possibility of starting one immediately. cident prevention through this course. The tremendous improvement in worker The colleges have been responsible for instruction which has been brought about the operation of this training program, by training within industry has also con although their financial support has been tributed greatly to accident prevention. It ' derived entirely from the United States is obvious that the best time to teach the Office of Education. In virtually all cases, safe way of doing a job is at the very- instruction in this course has been carried beginning, and the ideal job instructor is on by experienced safety -engineers, with therefore one who is both competent and the result that the trainees in the classes safety conscious. have received live and pertinent instruc tion, while the colleges have also started 20-Hour Course for Workers to become safety-minded. In order to bring safety training home Any company is privileged to send its supervisory personnel to one of these courses, and virtually every engineering college in the country is now operating such courses. They are tuition-free, and the only cost to the student is the price of his text material to the lower level of supervision and to the great multitude of industrial workers, a new type of safety training Is now be coming available. The 96-hour course is not suitable to all employees, since the* great majority are responsible only for their own safe working and exercise no supervision over others. A 20-hour pack This 96-hour course does not pretend to age course representing the essential parts make safety engineers. Rather, it is in of the longer, course-is now available, and- tended to give a basic training in accident is beginning to be used by an increasing prevention to men and women who have .number of industries. This 20-hour coarse some responsibility in this field in their is built around a. series of sound-slide particular companies. Despite the feet films which have been produced by the that the training is brief, a surprising National Safety Council, using funds from number of individuals have been upgraded tiie War Production Pond. by this, course into responsible safety positions. The 20-hour course is so designed that any competent graduate of the 96-hour In order to give more training to the course can put on a thorongh version of smaller- number of individuals who "have the short course in his own plant-One such responsible safety jobs, continuation of the difficulties in establishing the 20- courses have been organized by a number hour course was, the problem of com of colleges. Those colleges winch.are pensation for the instructors. It now located in metropolitan areas, and are seems that this problem will be solved thus fortunate in having access to un through the co-operation of the Vocational usually competent safety personnel, are- Training Program for War Production. . now operating such courses. Employers These 20-hour courses are now available should consult their nearest engineering in many states, and concentrated; efforts college to see whether such a course is soon will begin to' spread this type of in available. struction widely throughout - America's These 96-hour courses can do and have war industry. done several things. They have aroused the-safety'consciousness of a large num Probable Results ber of responsible employes; they have ' It has been frequently stated that no one wants freque of wot they o comini safe w many rapidlj enthu! are tr Itc have will 1 they < safe v Thus, in saf ment acts stupid can b pervii Th< cours expec frequ in act the 2 thoug On the p in th< hash W their old i tiont The the 1 the begi won mill; H a c< wants to hurt himself. It'has been more to remain a permanent part of his char frequently observed that each year millions acter. Thus, those men and women who of workers,succeed in doing what neither have learned to be safe workers in war they nor any one else wishes, namely, be time will also be safe workers in peace coming a part of a lost-time accident Un time. safe working conditions undoubtedly cause many accidents, but unsafe conditions are rapidly corrected when management gives enthusiastic backing to supervisors who are trained in the detection of hazards. It can be expected that supervisors who have taken the standard Safety course' will be definitely safety conscious, and The engineering colleges of the nation have, by the War Safety Training Pro gram, been made conscious of the acci dent-prevention problem, and steps are now being taken to insure adequate at tention to Safety Engineering in all en gineering curricula. It is to be hoped that, in some manner, they can also be expected to insist upon the Industrial Safety Engineering Pro safe working habits from their employees. gram will be made a permanent part of Thus, the supervisor who has been trained engineering education. If the new genera in safety will create both a safe environ tion of engineering students is made ment and safe working habits. Most of the acts which cause accidents are simply stupid and thoughtless, and virtually all can be prevented by safety-conscious su pervision. - safety conscious, the post-war machine will automatically be nude safe, because its designer will be conscious not only of the efficiency of the machine, but also of its safety. The spreading of the 20-hour Safety If safety training can be continued for course throughout industry can also be supervision, and can be carried continu expected to result in diminished accident ously to the rank and file through such frequencies. Workers are usually involved devices as the 20-hour course, , it seems in accidents because they do not think, and reasonable to believe that reat strides can the 20-hour course will definitely promote be made in he direction of eliminating ac I thoughtfulness in employees. cidents in industry. . The most effective way of eliminating Post-War Prospects accidents is through education, and tools One of the most valuable aspects of the present Safety Training Program lies in the fact that once .safety consciousness has been established in a worker it is likely are now available by which, this education can be obtained. It is the responsibility of management in the rubber industry, to see that these tools are used in their plants. Highlights in the Placement o! Women in Industry By RUTH L STONE Chief, Women** Placement Section, Westmghouie Electric Go* Chicago Women doing the work at home while their men fight is no novel sight. It is an old role for'them--primitive society func tioned much the same as we do today. The Indian, squaw raised the maize while the braves waged war on other tribes or the encroaching whites. And since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution women have worked in factories and mills. However, there has gradually developed a code in the public mind as to what women should do. It is the breaking down of this code in our new war emergency that has caused such confusion in the public mind. No longer is it a question, "What should the working woman do?" but "What can sbe do, and what shonld she be paid for it?" What Can Women Do The problem for us to consider is, "What can the woman worker do in the robber industry?" What she can do is de termined by training and by the working ) ; 5! I 60Q 32nd National So) iy Congress, 1943 conditions in your shops. She needs every 3. The degree of rotation of the body. safeguard that you have deveioped for the man in your factory, but also, she needs other considerations because of her phys ical and social relationships. I assume that those present accept the premise that a woman is not just a "little man." There is not only a difference in i 4. The weight-of load in relation to the operator's weight (35 per cent)V ! ! 5. The size and shape of the load. 6. The distance it is to be carried. j 7. Change of level during lifting or car rying. height; there are also differences in ; 8. The methods of lifting. strength, bone structure, muscle arrange ment and the per cent of fat in the bodies of men and women. The difference in height may make it necessary to provide higher stools or to lower the. height of the level of work, whether it be a 'machine These are found in the paper presented by Miss Carol G. Olson at the Midwest ern Safety Council on May 6, 1943. 1 Noise does not seem to be a serious problem in the rubber industry, but it is she is tending or the'bench at which she one of the conditions of work that does works. Her arms are shorter than a' affect women more acutely than men. If man's, a fact that must be'taken'into con you are putting a woman in or near a sideration when arranging the work on noisy department, then you might try the the bench. ear stoppers that have proved advantage Even if a woman, is selected whose ous in ship yards and airplane factories. height equals that-of a man, she can lift Anemia is a physiological fact not recog only about half of what he can lift. That nized often enough by the foreman, safety presents to you a problem of developing engineer or the woman herself. Women devices such as elevators, trucks, or con have fewer red corpuscles than men. veyors to reduce the amount of weight to Therefore, less oxygen is taken to the be lifted and the frequency of lifting. tissues with the result that they tire more Some states have already passed laws quickly, and that begins a vicious cycle, for regulating the maximum weight that fatigue reduces the power of the blood to women may be permitted to handle. The destroy bacteria. In other words, fatigue United States Department of Labor increases susceptibility to infection. recommended in a recent bulletin that the optimum single load should not exceed 25 pounds in compact form, and where the work is heavy and continuous there should be' a break by limiting the time spent on it and by devoting the rest of the day on some lighter work. This leads to that perplexing problem of industrial poisons which I believe may well be the chief concern of those in the rub ber industry where solvents are used in the product. It has been established be yond doubt that -women are susceptible to certain industrial poisons such as lead, These-suggestions take into considera mercury, arsenic and benzene. These bare tion the fact that any woman may lift an much the same effect on women as on exceptional load once in a while, but if men, but in addition, they may produce the lifting is repeated, the strain resulting miscarriage in a pregnant woman, or cause may produce undue fatigue--the parent of sterility. ` many accidents--or even harm the .body structure to the point of eventually af fecting the development of pregnancy. Dermatitis has increased in many com panies. It is well to remember that sol vents used to cut grease may injure the Factors Co Be Considered In determining whether the job is suit able for women, it would be well to keep these eight factors in mind, a list against which to check each job: 1. The period'of sustained lifting effort. skin of the woman because she has a, layer of fat beneath her skin that- men do not have. Consequently, new solutions are being used and new substances introduced in our products. They present the chal lenge of continual study as to their effect on all workers, especially the female 2. The height of lifting. worker. : Rubber Section Soda! Limitations The social responsibilities of the woman' Under social limitations, it seems fair to --the care of her home and her family-r list the fashions of the. hour as well as are large factors in her poor attendance. home responsibilities.' The hair is being If a night shift is necessary/then it Is best worn longer, and if the woman with flow ing. locks is near machinery, some sort of cap or. hair net must be worn to keep it out of danger and safe. Perhaps you- have already learned that there will be resist-, ance, but yon who know the hazards better to have employees rotate, not more fre quently than every four weeks nor longer than twelve. A change, every six'weeks is the most popular among our people,who have voted ou the length of the shift than she will have to be firm. Also, the work period should be in The other extreme is foot wear. The terrupted with rest pauses to avoid fatigue high heels ,which aggravate the woman's with its attendant loss in production and natural tendency to fall because of the loss in resistance to sickness. wide pelvic base have largely disappeared. , Every safety engineer has a ..dual reBut because of shoe rationing the woman 1 sponsibility not only to reduce the accident is apt to try to save her good leather shoe rate but also to increase production. For by wishing to work in any old thing. If * more tban thirty years the accident rate the floor of the work-room is likely to be I has been steadily lowered, but now with come littered with clippings from the work the advent of new, inexperienced, workers bench, or if she is handling fairly heavy in our factories, increased vigilance is re material, then you have the right and the quired to keep the rate down to the pre duty to insist that your workers, both : war level. In addition, every job must be men and women, wear safe shoes. They ; considered not only for its inherent haz are one of-the essentials of protective ' ards bnt also for that extra something clothing.' needed to increase production, and I am Women will accept, however reluc convinced that both depend on the. same tantly, your requirements that they wear problem, "How to prevent and redace protective clothing such as caps, gloves, fetigue." If you can find the answers to overalls and shoes. that, you have the key. Health Service In War Plants i, ' i C. O. SAPPINGTON, M. D, DR. P. H. Industrial Health Consultant Chicago, -HL The peak of industrial employment has been reached and 'there can now be no donbt that the health of the working pop ulation is of theutmost significance in the conservation of manpower and in the pro duction of war materiel. It is possible to classify the war and postwar problems of industrial-health into those of medical administration, those of public health in industry and the commun ity, and finally, those relating to industrial hygiene and sanitation in the plant. It is obvious, however, that these overlap some what.. Venereal Disease Control It should be understood that this is a problem primarily affecting the community and is, therefore, one of public health interest, not one of industrial responsibility. The diagnostic procedures should consist of a thorough physical examination sup plemented by laboratory tests, including serology, and treatment by a family physi cian or a clinic. In a survey of 77 plants recently, it was. the practice of one-third to reject all applicants who were positive reacters, while two-thirds of.the plants accepted such persons when there were:no contra-indications, these being communi cability and central nervous system; or cardiovascular involvement Preplacement and Periodic Examinations The tendency at the present time is to streamline'these services to the best utili 602 32nd National Safety Congress, 1943 zation of the physician's time by the use of nurses as physicians' aides to* take all the history and also do certain of the ex amination procedures. Intelligent nurses can be trained to do a great deal of the work, leaving the entirely medical pro cedures and the interpretations of me chanical results to the physician. Ex aminations should be adjusted to use more men over 40, and should be based more on the requirements of the job. There should be no relaxation with ref erence to periodic examinations and the industrial hygiene engineering data with which they should be associated, but these should also be streamlined to make the best use of the time of the professional groups. Nutrition The principle factors involved in indus trial nutrition are the provision of an adequate diet for the worker, both at home and in the plant, and the education of the worker and his family--special care of underweights and overweights-- and the use of nutrition advisers and dieticians by industry and public health groups. The subject of vitamins has been met by an almost bizarre public reaction. It is admitted by the authorities that the wholesale purchase of vitamins at drug stores by. the public is far beyond the control of those who are in a position to give advice, but in industry this is not the case--the choice lies with the officers and industrial physicians in each employment situation. Immunization Routine vaccination for smallpox should be done on all persons who have a vac cination scar five years or more old. The question of respiratory disease and cold vaccines is still an undecided one in sci entific circles, although empirically such vaccines are used in many industries to day. Clearly there should be a continu ance of research work and also application to human needs with proper controls, so that more adequate procedures may be classified and standardized. It is quite possible that other types of immunization are not relatively important in industry. Women in Industry The types of work which women can do have now been standardized fairly well and can be referred to when anyone wishes information on this point A list of these has been prepared by Dr. C. D. Selby for General Motors Corporation, and by various groups, including the Women's and Children's Bureau of the U. S. Department of Labor, which has published information on this subject Most of the authorities agree that all women should be examined thoroughly, but there is a disagreement regarding the making of pelvic examinations. A rational approach to this problem seems to be to make pelvic examinations only on married women and particularly if indicated by the history. X-ray films of the chest are de cidedly important particularly in young women because of the high tuberculosis rate among them. A female counselor and health main tenance service has been found to be very successful in experiences of many years of dealing with women in industry by Dr. Max Burnell of the AC Spark Plug Divi sion of the General Motors Corporation, Flint Michigan. The special problems of the physiology of the female -- menses, pregnancy and the menopause--of course come in for a great deal of consideration among women workers. Hours of work vary in different states, so that it would be necessary to be informed regarding the legislation- in the state concerned. Cloth ing has been receiving a great deal of attention, but apparently women workers frequently go back to slacks and sweaters, even when uniforms are provided by the company. Proper restroom facilities and hygienic surroundings certainly go a long way toward making satisfactory working conditions. The- use of women physi cians is increasing, particularly for: han dling female employees. Health education is probably one of the most important phases of the subject of women in indus try, in getting the cooperation of women in discussing their physiological problems. The author has recently completed an extensive survey on women in war indus tries, by actual plant visits, inspections, and interviews sponsored by the Indus trial Hygiene Foundation of America, the results of this study make available the actu tive n tions are of t oils, ble but tain part are bact gem sons port cedi typt slee oint on Sch fide T cau: evei are poii psy woi lorn whi tiot I Del not pro toti to: div imf acc ing . Set * he , rea in < ,1 fati am mo Rubber Section 603 actual practices and policies of representa tive Industrial groups. Dermatoses These are the most frequent occupa tional diseases in industry, and cutting oils are the most frequent cause, not because of the marked irritation of such cutting oils, but because of their wide usage. Solu ble cutting oils rarely cause dermatitis, but the insoluble , do, and they may conI tain sulphur and chlorine, the latter being particularly irritating at times. The oils are practically sterile however, containing bacteria on occasion but usually no patho gens. In the prevention program, per sonal cleanliness is of the utmost im portance and outranks all other pro cedures, protective clothing of various types, particularly impervious aprons, sleevelets and gloves coming second, and ointments of protective nature low down on the* list, according to Dr. Louis Schwartz, the eminent authority in this field. Absenteeism The greater part of absenteeism is caused by non-industrial illness. How ever, it is the. short-time absences which are most in the public eye. As recently pointed out by Dr. Frank F. Tallman, a psychiatrist of Lansing, Michigan, the worker may be sick of many different kinds of things--he may be sick of love, whiskey, taxes, poor housing, .transporta tion, etc. Dr. Louis Selling, a psychiatrist of Detroit, says that individualization, and not mass methods, is the solution to the problem of short-time absenteeism--the total man is the concept and his reaction to all factors must be considered. The in dividual worker must be assured of his importance in the total scheme of tilings, according to Dr. Lydia Giberson, consult ing psychiatrist to the U. S. Public Health . Service, which means no matter whether * he makes a set-screw or a tank, he must ., realize that his part should .be well done in order to win eventual victory. Fatigue There are many factors involved in fatigue, those of industrial, non-industrial and mixed character. Apparently, the most important are hours of work, rest and sleep, adequate nutrition, proper recre ation, and the will to work, the latter being especially important We must not only provide safe and healthy, places to work, but must realize that the. physical and mental health of the individual is one of the most important factors in preven tion of fatigue; what the employee does in the 16 hours outside of the plant can upset the best industrial health rprogram inside the plant. By health educational methods, streamlined to meet modern needs, we should be able to make workers physically and mentally comfortable inT side and outside the plant Tuberculosis This disease always increases during wartime because of strain, anxiety, lack of adequate rest and food. If the last war was any criterion, there will be an in crease in tuberculosis among industrial employees -- the increase having already occurred in the general population. For tunately, the cost of case-finding, which is industry's real avenue of usefulness in this problem, has now reached a new low. The only industrial exposure which has a specific relationship is severe exposures to dust of high free silica content Rehabilitation Rehabilitation, physical, mental and vo cational, forms an important field now and will be more important after the war. The Connecticut Clinic, under the guidance of Dr. E. P. Chester, of Hartford, has done outstanding work by securing the co operation of labor, management, physi-' cians and psychologists. Here, handi capped persons have been fitted to jobs and the cooperation of labor and industry with professional groups has been exceed ingly interesting and successful. Handicapped persons will' be used in in creasing numbers in spite of objections concerning liability. Waivers have been suggested in some states, and in Michigan at the present time there is such a> bill pending. There have been some supreme court decisions to the effect that when an injury is due solely to the handicap, the employer is not liable. Concerning the subject of waivers, Connecticut has had a history of handling some'. 5,000 waivers annually without difficulty. Connecticut has a very carefully written statute, how- -J, s' <304 32nd National Safety Congress, 1943 ever, which provides for a thorough phys be injurious and, therefore,' protective ical examination in connection with the measures must be provided for these pro waiver provisions. cedures. A rehabilitation clinic has been quite successful at Rochester, New York, under the guiding influence of Dr. W. A. Saw yer. A manual on employment of women and the handicapped by the U. S. Civil Service has been stated to be a real con tribution regarding etiology and disabil ity, which have been correlated with job capacity. Health Education This is the only logical approach to die efficient cutting down of the tremendous losses due to non-industrial sickness. The employee should be taught what he or she can do to take care of themselves. The kind of health education which are avail able are varied, and there is considerable difference of opinion as to which are best, but it is generally acknowledged that an appeal to the eye and the ear by the use of sound and photographs is ideal for practical purposes, as exemplified in sound-slide films, the price of which is also within the means of most .industrial establishments. Moreover, this kind of presentation is of particular advantage to physicians and nurses and safety directors who are usually so busy that they do not want to take the time to prepare material and present it. Processes and Materials During wartime, with the great rush of production and the difficulty in adapting to changed'conditions, there will be new processes and materials,' as well as hew appearances of old hazards and it is be cause of the tremendous intensity and speed of production by labor and manage ment that health may be lost in the shuf fle, as Lt. Commander J. J. Bloomfield has so well expressed it In the welding of tanks, it has been found that fluorine and chromium com pounds are given off,, and that the protec tion of the eyes and the respiratory system is necessary. Thus far no manganese problem has been - indicated in these processes. The making of synthetic rubber has also indicated that a problem may exist if not properly supervised -- exposures to the handling of, or creation of, vapors of acrylonitrile should be guarded against and the men properly protected by rubber footwear, gloves and the use of a lifeline wheaxleaning out tanks, as well as proper ventilation at various stages of the process. The use of chlorinated naphthalenes and diphenyls on account of their insulating qualities and their water and flame re sistance has foufad wide application. Al ready dermatitis has been experienced, and information is now being collected on systemic effects, there having been some instances, of liver damage reported. The .use of various materials :in the manufacture of explosives, such as toluene, TNT, tetryl, lead azide,mercury fulminate, and the various nitrates, also needs proper protection against the hazards of systemic effects and the more common dermatitis outbreaks. Magnesium casting has presented a very definite difficulty, what with exposures to fluorides and sulphur dioxide caused by oxidation inhibitors, chromium compounds bom pickling as an'anticorrosive, and carbon tetrachloride in the spraying oper ation to chill the metal, as well as mag nesium oxides. The most important of these are the fluoride gases. Sandblasting, grinding and buffing, in which dust is a by-product, are not' new processes and can be used safely, but safe provisionsare not always made under war production''conditions. Dust control at the source is important in all of these processes and can be so arranged as to control the hazard of silicosis. The use of X-ray apparatus for testing purposes and the use of radium and fluorescent materials' for dial painting may Similarly, in - the electric welding of armor plate, fluoride compounds and chromium are involved; the latter, how ever, does not' figure as an important ex posure because of its type. Noise control has also presented a prob lem in certain types of industries,, partic ularly in the testing of airplane motors where the noise goes up to 140 decibels. Reduction of noise has been largely ac complished by insulation and dampening proces; examitt A n< peared which 84 per this so tempei 50-50 i is beii sively the ne Am< proces may n uses c specifi prints; curren metall stated miUio; sible i In i come in mil pated Mr. ( entist, these or wh over, "Will the u In futun the s dally in jo there doubl capai job. place Rubber Section 605 processes supplemented by special periodic examinations of the exposed workers. A new lead hazard has apparently ap peared in the use of a new silver solder which is higher in. lead to the extent of 84 per cent in order to save tin. In using this solder, it requires 100 degrees higher temperature to melt than the old so-called 50-50 misu- Another-metai, cadmiumTalso is being used considerably more exten sively in .electroplating, and may present the necessity for careful protection. Among some of the older materials and processes which, under new conditions, may need to be well supervised, are the uses of plating solutions} the lead being specified in governmental formulae for paints; die use of menthanol, and the oc currence of carbon monoxide in steel metallizing processes where it has been stated to occur as high as 500 parts per million, which is five times the permis sible standard. . Postwar Problems In' discussing the problems which will come after the war it is necessary to keep in mind that some of these may be antici pated by postwar planning. However, as Mr. Charles Kettering, the famous sci entist, has remarked, one must look at these plans to see if they arefteally plans or whether they are merely wishes; more over, Mr. Kettering asks the question, "Will human nature be any different after the war from what it was before?" In health services in industry in the future there will be greater demands on the medical and health personnel, espe cially with reference to placing applicants in jobs for which they are best fitted; there will be greater developments no doubt-for the measurement of mental capabilities, with proper adjustment to the job. There will be easier methods of placement and the evaluation of mental and physical standards, all. of these to be worked out on a basis whereby they may be applied' to individuals by mass methods. Another group of problems will center around socio economic - medical relation ships and one of the most prominent of these will be the rehabilitation of the handicapped, including war casualties, and reintegration of `these into industry. Al ready there, are excellent programs of rehabilitation, but .there will also be dif ficulties arising from the legal implications of these methods and the assumption of responsibility by industry in accepting handicapped persons. At present this is a medicolegal problem which has so far baffled any solution worthy of the name, and iS\bothering legislators, industrialists and labor no end.-- The extensive use of women in industry will offer a problem which will probably reach its maximum proportions during postwar adjustment. It is reasonable to believe that medicolegal difficulties' will present themselves in considerable volume during this period on account of the fact that in many instances it is impossible to justify a pelvic examination of all women employees, and therefore avail oneself of accurate information at . the time of em ployment. There are all sorts and kinds of possibilities which may arise in this way, and it is,-therefore, important that both labor .and industry take measures to protect the rights of their respective groups. Finally, it should be stated that what-, ever; gains aremade in. the amount and quality of health service in industry should be preserved for the use of the millions of workers continuing in production dur ing the postwar period. It is perhaps trite to twist an axiom, but one cannot help but paraphrase the old adage by saying "In time of war prepare for peace." 606 32nd National Safety Congress, 1943 General Discussion R. W. FICKES Safety Director, Goodyear Aircraft Corp^ Akron, O. Bather than review these previous talks, More thought and foresight has been I think that I will just add a few words given to making them happy and com to each of them and then turn the re fortable. mainder of the time over to a general discussion. Some people maintain that women are more susceptible to injury than men, but Mr. Yellott's talk was of considerable this is again determined by the working interest to me because it is a subject that conditions. Jobs for women should be we are all interested in. Many of you selected carefully and then properly safe present here have participated in one way guarded so that the employee dm work or another in the 96-hour safety engineer safely. In our plant we lave broken down ing course offered by our government the,,number of injury calls to the plant No doubt, many of you have instructed hospital by male and female and find that in these courses and others of you have the ratio is practically the same, which been on the receiving line. Now we find disproves the statement that wpmen are the people who have completed these more careless than men. courses are organizing clubs so that they may continue getting together to discuss safety problems of mutual interest Dr. Sappington has told us about-faealth service in war plants. When. I think about some of the people that we are fairing in In addition to this safety course, the our plant, I am thankful that we have a National Committee for Conservation of good medical department It is true that Manpower in War Industries is offering we are hiring many physically handi a 20 hour comprehensive foreman's train capped people and they have become the ing course. Thus course should be well safety departments problem. However, received in our war industries today be there are many exceptions and in hiring cause there is definitely a place for it these handicapped people many excellent workers are obtained. The subject discussed here today that I find myself most interested in is, of In our plant we are using blind people course, the one of "Women in Industry." for sorting materials and they are doing What Miss Stone has said about the placement of women in industry is true. Most of our plants were designed to ac commodate men and now we have, found it necessary to change the layout, and equipment to conform to women's needs. It may mean lowering the height of work benches, providing chairs, improving toilet facilities, increasing the number of beds an excellent job. We have a man with one arm in our maintenance department who has done an outstanding job. He has .proven to us that some physically handi capped people are capable of doing a bet ter job than some of those in the best of health. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule and we get our share of those too. in the first-aid room, conveyorizing cer In conclusion, I would like to say that tain jobs so that lifting will not be neces this National Safety Congress has been sary, redesigning heavy tools, converting more accurately timed than any, other, . band operations into mechanical jobs and because it comes when we are vitally in changing mechanical guards to conform terested in conserving our man power. to women's needs, in our old plants this The winning of this war depends on the has been a difficult job, but our engineers plants engaged in war production. If our have not failed us. In our new plants, the soldiers and sailors are not .furnished with job has been made easier by allotting more war materials as they require them, our space for operations to be done by women. work will have all been in vain. ecu 3m- are bat be tfeork iwn ant bat iich are dth out : in ea hat idithe pie ins me rbo lias' dietof ms 3se lat sen iner. be tor ith hit Rubber Section WEDNESDAY MORNING SESSION October 6,1943 607 Presiding: Paul Van Cleef, Van Cleef Bros, Chicago. Mechanical Safety in Plants Manufacturing Synthetic Rubber BY GLEN D. CROSS Safety Director, Synthetic Rubber Division, Firestone Tire ft Rubber Co, Akron, Ohio I will attempt to give some of the safe Enough vapor space should be allowed operating conditions which are necessary above the liquid material to permit ex safety measures, in the operation of a pansion without raising the pressure to syhthetic rubber plant In most plants at any great degree in the vessel. least one of the two main raw materials, styrene and butadiene, is brought into the plant by tank car. Some of the pre cautionary measures to be considered in unloading tank cars are as follows: 1. The track at the unloading rack should be: grounded, rails bonded and an insulator placed in the track at the switch. These precautions (as well as those in item No. 2 of this list) are taken to pre vent electric sparks from igniting the 13 flammable materials while they are being unloaded. 2. There should be a bond between the track, tile unloading line and the tank shell. The unloading rack itself should also be grounded. 2. It is advisable to plug drains on tanks to prevent possible escape of the mate rial through-faulty-valves or valves that have not been closed completely. 3. Periodical inspection' should be made of all relief valves-on tanks to make sure that they will operate at the desired pres sure. I plan to give a procedure for mak ing these inspections in the latter part of this paper. 4. It is necessary to have drains with quick-opening remote-control valves in the diked areas to drain off the water below the burning liquid in case of a fire, if water is used as a control agent. Should drains not be provided, the diked area would fill with water and the flammable liquid, float 3. The tank car, while being unloaded, ing on top of the water, would spread over should be blocked and a "Tank Car Con a large area and increase the damage nected" sign shotdd be placed on each side caused by the fire. The size of the drains of the tank car, one car length away. It is should be large enough to handler the also advisable to use a derail. greatest amount of water that ever would 4. To eliminate another source of igni be deposited into the diked area involved. tion, tank cars should not be brought into,, 5. Water sprays are used on styrene the plant by coal-burning locomotives. tanks to keep the temperature resulting 5. Alt electrical equipment at the un from the sun's rays below 85 F. If the loading rack should be of the explosion- temperature is kept below this point, proof type. styrene will not form dimers which are 6. It is advisable to use spark-proof harmful to the manufacturing process as tools at this location. well as a definite fire hazard. It is thought that the formation of such dimers may Tank Storage Area cause spontaneous ignition of .the styrene. Some of. the safety measures which As the flash point of styrene is also should be taken in the tank farm storage 85a F, an explosive mixture of styrene area are: vapors will not be obtained if the water 1. Maximum liquid levels should be sprays on the styrene tanks keep the tem stated on storage tanks to indicate, the perature below this point. maximum amount of liquid material to be 6. Another precaution against the for stored at the various temperatures. mation of explosive mixtures and dimers * f 608 32nd National Safety Congress, 1943 includes the use of inert gas as a blanket over the styrene in the storage tanks. By doing this, air is excluded from the tank and the possibility of a flammable mixture inside the tank is eliminated. 7. In practically all plants, relief valves on the butadiene storage tanks are tied into a main vent line which goes to a burning stack. It has been found desirable to keep this line to the burning stack filled with inert gas under a slight pressure to prevent the possibility of butadiene and air forming an explosive mixture in the vent line and at the base of the burning stack. In the standard plants, relief lines from the styrene tanks are tied into a vent line which runs to a styrene burning pit located at some distance from the stor age area. It is also a good precaution to use inert gas in this line. 8. We have found it to be good practice to place small wire seals on valves in lines that bypass the relief valves on storage tanks. This prevents the pro miscuous opening of such valves without the authorization of a top supervisor. Caustics and Adds in the manufacture of synthetic rubber. These are usually stored in drums, barrels or bags. Properties of these materials should be gone into thoroughly to deter mine their flammability, dermatitis-pro ducing qualities, and their reactions with each other when any two or three of them are brought into contact This latter point is very important inasmuch as the reaction may cause enough heat to produce a fire. As a precaution against such fires, dry chemicals should be placed on raised plat forms .to prevent the possibility of. their becoming damp or in contact with any spilled liquid chemicals. Liquid chemicals in drums should be segregated from other chemicals used. Any.oxidizing materials should be storecTbetween relatively noncombustible materials which will not react with the oxidizing chemicals. Good house keeping is especially important in this storage area. Any material spilled on the floor should be immediately cleaned up and disposed of. Two places that are often neglected in housekeeping are the pits of elevator shaft-ways and weigh scales. The storage of caustic and acid presents a definite hazard to employees if not han dled correctly. The use of protective cloth ing of the proper type is a necessity in working with such materials. Additional safety is provided by emergency showers and eye fountains located at unloading racks, storage areas, pump houses and process areas. It is also desirable to have available means of neutralizing and getting rid of the caustic or acid, should a large amount be spilled. Another precaution includes the placing of dikes around the storage tanks should such tanks be located near buildings or in areas where workmen are usually found. As an added safety practice, shields may be placed around flanges or couplings in lines containing acid or caustic. Such shields prevent serious burns which may be ^caused by add or caustic being re leased under pressure through a defective flange or coupling. In. addition to the main ingredients of butadiene and styrene, there are a number of chemicals used in 'smaller quantities Transfer of Materials Inasmuch as we have now covered the storage of the raw materials, we will con sider the transfer of the materials into the process. The hydrocarbons in the tank farm go from the storage tanks through the transfer pump house before being purified and placed in the polymenzers. As large quantities of these hydrocarbons pass through this pump house, it is im perative that all safety precautions be taken. The use of the color scheme recom mended by the Rubber Reserve Company to identify various pipe lines is of great aid in this pump house as well as at other locations in the plant Each employee should become acquainted with.the identi fication scheme and especially with those colors which are used on pipes carrying flammable materials. We have found it desirable to post bulletins throughont the plant showing the colors which identity each. As the* flammable liquids and gases which pass through the pump house are heavier than air, adequate ventilation at the f venti mgs pumi Al expl( tatae throi highi fer ; plac shou T1 build valvi exce the < perk tioni pres: char sors. A) in t! ficat pum leasl tain Ai stor tiott dim hav< in U T wit! peri ate A the thre amc tag shoi lev* vap A pla< an no* eqn and the Rubber Section / ' the floor level shpuld be furnished. Such by the materials in the vessel. A pressure ventilation is also necessary in other budd gauge should be used between the rupture ings or rooms where these materials are disc and the relief valve to detect any pumped or used. . leak in the disc. The'Vent line from these Ail electrical equipment should be of explosion-proof type and should, be main tained properly. As in other areas throughout the plant,' housekeeping of the highest type is most essential in this trans fer pump house. Oily rags should be placed in" dosed metal containers and should be picked up daily. combination relief valves and discs runs into a "knock out"itank, in which liquids are trapped, letting the,-vapors continue on to the butadiene burning stack. It is neces sary to make sure that the valve.arrange ment to this tank is properly set up to furnish the relief' necessary. Wire seals on such valve controls may be desirable. The pumps and compressors in this Under ordinary operating conditions, building are usually.provided with relief the highest pressures found in the entire valves on the discharge side to relieve process are present during ,the polymer excessive pressure to the suction side of ization. Safe operation is exceedingly im the equipment These should be checked portant here. After the reaction in the periodically to insure their proper func polymerizers is almost, cgmpleted, the tioning, 'thus preventing an excessive latex; as well as the unreacted butadiene pressure from being built up_.in._the dis and styrene, go through the recovery.proc charge line from such pumps or compres ess. In this process, the unreacted buta sors. diene is first recovered and then the un As there are caustic circulation pumps in this pump house and as the caustic puri fication units' are usually adjacent to -the pump house, it is desirable to have at least-one emergency shower and eye foun tain in the building. After the butadiene is pumped from the reacted styrene. It is essential that the vessels in the recovery process be pro vided with adequate relief valves. All en closed sections of the recovery building should have good ventilation, and all elec trical equipment, should be of explosionproof type. V storage tank it goes to the caustic purifica Once the latex has been stripped of its tion unit where the inhibitor in it is eliminated. Here again, it is advisable to have shields over flanges and couplings in lines carrying caustic. The decanters in the unit are provided with relief valves which should be tested periodically to determine if they will oper ate at the proper pressure. 1 unreacted materials, it does not present any special firehazard unless, the recovery process be incomplete and a great amount of styrene be left in the latex. In this case, it is necessary to take special pre cautions in the rubber process building to prevent the accumulation of a high con centration of fumes in any.one location. Polymerization After the butadiene is purified, it and the other raw materials are pumped through meters to determine accurate amounts for the batches. The room hous* ing these meters is a hazardous area and should be properly ventilated at the floor level to prevent an excessive amount of vapors from being present The coagulation of the latex into solid chunks of .rubber involves no safety prob lem other than that connected with the use of a dilute acid in one of the coagulat ing methods. It'is necessary, of course, to properly guard transmission equipment and provide emergency stops on any rolls through which the rubber passes. Once the coagulation process is completed and the rubber is formed into small particles, Next the butadiene and the styrene are -the drying operation starts. In the dryers placed in the polymerizers together with a considerable amount of fumes are driven an emulsifying agent a catalyst and a off. This calls for good ventilation inside modifying agent - These polymerizers are the dryers and the prevention of fumes equipped with combination relief valves from passing through openings in the and safety discs. The safety disc prevents dryer enclosures to the areas surrounding the relief valve from becoming gummed-up them. iUi , -t I-1 r Mm 610 32nd National Safety Congress, 1943 Frequent cleaning of the dryers and adequate control of temperatures will aid greatly in the prevention of dryer fires. The ventilating dncts from the dryers themselves should be checked frequently to determine if there is any excess ac cumulation of materials in them. Relief Device* It can be said that the Rubber Reserve Company standard plants contain adequate safety features to make for safe operation. Nevertheless, the equipment will not func tion, as designed, if it is not properly maintained. This is especially true of re lief valves and rupture discs which are vital to the safe operation of the plant Defective relief devices and those that are of inadequate size are responsible for most cases of equipment failure. Some important points to be considered with re gard to relief devices are as follows: 1. The discharge pipe on relief devices should be installed to prevent the ac cumulation of ice, water, dirt etc, in it 2. Relief devices should be installed at the highest point in the vapor space in the vesseL 3. Any shut-off valves installed before or after the relief devices, must be sealed -open and inspected regularly to prevent them from being dosed. 4. Back pressure on the discharge side of the relief devices should be low, if present at all Periodic inspections and maintenance of relief devices are essential to their proper functioning. It is necessary that a record be kept showing the date and con ditions found at the time of the inspection of each relief valve. All maintenance work on such equipment should be performed by personnd who are skilled in this type of work. A procedure that can be followed in testing relief valves is as follows: 1. The valves should be tested for the opening and reseating pressures. - 2. There should be a test for leakage at a pressure slightly over the operating pressure. If found to be satisfactory in both of these points, the valve may he returned to service. Valves requiring maintenance should be cleaned and the face reground, using a water soluble valve-grinding compound. Following the cleaning, regrinding and assembling operation, the valve should be tested for Ink-tight pressure at a pres sure slightly below the opening pressure. When the set pressure of a relief valve is changed, a new name plate should be attached showing the new pressure. The set pressure of the valve should never be increased more than 10?& above the de signed working pressure of the equipment It is^desirable to show, in addition to the set pressure, the actual free discharge area of the relief valve in square inches. Safety relief devices should be so ar ranged that the possibility of tampering with them will be minimized. If pressure setting or adjustment is external, the re lief valve should be provided with an ap proved means of sealing the adjustment No relief device' should go for a period of more than a year without being in spected. One-large chemical corporation has found that even though frequent in spections are made, nearly 50 percent of their devices are in need of some atten tion when inspected. Another important point to be considered with relation to relief devices is that they should not be interchanged unless they are of the^-same type and siz.e; _ For the most part, I have attempted to cover'only., safe operating conditions, and have neglected to discuss the safety education of operating personnel. This has been due to the limited time at my disposal Nevertheless, as you realize, safe practices are most essential and the safety program should be carried on with out interruption to make sure that super visors and workers do not become lax in taking necessary safety precautions. all lift co CO its he ap op I CO re sb is of st a fk ot be so oi ha dc in fit o| h< st at to in at to er tv es n< m at tt st pl r Rubber Section 611 Ventilating Problems BERNARD QFPEN of B. Often ft Co, Chicago, HL The problem of ventilation arises in Solvent Vapors almost every phase of civil and industrial life. Not many years ago, ventilation was considered a luxury but today it has be come a necessity in most industrial plants. In many of the processes today, sol vents are an integral part. New products of all descriptions are being developed, and many of these require large volumes The rubber industry, in various parts of its processes, makes considerable use of heat, solvents add chemicals. Ventilating apparatus is required in many of these of solvents in their processing. In some cases, solvents may be handled several times, thus adding to the ventilation prob lem. operations. Since the Held is rather broad, In most of the processes, a certain I will renew some of the more common amount of mixing prepares the solvent for conditions created by the processes that further use. In many cases, these mixers require ventilation. have open tops and frequently are driven Dust through line shafts and belting. In a layout of this type, it is important to main There are two main reasons why dust tain large volumes of exhaust air,'because should be confined and t^noved: One, it the solvents are not confined. It is neces is a fire hazard; two, it affects the health sary to place the exhaust ducts between of employees. In many dusting operations, the wall and the mixers, locating the open static electricity is developed. This creates ings near the floor as well as near the top a hazardous condition, especially where of the mixers. flammable vapors may be present In operations of this type, the machine should be hooded. The hood should be located so that.tbe flow of air will be from the operator to the machine, then to the ex haust hood. Further, the hood should be designed so that air, currents in the work ing area will not interfane with the proper flow of dust laden air to the exhaust openings. Wherever possible, the top of. the mixer should be hooded and connected to the exhaust system. The exhaust system should be of sufficient capacity to give the mixing room an air change approxi mately every three to five minutes. Some rooms require more while others will take less, depending on the working space and the volume of vapors liberated. Where mixers are covered, the air condition will In many cases,, it is rather difficult to naturally be better; however, good exhaust hood dusting operations. In such in should be maintained, since losses will take stances, it is advisable to confine the oper place in the handling of the solvents. ation to an isolated area; or if necessary, It is further ^desirable to replace this to enclose the entire machine. Exhaust-. exhaust air with fresh air, especially ing.air from the enclosure, or the isolated where rooms are separated by fire walls. area, will prevent the dust from spreading The use of open windows is quite com to other parts of the building. mon, but through the winter season, win Where solvent recovery is to be consid ered, the difference in performance be tween the two types of installations may easily be the deciding factor in the eco nomics of the recovery system. While all machines cannot readily be designed to accommodate the desired changes, serious thought along this line might bring about sufficient improvement to materially sim dow ventilation is not desirable. Further, any fresh air brought into the room should be distributed so as not to spread the sol vent fumes throughout .the area. Fresh air brought into the room should be dis charged toward the working area, thus giving the employees the benefit of the fresh air before it is drawn toward the mixers to be exhausted. plify the problem of dust and solvent vapor From the mixers the solvents are con removal veyed, either manually or mechanically, to 612 32nd National Safety Congress, 1943 various types 'of processing machines. fire develop in the highly concentrated These may be printing presses, coaters, area, it can be isolated, thus preventing a impregnating tanks, spreaders, etc. With serious explosion and the propagation of the above machines, drying apparatus is a fire. , used to hasten the liberation of the. sol vent and the drying of the product. It is very important with practically all ma chines of this type, to provide sufficient ventilation and exhaust. Where possible, the entire, machine should be enclosed. If physical, conditions make it impossible to enclose the entire machine, the more critical parts should be hooded. If satisfactory hoods cannot be provided to confine the solvent, a large volume of air should be exhausted near the machine to prevent the accumulation of high concentration solvent vapor^pockets. If the machine can be effectively enclosed, certain operating economies will be experienced: One, by enclosing the machine heat is confined, thus reducing In many plants solvents are bandied by mechanical means! such as electric pumps, etc. ' In these areas, exhaust should be provided because of losses in stuffing glands, 'loose pipe connections and oc casional repairs to machinery. It is neces sary-to-rid these machines of all solvent vapors before making repairs. Static Electricity Static has been the cause of many ex plosions and fires and therefore should receive the utmost consideration.: AITparts of the machinery should be thoroughly grounded. Brushes of a satisfactory de sign should contact all shafts and static bars of an approved design should be located near the processed material for heat loss; two, where solvent vapor is desired leakage of the static charge^ and trapped, large volume of exhaust air is near rope or belt drive, for these fire-' not required for satisfactory ventilation; quently develop rather high static charges. three, the trapping of solvent vapors In grounding machinery, heavy , wire is makes it more economical where recovery recommended. Over caution is advised, systems might be considered. since , grounding of machinery is not ex Of course,, in confining solvent laden pensive and requires practically no main air it is imperative that the concentration tenance, once installed. be kept well below the explosive limit. This is not such a difficult problem. With a knowledge of the solvent and the vol umes liberated, safe working conditions can be maintained. By controlling the various operations, sufficient safeties can be provided to prevent the solvent con centration from reaching the explosive range- Fire Hazard Where solvent vapors are liberated and no ventilation is provided, a serious hazard exists. Often times, depending oh the type of operation, concentrations, will vary from below the explosive range, through the explosive range and even beyond. Fre quently, processes are of such a nature, that it is difficult to avoid a high con centration in certain parts of the process. In operations of this type, areas where the solvents are handled should be con fined as much as possible; and the entire surrounding area should be thoroughly, ventilated so that under no condition will Humidification Another very desirable means for re moving static is the introduction of mois ture into the air. It has been. observed that where humidities are maintained above 50 per cent, static charges are very much reduced. In some cases it has been found necessary to maintain relative hu midities of tiO to 65 per.cent for satisfac tory static redaction. Of cottrs$' humidi fication can only be considered if it is not detrimental to the materials being proc essed.' Frequently, due to plant construction, it is' difficult to maintain high humidities during periods of low outside temperature; this is due to excessive condensation on walls and ceilings. Where it has been found necessary to carry high humidities, drain troughs have been provided to .take care of condensation, thus preventing drip ping from sash and monitors. High Temperature Areas an explosive mixture exist near the ma The introduction of an air washer sys chine. Under these conditions, should a tem will provide fresh air and recirculated air ing tio air fre air on inf thi fic as foi su ve of of he an fa th tic re P< he ca is th ca er -a ri sc a; a n P d a: cl cl a u tl Rubber Section 613 air at lower temperatures, thus maintain ing reasonably favorable working condi tions. The intimate contact between the air and water spray in the air washer will frequently, reduce the temperature of the air as much as 10 to 20 degrees, depending on the moisture content of the air enter ing the apparatus. In the summer* when the -outside humidity is high, the humidi fication system can be shut dbwn and used as part of the. ventilating system. Except for possibly ten to twenty days of the summer period, air washer apparatus is a very satisfactory and economical source of cool air for plant circulation. This type of apparatus is desirable where excessive heat loads exist In addition, circulated washed, air materially reduces the dust and solvent vapor'content of a plant To re frigerate air in plants of this type is rather expensive. To provide for ventilating equipment involves expenditures and, in some cases, it*is quite appreciable. - However, by care ful study) satisfactory ventilation can-be provided at moderate; cost Improved working conditions will reduce absentee ism and labor turnover, will increase pro duction of a uniform product and, further, will reduce insurance rates by eliminating the various health and fire hazards. These are important factors that should not be overlooked. Dermatitis from the Manufacture ol Synthetic Rubber By W. E. OBETZ, MJ>. Medical Investigator, The Industrial Commission, Columbus, Ohio A review of the literature on .dermatitis the chances of exposure occur only when .and the manufacture of synthetic rubber there is a leak in some pipe line, a defec fails to disclose very much information on tive valve, or a disabled pump. After co this subject. Wherever dermatitis is men agulation takes place, the washing, drying tioned, it is usually stated that its occur and pressing operations proride oppor rence is either impossible or of little im tunities for exposure, especially to fumes portance. It is generally a safe conclusion, and vapors thus liberated. however, to assume, that wherever chemi cals are handled, conveyed, or mixed there is a possibility of skin irritation among the persons so employed. The number of. cases usually depends upon the number of employees and the extent of exposure. Butadiene and styrene are the chemicals most frequently mentioned in the manu facture of rubber. Various other solutions and dyes are required, but from the causes given in claims filed, styrene is most fre quently mentioned, and is considered more Comparatively Few Cases irritant to the skin and more apt to cause contact dermatitis.. --------- In the manufacture of synthetic rubber, *a number of chemicals are employed and Frequency and Distribution their use in- the various processes.-does The cases which have come to our at sometimes result in skin irritation. So far tention by-claims filed'for the payment as is known, only a comparatively few of -compensation for disability and^ for 'cases have! developed, considering the medical expenses incurred, indicate that number of persons engaged in this occu chemists, laboratory helpers, maintenance pation. This, small exposure is probably men, janitors, and .laborers occasionally due to the fact that much of the process, develop dermatitis from contact Chemists as far as the conveying and mating of and laboratory helpers are no doubt ex chemicals is concerned, is entirely en posed during their experimental work. closed in a network of tanks, pipe lines, Maintenance and repair men are no doubt and similar equipment From the tank car required to repair broken parts where leaks until coagulation has been accomplished, occur. Janitors are exposed to dust and the process is almost entirely enclosed and liquids in the process of cleaning. Even 614 32nd National Safety Congress, 1943 those who handle bales of the finished product occasionally develop .contact der matitis. In order to best illustrate the frequency and distribution as well as the disability resulting from dermatitis, a study has been made of 27 claims from one of our larger plants manufacturing synthetic riibber. These claims were filed during the first eight months of 1943. The disability oc curred between November, 1942 and July 1, 1943. The occurrence of these cases by months Was as follows: November .......................... 1 December .............................3 January ................................ 0 February ............................ 2 March.................................. 7 April ................................. 5 May..................................... 1 June ......................................8 three of -the 27 claims was there a dis ability of more than seven days. In two claims the disability was nine days each and in the third, 12 days. It is evident, therefore, that the cost of compensation was negligible and the medical expense was very small, many of the cases being seen at the plant hospital only once or .twice. The distribution of cases, as far as part of body involved, shows' that the derma titis appeared chiefly on the exposed sur faces, that is, hands, forearms, face, and neck. In some instances several portions were involved at the same time. For ex ample, hand, forearms, and face or face, neck, and arms. The classification-of claims shows that the face was involved in seven claims, neck in four, arms in six, forearms in 14, hands in four, trunk in four, legs and ankles in four, thighs in one. It is interesting to note this distribu tion of cases because, during March and April, an unusual number of cases-of der matitis developed among the employees working around a large dryer. Just what caused this dermatitis was difficult to de termine; but all persons in any way sub jected to the fames or dust in the vicinity seemed to be affected. This even included the cleaning force, composed of both male and female janitors. It also included a painter working in the vicinity. It was concluded that exhaust hoods were neces sary, and -the installation of this equip ment seemed to solve the problem. Later, however, the painter and one of the jinitresses had recurrent attacks of a mild form of dermatitis; From the standpoint of distribution the 27 cases were reported by the following persons: Utility Men......................... 7Solutibn Mixers................... 3 Janitors v........................... 9 Mechanics .......................... 1 Reactor -Helpers................. 2 Chemical Engineers..........2 Painters .............................. 2 Chemists ........................ 1 Most of the cases reported were mild as indicated by the claims filed. In only Symptoms and Treatment The type- of eruptions, as described in the medical reports, indicates that it ap peared chiefly as a rash or erythema. In most instances the term "dermatitis" was used. In one claim, vesicles were de scribed; in another, folliculitis was de scribed; and in a third case, a maculopapular eruption was mentioned.. From this it should probably be concluded that the skin irritation usually occurs 'in the form of a rash with redness and perhaps small pimples or may occasionally have water blisters or small pustules. The period of disability was usually very short and, in many instances, no time was lo'st The treatment prescribe by the at tending physician .consisted chiefly in simple lotions or ointments, to which the' dermatitis yielded readily, apparently with out any complications. In conclusion, therefore, our experience indicates that the manufacture of synthetic' rubber occasionally causes dermatitis among the employees, due largely to ex posure to the various chemicals, especially styrene. The dermatitis occurs on the ex posed surfaces of the body, in a mild form, causing little disability and respond ing to the usual treatment for mild derma titis.