Document NGBLONqMKgdyOER7V61e3MpGV

FILE NAME: Chrysler (CHR) DATE: 1976 Mar 2 DOC#: CHR110 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Memo - Industrial Hygiene Inspection with Attached Report From Suhjoet F ra n k M ire r, Ph. D, , Industrial Hygiene Consultant Social Security Departme*^ C hrysler Corporation Trenton Chemical Plant Trenton, Michigan Local Union 372, Region 1A Inspection: Industrial Hygiene Inspection - Asbestos Exposure Requested by Joint National Committee Date of Inspection: Union R ep resen tativ es: Bob Smith, P re sid e n t, Local Union 372 C ary Fickrell, Safety Representative Pete Bellich, Committeeman Dave Pennington, Committeeman Dick Clayton, Chief Steward Company R epresentatives: Dan C lo ser. C orporate Industrial Hygiene Elm er Lombard, Plant Safety Supervisor John L ardie, P erso n n el Manager {closing coni, only) Tom Lang, Labor Relations Supervisor (closing coni. only) T his plant v is it w as requested by the C h ry sler Department to review , s u rv e y and recom m end correctio n s of health hazards of asbestos use at this location. The day of th e v is it was sunny with a te m p eratu re In the 50*s indicating efficient v entilation conditions and am ple supply of coding air for relief of heat stress. . * The plant to u r was made with the above Unioa and Company r epr sentatlve s. GHWYSLR 01341 - 2s A sbostos is use In two locator.*. In '.he Chemicat Plant, **,thv about l<H>hourTy emoloyee*. asbestos is aa ingredient in v a rio u s products such as sealers* Much g re a te r quantities ui asbcs;oc .ire used in the F rictio n P roducts Building, with about 220 hourlyem ployees, ia the m anufacture of brake linings and disc brake pads, l. G eneral A ccording to in dustrial hygiene rep o rts submitted by the C orporation and the State of Michigan, airborne asbestos fib er coon^S a re beioolPilftfeCTtryowM^ftadandMl^ fib e rs/c c j at all routia*-derations eM *epa.1ftK4$ai0^i?!ftrffeLodif# m ix er ia the F rictio n P roducts P lant. A I'eifWk'itcrr is cjMPfcedftaa-t&ft# location. In a num ber of areas the exposure is considerably below standards. This standard is scheduled to be reduced to 2 fib ers /c c in July l $76. and a fu rth er reduction to one-half fib er/cc has been proposed. This re p o rt and re c o rn m e n d a tio n s^ a g e ^ n ^ str^ t^ J^ y e d to the th erd lo ^e exposure should b e r& V & ldlb** poaotbfcar \v tiItfm siso re te rt''b f f^dfergnldeUttr, Specific exam ples will be cited below. However, the following recom m endations should be applied throughout the plant. A. P ?3tin i A iT lb caiS fti w here asbefteoarm n h< xalc^scd into the a ir s I B d A ls p e s iiv d b t# i i |a # which sayt A sbestos Dust Hazard Avoid Breathing Dust Wear Assigned Protective r Equipment. Do Not R em ain in Area Unless Your Work Requires It. V : . B r e a t h i n g A sbestos Dust May .. '"TTaus'e Lung D isease or C a n c e r / - * * * * * * * 4 ; A t'present sign* to tblor efc*r**<MMd' ia f e ^ to c ilio n s . They should be present a t the etaraggpmlgh-ui an d j^b ier loading stations in the oiam tes^p lan t where asbestos is CHRVSU3* 0t242 * ft > (( a. Containers All container $ far asbestos, intermediate m a te ria l!, \ asbestos-contam inated clothing or aibeato*~contai;ung scrap should be either covered or exhausted and should b* labeled. This was generally not done in this plant. '-*< C, Ventilation Indicators ^*0 A< Ti^ - -v ^ "" All opeastlea* with local exhausft.ventfiation shouid have an indicator via lbleft the op erato r, which shaars that vestttailan equipment It perform ing^!equateiy. W here\ feaeibl# there should b e a .in te rim le which will prevent operation of equipment without ventilation. This should be a high p rio rity for bipci p re sse s, g rin d ers and saws. O, Housekeeping In general hoaVefcVopU^aeeded'lrwprvvematft, with accumulations of fallout dust and spillage on the Lodige m ixer platform , the blpel press area, the grinder area s, the ham m er m ill platform , and at a number of other locations. This m atter was mentioned in both Corporation, Stato of Mio tipi.;*. and previous L*AvV in d u strial h ne reports. (Cf ^ r^ - The local union stated repeatedly, and was not contradicted by local management, that extra manpower had been applied to clean up in the previous days. The local union safety and health rep resen tativ e, and the plant safety supervisor should together, objectively and cooperatively determ ine the frequency and nature of cleaning needed to attain a satisfactory level of cleanliness. Sufficient manpower should then be applied to this task. E. Cleaning Methods Vacuum c le a n e rs w ere p resen t at m any w ork stations. Quite c o rre c tly the exhaust ou tlets wor e connected to the ventilation ducts to prevent r circulation of a ir into the workroom. "Squeegees'* ra th e r than broom s were supplied for cleaning floors This is equivalent to dry sweeping, whatever im plem ent is used, and should be banned^ F loors thould rv c - CHRYSLER eet243 - 4 - \ 7 '* .*v;\ *C*a^* be wet down thoroughly before sq u eeze r t used to weep ubesias-ccr.satning dust. F. V/ork Clothing V/ork clothing w u said to be provided only for 'veigh-up operators. This program should he modified as follows; l. The Company should provide clothing,?.*, no cost, for a ll employ***exposed to airborne asbestos. O A of this clothing should bedU M C fo*!! At p resent the Company feels that they are required to provide clothing only if exposure is* a-kv* the TLV. v 2. W ork clothing and s tre e t clothlagM fcldnot fctp s to re d la the sam e Vookeff 3. No w ork clothing shall h r takes* hornet 4. Em ployees sh all shower a t tlifc 2nd of th e i^ s h ^ G. M onitoring O bservations 1. The lo cal union stiSey,,?iiprescntgrlve should be iafhrm #d m adr&qfce of v isits nr.d oc i j l T i O ; o acoompany corporate safety and health profession* U on alUstfeasur ementa'Of airb o rn e a s b e s t^ . This was said not to be done at presen t for visits by corporate hygiene staff. 2. The ItfiSf^knlon safety re p resen titiv e should receive . a c o p f of all notlflcatlonsfto Individual employees of riR eaep esw re. 3. The le tte r Informing employee* of over-e*g*w se, req u ired by law, should contain the nomerioal re su lt {number of fibers per cc) and should ptiM* '7 out that such exposure exceeded allowable lim it* CHRYi01 001244 ( - D K. Receiving of A a b t 'a , SV.ements It was stated that from tim e to tim e shipments ct m a te ria ls would a rriv e with broken op spilled bag* of asb esto s. If it has not already been done, a p ro g ram to control this hazardous situation should be developed to include: l* 9HMfos should s< fsbesto* in bags which have an Individual Scm*i asbestos was not in such v/iapping. 2. *%-- u < r . tor c f n i ' i y i n i i m * r i . o o , C1'1 should be This procedure 4 J should include: if jki l fsespiaatdfrs m ethods and tfMttflMMQP* II. F rictio n Products Building A ^T^V ew h. Uo Station <M In4rs far vgggNQkgs should be d v ifte d or eattusd.ecl and^NBHNW* being contaminated with asbestos, dM tgatirs on the enclosure should s S )J 3 tt0 U E ttW U itiftP 0 a fy c n i is on and the Tit* r > rtsriy * o l l> a^ rb rid d y itb $ o v rfrfo r tra n sp o rt and while waiting to be loaded. B. Lodlge M ixers l, #4 Lodige m ixer was used for a dry mix for disc * brake pad m anufacture. The other m ixers were used for w et mixes* The #4 m ix er was said to routinely leak visible dust during operation. Th* operation was run on third shift and could not be dem onstrated during this vi3lt. However the accum ulation of dust In the vicinity of the m ixer on th e me rr. a nine and fallout on m ore ', l.*rnt sr-faces irdica-y* 'h e dnst cs-t4.r *. - - u***t.:r.:*;. * *. *.`t mixer should be m odified or re p a ire d so that in visible dust leaks eccurjk The Company should prepare \ -a CHRYSLER 0O124S A * 9i * % v4' -h S k 2- *6 - Small amour/. ot u / . --.re c*.i. v, /.-icapti as c a rts v .tre raw* " :o load mLvers. 1 h i, d u sr escape should be prevented. 3, Housekeeper-* nn the m ixer mexaanine should improved* Dry us of squeegees should h. ntopoet^ and vacuum o r wet cleaning method $uh :u:u:;<i. 4. Visible dust had accum ulated on raised surfaces l - and duct work in the extruder room, poe-ubly as a resu lt of escapes from M Lfdtge m ixer. These accum uiatlons-ahould h e preVcSKed. C. Bioel P re ss This opvrattdh' sh ie ld be modUl*e#Co prevent o r reduce airborne asbestos exposure. There are At p resen t, an asb esto s.co n tain in g mL*:ture is transported to the w ork station la a covered bin. tt is then shoveled into a sm aller, plastic bin at w aist height at the work station -- d irectly In the o p erato rs1 and shovelers* breathing zone. Hot p re s s o p e ra to rs do the shoveling. Portion* are then scooped out of the bln, weighed by hand at w aist Height and added to the ,Qr-'ly M t I* " }* exhausted. Fiber count* w e re c lo se tef* 3 T fv S b rs^ ? a t th iT i'obatUdfc This is probably die v.-oragumCdfeir' r C t t CO IStC*! which could be reduced by obvious sm all changes in p ro cess. 1. Shoveling oar/HUffg trtbtfit-bffs hcml4 *l#rbe done in an exhausted* enclosed. ts tiwe Z. The plastic hWis should b* curteM # * i s# m *tdr The seal# should be exhausted. 3. 1&$>el and h o t p aess o p erato r^ should especially be provided with protective clothing. D. O. E. M. G rin d ers X. ,v* A t the tim e of the v is it, the V rfIT itK a on 2 O. S. M. grinder cut off during operation, resulting in a v e sp d a tf* escapp of asbestos-containing duet. The Company representatives agreed that the peace*# should not he run without ventilation. uA CHRYSLER 00124 Th e Company said *.*-c - r o h '.em .*x i C\&t the 04 hois on the v . nttli t tor. i y i *^-- was s h i k ; - : down, \ hveh had c,,*. off air :ljv; to the 3r i m e r . The Uni an said that the breakdown of vcRtiIiti.tr* on :he *2 O. a. M. grinder w*, a repeated problem. 1. The g rin d ers should be electrically Interlocked with the ventilation system so that the operation cannot be perform ed u ventilation is down. At present, personnel including supervision, should be instructed not to run the g rin d ers if ventilation is not functioning. ? 2 Plant engineering should investigate this problem and furnish a w ritten report*a the safety and health rep resen tativ e as to the easuArtfttfen b reak d o w n , the method of correction and a date of correction. < u> 2. The operators* noise exposure should be determ ined,r.: ( ' . E. Saw A rea 1. Fin do falleuwo n many sur face $ wa s 0 airborne asbestos escape and inadequate housekeeping. 2. Many open b a r r e ls of asbestne-eontalniaF -sere? . f' la & * * 1 5 he jrovid*-. -rt* A covers. > i* , *\V ^ * 3. The operators* noise exposure should be determ ined. F . H am m erm ill Merccanine 1. Duct work on the t l hammermiU wa# leaking duakr This was scheduled to be repaired^ 2* HggS accum ulations on the floor and o ther surfaces should be prevented. i,r4V* >?/ VQ k*X / , / . C. , ( < Air Cleaning Equipment l. One of the screw conveyors from the baghouse to the disposal container was leaking asbes^s-conU ining dust. This should be rtpaW ed and prevenfTve m aintenance shsuld be applied. CHRYSLER 001247 - 3 2. F allout frcm the above Into k finished product storage ere* should be vacuum edm ore ag^.'cstively. J. The baghouse'un the roof was visibly leaking dust into the outside area. U 'hould be repaired. 4* F in al disp o sal of dfcst from the dust collector *yern was enclosed and, a proper operation, should give no dust exposure, 5, D isposal oi aabestoe-eentalnln^m aterial such as bags and perhaps scrap was by an ordinary trash com pactor. Since these material.': w ere d ry and were not in closed containers, there was potential for re le a se of airborne asbestos* The process should be changed so that no asbestos is released into the outside air, HI, Chem ical Plant A. ngrw--tiirsrW eig h -U p Station A sbestos is re g u la rly weighed up a t this location a sm all p a r t of the time* The aro*slb(U>Mtbo.potegirfor asb esto s exposure. The local union and plant safety representative should observe this procedure to determine U a irb o rn e asb esto s exposure is possible, and if so, an Ifcjuaplfefthould be taken. B. Storage A reas A few b ro k en b ags of asbestos w ere found. These w ere not w rapped in plastic. The solution to this problem was d iscu ssed la X., H. C* M etzaairte Weigh-Up Station 1. Provision for vacuum or wt clearing should be made 2. The a r e a should be posteddTor asb esto s exposure. D. M ixers 1 tu c hoo^ *t th 2 12adi should be repaired. ** 2e* n Chrysler 0124 - 9 * 2. Housekeeping on :hs -2 Readco m ise r platform should be urproved. 3. AU mLxars iP.eadco and *4 and ` 3 Churn) should be posted lor asbestos exposure and provisions for v/efc o r vacuum cleaning should be made. IV. Sum m ary The Company position on many recommendations made verbally was tnat they w ere doing all that the law required, esp ecially with resp ect to posting, closed containers, w ork clothing and locker room facilities, while this is generally in good sh a& , LnjeBpntflMrXnebarto^U being treated with enough re s p e c t for l^d^cerV fl'aaitagV p ro p e rtie s . The abee%hreommend4tV!ohs would Be'TeaffhU steps in further reducing this very serious health threat. F ra te rn a lly , F ranklin E. M irer, Ph. 0. IndorW Ul HygLmsk-Conauitan* VJ&L S o c L U ^ ^ r U y .C ^ a rm s n s F E M /sm ** opelu42 cc* y ; * Doug F r a s e r Tom Gibson Olc^ Ruppert Ralp^i FU eccia Horndr Jo lly MarceUiu* Ivory Ed G rant Mel G U sser Bob S m ith, P re s id e Local Union 372 G ary F ic k r e ll, Safety R e p ., Local Union 372 cmYSLER 0d124d