Document O3nDD786OKGngZVX6Lxg72b9w

FILE NAME: Edison Electric Institute (EEI) DATE: 1942 Mar DOC#: EEI004 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: EEI Bulletin - Industrial Health MARCH, 1942 More About Blackouts: Dissimilarities of British end Amcricra Needs ................................................. ALEXANDER MAXWELL 77 Salvage and Reclamation Operations of Utilities in the War P ro g ra m ...................... H. E. HODGSON, M. B. COVELL and T. W. AVION 79 Utilization V oltages............................................ HOWARD P. SEELYE 83 L, Industrial H e a l t h ................................................................. DR. C 0 . SAPP1NGTON 88 An Educational Program for Industrial Eire Prevention P ro te c tio n ......................................................................JOSEPH A. McGUCKJN 91 Walker Heads Newly Formed Council of Operating Companies .................................92 War-Time Developments in Electric W i r i n g ...........................E. S. McCONNELL 93 Accounting Meeting to be Held in M a y ...........................................................................94 Scenes from Color Movie Tell Dramatic Story . ................................ 95 Priorities on Safety Equipment: As They Concern the Electric Utilities . . . T. R. CLAFFY, J. B. DAVIES and B. B. WILSON 96 How Utilities Are Aiding Fanners to Secure Maximum Food Production . . . . 99 Final Data on 1941 Electric O p e r a tio n s ......................................................................103 Accident Prevention Committee M e e ti n g ........................... GEORCE S. DIEHL 107 Winners of Water Heater Display and Home Lighting C o n te s ts ........................... . 109 P e rso n a ls.................................. ..... ................................. ..... ........................... ..... Ill Conventions and Meetings, 112 EDISON ELECTRIC INSTITUTE Page 8ft EDISON ELECTRIC INSTITUTE BULLETIN Industrial Health By C. O. Sappington, M.D., Dr. P.H , Consultant, Chicago, Illinois One of a Serie of Arricie Sponsored By the Accident Prevention Committee of the Edison Electric Institute March, 14> IN D U S T R IA L health is a (opera tive undertaking. T his means that many different types and groups oi people are interested in and concerned with it, including the employer and em ployee, research worker, physician, safe ty and industrial hygiene engineer, men tioning also die insurance company, the lawyer, director of-personnel and labor relations, public relations personnel, the nurse, psychologist and psychiatrist. A t the outset, it is advisable to discus the scope of industrial health w ork and the meaning of the terminology used in con nection w ith industrial health problems. Industrial health is a broad term and obviously includes all methods and prac tices aimed at the supervision and main tenance of a high level of personal health among industrial workers. T he com plexity of the field is thus obvious, par ticularly when it is realized that any factor which may adversely affect health becomes a problem for concern and in vestigation. In the very beginning, it should be noted that the essence of in dustrial health lies in the prevention oi trouble. T h is conception necessarily broadens tbe field of approach and appli cation of industrial health procedures. A distinction should be made between the general practice of industrial health and the general practice of industrial medicine and surgery. T his distinction has already been made in practice in most instances. By and large, the practice of industrial medicine and surgery is limited to the diagnosis and treatm ent of dis ease and injuries. T his, of course, is en tirely the responsiblity of the physician and in most instances, the physician is mainly occupied w ith curative proce dures. T h ere is, however, w hat is called preventive medicine in industry. This directly applies to industrial health work, and in it the physician is used for cer tain procedures which w ill be discussed later. Industrial hygiene engineering is an integral p a rt of industrial health -work, which is specifically concerned with cer tain factors in the working environment which m ight become health hazards un der certain circumstances. Such factors include dusts, gases, vapors and fumes; temperature, humidity and air motion; the kind of illumination; type of ventila tion used, both natural and artificial; the physical setup of equipment; the types of materials handled with particu lar reference to their becoming potential health hazards, I t is the job of tbe industrial hygiene engineer to use various types of instru ments for the collection of dusts, gases, vapors, and fumes, and to determine the quality and quantity of these materials in the breathing atmosphere; to estimate the kind and intensity of illumination; to make measurements with reference to the efficiency of exhaust ventilation sys tems and natural systems; to make ob servations relative to temperature, hu midity and air m otion; and otherwise to give attention to the various factors in the environment which might bear direct ly on the health of workers. By com paring w hat the conditions are with the various standards, the industrial physi cian has information which can be used as the basis of recommendations for con trol of any hazards which may exist, and also in checking the physical reactions of employees. I t is also important to consider the possibility of accidental injuries, and therefore safety engineering becomes a very definite and important phase of in dustrial health. I t is the duty of the safety engineer to make inspections and to point out w hat potential injury haz ards exist with respect to the running of machines, the handling of materials, and various other methods and practices in industry which have to be observed and analyzed for the possibility of injury hazards. Another important phase of industrial health is sanitation and housekeeping. W ithin this category come the impor tance of keeping the workplace dean and orderly throughout the working period, and the provison of proper sanitary fa cilities, such as shower baths, washrooms, toilets, and the like. THE POUR-POINT PROGRAM Now let us consider a sample survey in a relatively small plant of approxi mately 175 employees, including in this E E 1 00032 survey the following four different types of observations : 1. Safety Engineering Control II. Industrial Hygiene Engineer ing Control III. Sanitation and Housekeeping IV. Health Control Safety Engineering Control-- During the safety inspection, it was discovered that there were a number of unsafe prac tices, such as the use of abrasive wheels without protection for tie eyes ; material being so placed that it constituted a slip ping and tripping hazard; the use of punch presses w ithout proper guards; and the unsafe use of a freight elevator. In addition to specific suggestions in each instance regarding unsafe practices, the following recommendations were made: 1. First aid dispensary adequately supplied and run. 2. Analysis of accident experience during the past ten years fol lowed by specific recommenda tions. 3. T he appointment of a plane safety committee. 4. Periodic inspections and investi gations of accidents by safety committee, physician and nurse. Industrial Hygiene Engineering Con trol--T he industrial hygiene inspection showed among other things,'a deficiency in the proper type of lack of providing proper temperatf?sf%umidity and air motion; occurrence- b$.'various types of dusts and vapors in tKe ai%$ and in various departments, the handling of materials known to have caused skin irri tation. T h e following specific recom mendations w ere made: 1. Measurements of lighting in various departments, with the establishment of proper stand ards. 2. T he measurements of tempera ture, humidity, and air motion in various departments, and the establishment of proper physical conditions of atmosphere. 3. Measurements of vapor concen trations and dust concentrations, with remedying of conditions as found necessary. March, 1942 EDISON ELECTRIC INSTITUTE BULLETIN Hage *9 of physical defects, cooperation with family physician, and other similar measures. 5. Simple but complete system for the recording of examination data, first aid calls, absenteeism records, accidents and illnesses. 6. Provision for full time registered nurse in charge of simply equipped dispensary for first aid to accidents and illnesses, and the keeping of records. 7. Provision for part rime indus trial physician with prearranged hours at plant dispensary, for consultations, examinations, and plant inspections. 8. H ealth education program for employees, carried on through the physician and nurse, and also through a plant health commit tee. Portable apparatus for determining concentrations of various vapors and gases in industrial atmospheres. L e ft: Interferometer. Right: Silica gel adsorption tubes connected to flowmeter and motor pump suction apparatus. Lower Center: Aneroid barometer. 4. Provision for the use of rubber gloves in various departments where the materials handled are capable of producing skin irri tation. Sanitation and Housekeeping-- Obser vations with respect to sanitation and housekeeping showed that aisles and walkways were very often blocked; ref use disposal program inefficient; floors, toilets and washbowls in dirty condi tion; employees earing at work benches or in workrooms; and dirty and obso lete drinking fountains. Specific recommendations were made in each instance with respect to the con trol' of sanitation and housekeeping con ditions. health hazards, as determined by industrial hygiene engineering studies. 4. Follow-up procedures on all ex aminations when needed, for spe cial advice concerning correction ADAPTATION OF THE PROCRAM In the adaptation of the foregoing pro gram to the use of public utility organi zations, it is realized that there may not be the necessity for carrying out all the procedures as indicated; this statement applies particularly to some of the in dustrial hygiene engineering methods with reference to the determination of air contamination by various dusts, va pors, gases and fumes. It should be said, Health Control--W ith respect to the health control program, the following recommendations were made: 1. Obligatory physical examinations of all new employees. (Using adequate forms and standards of acceptance related to the actual industrial exposures in the work ing environment.) 2. V oluntary physical examinations of employed persons on a privi lege basis, with employer's guar antee of no discriminatory mea sures. .4. Compulsory periodic examina tions (as found expedient) on all those employees exposed to Portable apparatus for determining concentrations o f dusts and fumes in industrial atmospheres. L e ft: Standard size impinger. lubes with connection to ejector suction device for continuous sampling of dust. Center: Konimeter, especially for study of "grab" samples of dust in low range concentrations. R ight: Electric precipitator for continuous sampling of dusts or fumes. E E I00033 i'aite SO EDISON ELECTRIC INSTITUTE BULLETIN March, 1942 however, 0 that there will not he any misunderstanding, that in organizations where illuminating gas is manufactured, there will be need for the use of some of these industrial hygiene technical methods-- there also may be other in stances. From information derived about 18 years ago while doing a statistical study of accidents and illnesses in a large Bos ton public utility, the author is aware of the fact that there is a wide range of occupations in the larger public utility groups and hence the necessity for the application of a wide range of a hygiene and health program. O n the other hand, in the smaller groups, of which there are many, the four point program as given can be especially adapted to the Portable continuous carbon monoxide indicator for sampling mine and factory atmospheres. smaller organizations with a great deal of practical benefit, both to employees and the employer. T he author has had personal experience with this plan in a group of small plants having from 12 to 350 employees-- the plan works. I t is particularly with this point in mind that the present article was w ritten, so that the officials in small groups could see just what kind of program of health ac tivities could be especially arranged for their organizations. Sometimes the plant engineer or the works superintendent is the man who would probably have charge of such a program, or at least stimulate interest enough in it, so that other professional persons might be engaged, probably on a part time basis. As an aid to any plant engineer, official, physician or nurse whu may be interested, and as a starting point for this type of service, the author has devised a check list from which can be made a record of materials and sup plies, processes and operations, and the methods and conditions under which work is performed. T his check list will serve, as indicated, as a starting point in the study of potential, actual or legal health hazards. The interested reader may secure a copy through the Edison Electric Institute Bulletin, or the author. DEFENSE ACTIVITIES T his article would not be complete without some brief mention of defense activities. It is quite likely that the pub lic utilities of the United States will be mure and mure called upon fur increased production. This may mean increase in working hours, or certain stresses and tensions consequent upon the pressure produced by the emergency. There has been a great deal of speculation concern ing the effects of the so-called "speed up" on exposed employees. Experience during the year 1941 and up to the pres ent time has indicated that the "speed up" alone is not responsible for the un toward reactions experienced by em ployees-- the real reason is lack of proper supervision. By proper supervision is meant the quality of supervision which should be given and also the amount of supervision which should be given. Such supervision may be technical, either ju st before employment or while "breaking in" or after a considerable time of employment; it may be medi cal, health and safety supervision ; or it may be personnel supervision, in volving the social and psychological problems of the employes. T he great difficult}' seems to have been to get trained and experienced supervisors of the above types so that the `finp'loyee can be properly supervised. The"'lack of trained personnel has resulted- in '^ie ne cessity for most supervisors, being re sponsible for two to ten times as many persons as under ordinary conditions of employment. U nder emergency condi tions it can readily be seen that both ac cidents and ill health might easily in crease in frequency and severity, such as nctually has been the case during the year 1941. T he solution of "this problem is obvi ously the training of more supervisors and the use <ff more of them. It is not Laboratory and portable equipment for dust determinations in industrial atmospheres. Left and Center: M idget impinger tubes, pipette, counting cells, within the province of this article to go into this subject, but it mentioned as a microscope, counter, and dilution flasks. (Continued on page 9S) E EI00034