Document RJ5B8GJOvm2ko5Knr5Q1pmRj8

FILE NAME: BF Goodrich (BFG) DATE: 1936 DOC#: BFG054 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Transactions of National Safety Congress (Same as Goodyear #36) |<?36 - A / ^ C l. 468 Tzecnty-fifth National Safety Congress industry do not exist, b ut tlie iiossibilitv is there. In a com paratively sm all field w e hud asliesto* used in th e m anufacturing of heat resisting products, such as gaskets. As1>cstos is a com plex silicate w h ic h is capable of producing asbestoses, a form of tmeumoconiosis. W o rk m en w h o are req u ired to handle th is m a teria! d u rin g tl*e com pounding stages, w hen it is dusty, should he protected w ith respirators. T he rational use of respirators, ad e quate local exhaust ventilation, an d good housekeeping to keep dow n th e am ount of free du st in th e com p o u n d in g room , accompanied hy periodic physical ex am inations of th e w orkm en, should en tirely control any hazard due to these dusty materials. T he use of enclosed o r w ell hooded m ixing mills should control any hazard from these m aterials in the m ixing room. The iurther handling of the com pounded stock should not produce any health hazard because of these Inorganic m a terials. W e do find w hiting and talc used in other parts o f the factory as a dusting powder. It should not co nstitute a health hazard, provided the m ethod of use is projKT and good housekeeping is p ia c tised. In the com pounding processes w e do find num erous organic ac cele rato rs, anti* cidants an d stab iliz ers. T o d a y ro o s t of these m aterials are used safely b u t som e thought should he given to th e m ethod of handling them . Som e of them can produce derm atitis. O rd in arily w e find these m aterials w eighed o u t in sm all loichcs and p ut up in sm all paper bags. This w ork is usually done by capable men w ho will follow in stru c tio n s a s to how they should handle 5uch .m aterials. Although there is no hazard to life, ab senteeism may quite seriously be affected. There is nothing m ore ann o y in g to the plant physician titan to have a roan com e in with a typical derm atitis reaction. If he is satisfied th a t it conics from som e m aterial handled in th e plant, it becom es necessary to find o ut all m aterials this man has handled in his w ork. T h en one m ust rule out those th a t arc know n to he safe and concentrate on the others. W e m ay find th e so u rce o i th e d e rm a titis a t once o r it m ay take Several (lays. O c casionally one finds th a t `'h e x a " h as been addc! to some new accelerator because it ap p e a rs to im p ro v e The reac tio n o r th e basic m aterial. W hat precautions should be used m handling these m aterials? In m ost cases the use of scoops fo r w eighing and the w earing of leather gloves is all that the w orker requires. In rare instances m ore exact m ethods should he em ployed. T he m anufacturer of these chem icals usually attaches directions w here special precau tions should b e used. M aster batching has proved very helpful in som e instances, reducing the exposure to one m an in place of several. I n D r . H e a ly 's G ro u p I I I w e h av e gum s, resins, oils and w axes. R arely do w e hear of any trouble w ith this group. F rom experience som e of th e pitches, w hen handled in hulk, do produce a m arked derm atitis. In such cases, res pirators. goggles and cloth hoods should Ijc used. E v e n th e n , th e m e n w ill com plain and show evidence of having been exposed to this m aterial. In Group IV . liquids and gases, we find m aterials w hich arc generally used throughout th e mill in num erous processes, such as solvents and curing gases. Among th e solvents is benzol, w hich should only be used w ith precautions;-- closed proc esses o r adequate local exhaust ventila tion. N aphtha is harm less as ordinarily used. In the old dipping process, naphtha jags w ere common. T oday, latex has taken the place of naphtha solutions for dipping w ork to such an extent, that w e can alm ost pass over n ap h th a. B u t w here it is used, we m ust consider the possibility oi the sulphur chloride an d carbon di sulphide w hich a rc frequently used w ith it in dip w ork. E nclosed processes arc called for w hen these m aterials are used. Carbon tetrachloride is frequently found in the rubber factory because it reduces th e flash hazard an d is still a good sol vent. Fortunately th e price is such that the quantity ordinarily found is not great. Should it be used in large am ounts, local exhaust ventilation m ust be provided. Toluol and xylol arc homologucs of benzol w hich w e find in som e plants be cause of certain desirable solvent qualities and th e fa c t th a t they- a re safer th a n benzoL Ju st rem em ber they all contain som e benzol, an d local exhaust ventilation should be considered w here the quantity used is large. Rubber Section 469 Ammonia, lias com e in to use recently in larger am ounts. C are should he taken that young w om en arc not exposed to m uch of th b m aterial a s reports w ould indicate that they a re affected b y am ounts wc do find in som e w o rk room s. F o r tunately its use is largely in dosed proc esses. O ccasionally w e find a process w here the concentration of hy d o rg en sulfide is fairly great. T h is m ay be toxic if the concentration is sufficient. I have failed to ru n across any real danger in connec tion w ith th is m aterial as used in the rubber industry. Its use is practically confined to closed processes w here ven- tilatiou is taken care of before th e w o rk m en are exposed to its fumes. Safe Practices have played so targe a p a rt in present day m ethods in tb e ru b b e r industry, th a t 1 believe it is fair to say th a t the industry is safe in so far as health hazards arc concerned. I t is safe because w e have m ade it safe by using toxic m aterials in a safe w ay, o r b y sub stituting non-toxic m aterials w here it has been im possible to use toxic m aterials safely. L et us keep our eyes open so th a t it m ay continue to be a safe industry from the health d ew p o in t a s well a s from the accident viewpoint. TUESDA Y NOON SESSION O cto b er fi, 1936 Data on 1936 Safety Contest, Rubber Section C hairm an D ietz reported th e high lights o f th e 1936 C o n test, co m m en tin g on th e fact th a t the frequency rate, 6465, repre sented a three p er ce n t increase over the 1935 C o n te st ra te o f 6 ^ 9 1 . A to tal of 20 units com pleted the con test w ith a frequency rate below the average. T h is is an increase in num ber w h en co m p ared w ith 18 u n its in 1935, 15 in 1936, 13 in 1933, a n d 13 in 1932. T h e ratio of persons em ployed to disabling injuries during th e period of th e C ontest w as 167 to 1, a s co m p ared w ith 179 to 1 to r th e 1935 C ontest. Seven units com pleted the C ontest w ith a perfect record. D uring th e Contest period there w ere 321 disab lin g in ju ries as com pared w ith 378 d isab lin g in ju rie s in 1935. Rubber Section Safety Contest T he 35 units reg istered in th e Fifth Annual Safety C ontest of the Rubber Section had an average frequency rate of 6.465. R ep re sen ted in th e C o n te st w ere 53.646 p e rs o n s w o rk in g a to ta l of 49,652,* 116 m a u -h o u rs. S even p la q u e s w e re awarded in the C ontest and tw o cerlifi cates. Charles H . W eeks, D eputy C om m is sioner of L abor, D epartm ent o f L abor, 466 T w enty-fifth National Safety Congress H ow to Reach the Individual Worker on Safety By URBAN L. MOLER Personnel Director, Inland Dmskm, General Motors Corp., Dayton, Ohio You will agree th a t n o o n e m ethod has proved s a tis fa c to ry in g e t tin g th e di vidual w orker interested in safety. I t re quires m any things. The other day I noticed one of our stockroom em ployees had his Hand b an daged. 1 a s k e d . " J o e , h o w 'd y o u h u rt yo u r h and? G et c a u g h t in a la winnower?** " X o." said Toe *`I w as t r y i n g to close a freight car door and pulled it shut on m y fingers. T h e nurse dressed m y hand, and said I ought to re st a little before going back on the job. B u t w hile sitting there, I thought ab o u t those red and green lights on the safety board, an d I sure didn't w ant a red light checked up against o u r department.** T hat w as interesting. T h e re w as a t least one m an in o u r p lan t w ho h ad been re minded of safety, and w ho w anted to keep the green light blinking. I like to sta rt teaching safety to em ployees rig h t in th e em ploym ent depart m ent. If you are hiring a punch press or a rubber m ill operato r, you can include som e s a fe ty q u e s tio n s in y o u r in te rview . It the m an is hired, safety should be in cluded in y our talk to th e new em ployee-- wc have a safety booklet w hich is given to all new and rein stated cm ploj'ees--he is required to read it a n d sig n a p er forated slip in the hack o f the book in dicating h is w illin g n ess 10 co-operate in our safety program . A fter the em ployee is in the departm ent a few days, th e shift fo rem an speaks to him about S afety, an d a sk s him to sign a card indicating th a t th e departm ental exl>osurcs have been called to his a tte n tio n , and that he has been instructed to report all injuries to the forem an, to th e m edical departm ent, etc. T hese card s arc kept as a jw rm ancnt record. X o doulit w e all agree th a t the m ost im portant individual in g ettin g safety across to the w orker is th e supervisor and foreman. H e m ust be sold-- he m ust ac cep t the responsibility tor safety in his departm ent. T he forem an who has a good safety record lias a good production record. H e know s how to handle em ployee relations. H is scrap and d epart m ental costs are in line, and the m anage m ent rates hint as a good forem an. M ost of our departm ents have safety rules which are used by the forem en as a basis n carrying on th eir safety w ork. D epartm ental safety com m ittees have assisted all of us in keeping th e em ployees interested in safety. A lso em ployee g roup m eetings, departm ental o r plant w ide, with talks by the forem en to their m en. Costs of accidents, m ajor accident causes, and departm ental exposures m ight be used as m aterial for these m eetings. P lant inspections in au effort to keep in touch w ith new jobs, to follow tip on cleanliness and order, and to see th a t the equipm ent is properly guarded and in good* repair are essential. P lan t Police-- we used to call them guards--can serve as inspectors through out the plant and on com pany prem ises in seeing th at safely rules are enforced; that running and horseplay arc not p er m itted; that autom obile and truck traffic is under control; th a t th e aislcw ays a re kept open, and that electric trucks arc not operated at excessive speeds. T hey can also constantly keep checking on fire p re vention. In o u r mill and calendar room op era tions. we follow th e practice o f having all operators at the sta rt of shifts check the safeties and roll travel and record them --which w arns the o p erato r o f th e necessity of keeping this equipm ent in good operating condition, and daily re m inds him o f safety. W here em ployee representative plans arc in operation, it is a good policy to have som e of these representatives on genera! plant safety com m ittees. Investigation of accidents will im press the facts on certain em ployees th a t w c are interested in preventing recurrences. Accident hearings before the safety com m ittee. w ith the injured m an. his forem an an d w itn e sses p resen t, te n d Xo sp re a d th e gospel of safety, and this is a splendid time for recruiting m ore safety converts. Various educational and publicity m eth ods arc good, such as bulletin boards-- house organs--safely boards-- s a f c t y slides, etc. T he safety d irecto r a t the N ational Cash R egister C om pany lias told Rubber Section 467 m e that they are photographing some of the posters published b y the N ational Safety C ouncil and are m aking slides and showing th ese to em ployees at noon day shows-- they select th e ones carrying the m ost hum or and greatest safety appeal I t is su rp risin g how m any industrial accidents a re carried in o u r local new s papers as new s stories-- sometimes these can be used. 1 noticed an item recently w here a m an had w alked between some railroad cars w hich w ere being switched and w as crushed to death. This w as cut o u t of th e p ap e r and placed on all our bulletin boards, and w as called to the atten tio n of o u r forem en, o u r traffic de partm ent, and o u r p lan t police. I believe th a t contests, new stunts, things spectacular, are also essential W e m ust keep everyone in th e organisation interested. Do W e Have Occupational Disease Hazards in the Rubber Industry? By DR. J. N EW TO N SH IR L E Y M edical A dviser, A rrow M utual L iability In su ran ce Co., W aterto w n , M ass. W e do have occupational disease h a z a rd s in th e r u b b e r in d u stry - T h is is true of all large industries w here chemis try and th e com pounding of chemicals play a large p a rt in th e m anufacturing of tbe finished product. B ut th ro u g h the efficient w ork of our predecessors the industry has progressed front one of the w orst producers of occu pational disease to one of the safest for the w orkers. T his h as been accomplished through the efforts of the industrial phy sician. th e safety engineer, th e public health dep artm en t an d the industrial di sease section of the S tate D epartm ent of Labor. In dustrial chem istry is bringing new chem icals into every day use. It is th e duty of the men who know that such m aterials a re to be used, to be Sure th a t they are used safely. M ost of you are fam iliar w ith the ex tensive w o rk clone b y D r. L. J . D. H caly, consulting chem ist, form erly w ith the Fisk R ubber Co. H e has listed all the com pounding m aterials Into groups and has noted the health hazards of each, together w ith a suggestion of w hat care should be taken in h andling them . U nquestionably, lead poisoning was the outstanding hazard in the industry which first a ttracted atten tio n . Precautions w ere taken to safeguard the w orker. Local exhaust hoods w ere installed w here litharge (th e com m on form of lead used) w as w eighed out. T h e w orkers w ere sup plied w ith resp irato rs and w ere required to clean up p roperly before lunch and after com pleting th e day 's w ork. Periodic physical exam inations of work ers in the com pound room , w ith a ro ta tion of th e m en on this particular job. w ere further steps in safeguarding the w orkm en in this d ep artm ent. Som e mills used m aster b atch in g of litharge to reduce the lead dust. T oday, lead has been very largely elim inated in ru b b er com pounding. T his h as rem oved th e extensive lead hazard w hich fo rm erly existed b u t has in troduced it in an o th er w ay. T h e use of lead becom es sporadic and th e safety m e asu res fo rm e rly em ployed are a p t to b e d isreg ard ed b y w orkm en exposed to litharge d u st in dangerous am ounts. Sim ilar d u st hazards are present to a m uch less ex ten t in the handling of sev eral o ther inorganic m aterials. Some of th e fillers used in com pounding contain a sm all am ount of free silica (diatom accous ea rth . F u lle r's earth , clay, infusorial earth and especially silica and ground q u artz). T h ese m aterials m ay be handled in larg e am ounts, a s in the receiving de partm ent and the com pound room. T he w orkm en in these departm ents should be supplied w ith a n d required to use res p ira to rs o f a n ap proved ty p e. 1 believe that actual cases of silicosis in the robbei