Document XRBxk7Xzv0nomNkyp5eNxR8YB

FILE NAME: Celanese (CEL) DATE: 1951 DOC#: CEL055 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Trade Journal - Cross Referenced from American Cyan #33 Castleman File / tmu. Q^atxDoc # w/c = with cover letter or memo if DATE = 0, undated DATE /? $ / article from__peer reviewed journal trade journal __newspaper ___ magazine __published__ conference__ presentation __ report __ unpublished conference presentation __ unpublished internal report __ inspection report __ government report __ letter __ memorandum __ warning labels __ sales literature __ recommended practices __ meeting agenda __ minutes __ attendee list __ legal depo OR__ legal testimony of: _________ __ Notes of __ BC or___________________ other: /tfw G * 3 3> SYMPOSiUM O N INDUSTRIAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ^ 1< Industrial Hygiene Considerations In Plant Location and Design WILLIAM R. BRADLEY, American CyanamW C a , N ew York, N. Y. Sick employees and aroused neighbors are a poor comple ment to a successfully designed and located industrial plant T b e chemical engineer is aware of his responsibilities in the design of a manu facturing plant and its equipment, along with the selection of plant location, for errors in judgment may be costly. He must make no departure from engineering principles that are soundly conceived and executed. Consequently, he consults with his associates in chemical research and in pilot plant operation to benefit from their experience. Plant capacity is dis cussed with the sales department and problems in personnel and operation are reviewed with production people. Other interested groups also gather about his conference table so that his final blueprint ts a result ' o f careful planning, down to the handling and flow of materials in the most economical manner The industrial hygienist has now be come a member of tins planning team. He provides the chemical engineer with an understanding of the working environ ment that may result within the plant when the chemical process is begun. From a study of the process he liso provides an evaluation of bow good a neighbor the plant will be in the community "where it is to be located. More precisely, the industrial hygienist sees that operation of the new plant will not result in employee ill health, through exposure of workmen to chemical mists and vapors or to harmful gases or dusts. He tries to make certain that tibe new plant will not cause unfortunate commu nity relations because of air or stream pol lution. The industrial hygienist discusses the toxicology of the various chemicals, the raw materiali, intermediates, products, and by-products, and interprets the ex tent and nature of any health hazard in their handling and use. It is then fre quently possible to plan for the control of both plant and community environ ment where it may be needed, and make this control a definite pert of the chemical engineer's blueprint The important con sideration is that this control be applied in advance of plant construction and oper ation. Chemical Plant Location Included in the many factors that deter mine the ultimate location of a chemical plant axe those pertaining to maintenance of employee and community good health. One factor is that of climate. Sudden changes in temperature, of course, will freeze pipes and burst valves unless planned for in advance. Sudden tempera ture changes also may lead to a higher incidence of respiratory illness among plant operators. Exposure of man is just as important as exposure of equipment. In colder climates, the chemical engineer can plan bis process so hat workmen do not frequently need to leave and reenter a warm workroom in order to cany out their duties. Such duties may be to oper ate valves or pumps or take measure ments at tanks or cofleet samples, to bring in raw m aterials, or remove products. Workmen often will not trouble to put on a cap and a heavy coat each time they must leave a warm building. A warmer climate offers less of this type of exposure, but thinking in terms of workmen should extend to protection against high wind, driving rain and snow, excessive heat, and freezing cold. The high temperatures, perhaps as high as 120 F., and excessive radiant energy that occur at furnace-tending or kiln--firing can be lessened by bhe use of reflecting baffles at operating points. Air-condition*! control rooms and ventilated steam line tunnels improve working conditions and lead to smooth production. The location of a plant in a warm cli mate also may offer certain disadvantages. The increased volatility of solvents, for instance, may constitute a potential health hazard of some magnitude. While toxic concentrations might be safely circum vented by local exhaust ventilation, the daily handling ol solvents in a warm cli mate poses a problem of an elusive chance exposure to vapor level concentrations that might not exist except for the fact that the average temperature is higher. Occasional spills, leaks, flushing of kettles, open filter presses, open drains, sumps, and so on may be sources of solvent vapor These vapor sources may cause atmos pheric concentrations *of that low order of magnitude which consistently plague industrial hygienists for satisfactory an swers as to their physiological significance Complementing the conditions cited above is the personal element Involved iq such exposure. Warmer elknatos mean less clothing and therefore more body sur face exposure to industrial materials. This means enhanced opportunity for skin con tact with irritant solids, liquids, and gases Coupled with this are the factors of ex cessive workroom temperatures and the greater discomfort ru wearing protective respiratory equipment and clothing. Once the working conditions with re spect to -climate have been resolved, there are other factors which might play a par. in the successful operation of a pbnt These include prevailing wind movement, terrain and adjacency to woods, mountains, farmland, streams, residential areas, a.nd other industry. In considering plant loca tion, we move then from ibe- problems within the plant to those outside the plant The matter of prevailing ' wind movc- W nxiAM Robenson Braolex, who Is chief in dustrial hygienist at the Americani Cyanamid Co. in New York City, received hi* education in Iowa, first at Cornell College, then at Bucoa Vista College, and then at the State University. He also did more graduate work at Wayne University in Detroit. Before assuming his present position he was industrial hygienist at the Fidelity and Cas* unity Co. in New York and had served in the Detroit Department of Health as an industrial hygienist. 1198 C HI Ee.'M:I C A L A NlDi t eE N G I N E E R I N G J NE WS day, it would form at another spot, de pending upon wind direction It *15 not until a number of chemical reactions had been checked and process vent stacks examined that the two offending stacks were located. Hydroohloric acid wax es caping one, and ammonia the other. Al though 100 feet 3part, occasionally the two gases would escape at the same time when wind direction was fust right to carry the discharged gas from one stack directly across that from the other tack. A similar situation may occur when waste acid is discharged to a stream containing traces of ammonia. Chemical Process Design Exhaust ventilation and process hood enclosures installed as a part of the process appearing on the original engineering blueprint merit s of prune consideration m air pollution. Prevailing wind, with respect to the plant, should not be in the direc tion of nearby residential areas or other industry ii possible Neither should the plant be located in the direction of un controlled or excessive "aixflueot'* from other industries, if, by inquiry or through chemical tests, it is revealed that the wind carries airborne material of an undesirable nature A proposed plant location should be carefully surveyed and evaluated for exist ing air pollution, preferably with the aid of studies involving physical and chemical tests. The industrial hygienist know? that any future investigation an d control will eventually fall upon his shoulders. At Docora, Pa., it was observed that a mountainous area can be conducive toward formation of a weather condition known as inversion. W hen this condition pre vails, any discharged gases and fine dusts may stay near the plant site without nor mal dilution or dispersion. Moreover, any plant located lq a valley is limited as to stack height and may discharge gases on a level with residential areas located on the hillside. Discharged air contaminants have been known to follow the course of valleys downwind for several miles, dam aging plant life. The matter of terrain may be important :f sloping terrain drains toward residential areas While this consideration delves into the sphere of stream pollution experts, the industrial hygienist is well aware of these problems and watches lest his ac tivity contribute to stream pollution For example, at one location, two set tling basins were established to hold liquid wastes One contained acid wastes and the other a sulfur compound If these wastes were combined, H-S gas would be fcrmed in heavy concentration at about tne center of the plant site These two stitl.ng basins t i e therefore discharged bv eparate flumes rod at different times to the same stie.im n short distance aw.iy However, when this stream became stag nant, the two effluent substances united and a blanket of HS rose up and drifted through a residential area This usually occurred at night, and the annoying odor of gas awakened the inhabitants. Control of such situations can be planned in advance. The potentially in jurious effects of airborne c!>emical sub stances to those handicapped by respira tory illnesses make such planning manda tory. What may be only a nuisance to healthy people may bo serious to patients m a hospital. It is, of course, assumed that adequate water supplies are available. If, however, the supply is from a stream or river, the advice of stream pollution experts may affect water treatm ent costs. If the waste discharge of the plant is into the same stream, then limnological surveys should be conducted, both before and after plant location, as a basis For avoiding litigation. "Airffuent" from a plant situated near woodland might be damaging to trees. It is also conceivable that over a long period of tim e there might be sufficient deposition of solid flammable material to constitute a fire hazard. Plant location with respect to farmland and residential areas is important because of potential odor nuisance or chemical damage to buildings, crops and foliage, or livestock eating contaminated foliage. When location of a plant site is being chosen, neighboring plant p ro c e s s should be considered, for possible mixing of two or more airborne materials might produce undesirable odors or visible fume. A re view of some simple chemical reactions should serve to indicate what possible combinations would produce such fume Hydrochloric acid and ammonia consti tute an example. At a certain plant it u reported that these two gases would come together, forming an ammonium ehlorulu fog ihnr would form a dense blanket and c u rv down wind about the plant Site and over into adjoining propertv Or. iivHhrr While industrial hygienists find many points of interest in the problems of chemi cal plant location, they can, perhaps, make then greatest contribution by applying themselves to preventive measures that will maintain industrial workers' health. In this activity they seek to prevent the exposure of people to the raw materials, intermediates, final products, or by-prod ucts of the chemical industry' that may l>e toxic. Preventive measures can apply effectively in chemical and related indus tries, because it is here that a great variety of chemical substances are bandied by workmen. A number of the newer substances com ing from the research laboratories of the chemical industry, particularly the organic chemicals, are found to exhibit some de gree of toxicity to human beings. The in dustrial hygienist seeks to examine these chemicals through toxicological investiga tion to learn more precisely the poten tiality of each chemical for causing illness This field of industrial toxicology differs from the pharmacology of clinical toxi cology and chemotherapy and from crimi nal toxicology, in that anamal exposure studies are undertaken to simulate closely' the opportunity for worker exposure in in dustry. T he information derived from in dustrial toxicological studies gives the mdustnal hygienist data on several types of exposure so that he may organize, evalu ate, and interpret this information for in dustrial management, chemical engineer ing groups, and plant operating personnel in terms of a safe working environment. For the chemical engineer, this interpre tation must be in practical and understand able terms. It must doswer questions such as: "May contact with the skin be per mitted, and, if not. what protection must be taken to avoid it? Is the inhalation of dust or vapors of this substance harmful, and what effect will it have on workmen? Can certain amounts of these chemicals be permitted in the form of dusts, mists, or vapor5 in the atmosphere of chemical plants and can they be tolerated by work men9" The answers to these and similar questions must tell the chemical engineer exactly how to use and handle toxic sub stances s,fily Whpn the industrial h>gien.st and the chemical rmpnecr sit down together and review plans for a new th e rm a l process, then; is a real opportunity for the pre- V C l. U M t 2 9, N O . 1 3 . . . M A R C H 2 6 , 1 9 5 1 1199 to lii'Mgn and install equipment iietded in various chemical reactions handling $c\ era! materials and resulting in a final product. This process equipment must be housed in a suitably designed plant. What, then, .s the interest of bhe industrial hy gienist in the design of production equip ment ?*' Hygienist Explains Hazards The industrial hygienist must discuss the nature of the raw materials and how raw material A must be handled with can* to avoid the inhaling of dusts, and htuv chemical B must likewise be handled cautiously, perhaps in a closed system so that vapors or gases given off will not form a contaminant in the workroom at mosphere. 'these factors must be care fully pointed out and the reasons given as to the nature and extent of hazard, so that a practical and economical solution can be attained. Between them, the planners may decide to install a ventilated hood enclosure at the manhole of a re action kettle. The engineer can see that his design would otherwise be inoperable because it might be directly responsible for the illness of workmen, unless the exhaust ventilation is installed before the process is begun In the handling of compound B, it may be decided to pump the material to a storage tank, then to a weigh scale, and then to the reaction vessel rather than to require men io pour the material into pails, carry it up ladders and dump it by hand, where they may be exposed to irri tant vapors oj to skin contact from a splash or spill. Next, it may be necessary to run the reaction product through filter press. From the nature of the reaction, the in dustrial hygienist can inform the design engineer that men who open the press to remove the filter cake will be exposed to solids of gases that may be harmful. Between them, they notice that no ventila tion enclosure has been provided for this filter press and so this provision may now be added to the blueprints. Lc* us follow the process a step farther. We may find open centrifuges, open whiz' zers, or open settling tubs. Information can be provided as to what the working environment will be like near this type of equipment, so that control measures, if needed, again can be applied to the blue print before process installation. Reading Blueprints The industrial hygienist sees a line on a blueprint pointing upward and ending in an arrow. This line is labelled "vent." Looking further, be comes across a line pointing downward ending in an arrow which Ss labeled "to the sewer.'' The question immediately arises as to what reaction products ^are discharged into the atmosphere or what waste products are discharged to the sewer. There is, at this point, a chance to project the chemical prooess" design Into * % . . - > t i n hums, or vapor* dischirgcd into the jir from the reaction will result in an an pollution problem, th en the design of some means of control. Such as condensing or scrubbing, will need to be added to the blueprint. The treatment of waste prod ucts by neutralization or reaction to form an inert substance may be necessary in laciui ui unjustr> *> empto)eca * pictujt A n o\.mipe m one Jiluc i k - ' U * ser' e as an illuxtratiun A rosm mcHfC was needed m n|,,,,t anJ R u in ed and located according io blueprint un the first floor at a hiuldmg It seemed to be convenient to locate a chute fro the second floor down ,nlo ^ meUer4 so that some cases and a sketch of this treatment, too, may be added to the blueprint as a phase of preliminary p rev e n tio n It must be borne in mind that the in the rosin drums ought he opened and the rosin dumped into a crusher and run down into the melter. It turned out, however, that dumping dustrial hygienist is only one member of a planning team and does not begin to know all the answers. Other members of the team include those from research and crushing rosin was a dusty operation and a considerable nuisance to the "oper ator." Of course, when the melter wa* heated, the vapors came up through the groups, product development, safety, pro chute and crusher and into the budding, duction, and sales groups. contributing to aD already disagreeable situation. There was absolutely nothing Machines Must Fit the Man wrong with the design of the melter, the Considerable thought is being given to ohute, and the crusher. The foundation day to the design of industrial machines. was solid and the superstructure* wtf* This trend involves a study of human well supported, but the opeiatmg nuisance anatomy and the related subjects of fatigue rmght have been prevented and health, so that machines may be de signed to fit the man who is to operate Convenient Housekeeping them. The same is true 10 the chemical Another item of design that is helpful and related industries. Process equipment to plant operating personnel is providing can be designed to fit the operating staff for convenient housekeeping The slop who, after all, -have quite a responsibility ing of floors for flushing, the provision of m the success of any production. Suffi drams m the right places, a piped vacuum cient space between the equipment units cleaning system, and the location of equip has been mentioned Available headroom ment with proper clearances add much to and the introduction of stairways rather the CdSC of housekeeping. than vertical ladders has been a contri I have only touched on the ways rhe bution of safety* groups The location of industrial hygienist may help the chcm - sampling points is important, for it is cal engineer. The examples given aro difficult to take a sample of a liquid if only indicative of the inniunerablc prob the valve is located two feet above the lems that may arise. Basically, the coq- man's bead In the case of certain liquids, tribotions that industrial hygienists max it would be unfortunate if any were make to the chemical and related Urdu*- spilled on the skin or splashed into the tries in the matter of plant location and e>e. design arc twofold: providing correction Then too, it should never be necessary for existing unsatisfactory envoromnenlj) to lie down on the floor underneath a re situations, and preventing such occtirraru e action vessel in order to obtain a sample. m the future Attention to such a detail as the technique While the industrial hygienist must be of taking d sample when hazardous chemi familiar with the problems of plant loca cals are involved becomes an item of con tion and design, hjs greatest responsibility siderable importance to the mao who is is to incorporate his special knowledge of engaged in sampling. Here again, pre health hazards with the considerations of ventive engineering through forethought efficient and economic production. There may prevent a bad b u r n , a skin rash, or was a tune when American iccustrx the loss of an eye. Provision for vacuum showed too little concern fox the physical sampling, through a closed system, fre well-being of working men. However, for quently can be a matter of original de at least the last 20 years, management hds sign. Neither is it necessary to open a become increasingly aware oM ts ubhg? large kettle manhole and dip out a sample tiou to protect beakh and provide good using 3 flask on the end of a long stick. working conditions for its employees This method of sampling would not be Millions of dollars have been and arc wise if tone vapois escaped the kettle currently being spent in this human in manhole during sampling. vestment Management abo realizes that The design and location of piping may this consideration for its employees' health result in discomfort unless the demands and for good working conditions, along on the operator in tl*e plant are kept in with being an unobtrusive member of a mind. Pipe location may result in tripping local community as far as air and stream injury ot head injury or may provide an pollution arc concerned, has paid off iif obstruction which must be crawled under the additional benefits of better employed or climbed over several times a day m the relations and general good will -I course of an operator's duties. The loca tion o{ valves at convenient levels is also important. These are but a few of the items that extend thinking beyond the T hz first of a sene* o f paper* lo be publabc-i m ju ccessivc uue$ of C& X. The Symposium Jflchutnai Health and Safety was presenletl -t the 117th national ACS m eeting m D etroit Apnl 18, 1950. 1 1200 C H E M IC A L AND E N G I N E H I N G NEWS