Document aVer650r857kZJbqvMpQG2aa

Construction Section worker in mind. The factories presented the critical industrial health problems of tho 10th and early 20th centuries and this is where tho interest, the research, and tho money has boon invested. Tho emphasis today, although comparatively small. Is still on tho factory. As a result, the standard con trol methods available in all the textbooks, ventilation, isolatiqn, enclosure, substitution, and personal protection, are organized to make practical and economical sense in q factory setting. The factory hand works for the most part in a fixed location. Exposure is repetitivo and predictable over a long period of time. Utili-. tics are available and control methods can bo designed, tested, and finally built-in as part of the company's long-term capital invest ment. It is not unusual to see a ;$20,000 ven tilation system built into a plant to protect 10 or 15 welders. But look at the welders on tho construc tion job. In a lifetime, each will have done about as much work and generated as many fumes as a factory* welder, However, the control system hero is non-existent, because the control methods in the textbooks do not make practical or economic sense on a con struction fob. Factory spray painting is done in a venti- lated booth, according to the books. Since a booth would cost too much on a construction fob, we scratch our heads and spray paint anyway. Dust, noise, heat, and almost any health problem is controlled by cookbook methods in the factory. The cook book doesn't work for construction, so we live with the problems and hope they will go away. It is now critically necessary that we ac cept tho fact that a construction fob is not the same as a factory job, and that the fac tory hazard-control cookbook--although free --is not applicable, A third conclusion--we must begin to de velop our own occupational health stand ards. ( The golden era of occupational health in the United States ended in the mid-1950's. The movement which began in the 1930's and provided wide knowledge of industrial diseases. and excellent textbooks is. slowly dying. The Federal program is small and without legal authority. State programs not only have been declining in manpower, but show little, Interest in the construction indus try. Tho traditional standard-setting agency for occupational health in tho country, die Amedcan Conference of Governmental In dustrial Hygienists, is dependent upon its dues-paying members for support Its $13,000 yearly total budget wifi not covor more than a fraction of tho country's prob lems, ond that fraction will bo factory-or iented. On this basis, it is unlikely that the widely subsidized work that went into helping the industrialist to understand bis problems and to custom-tailor his environmental control will be available to the construction indus try. The facts are that the responsibility for providing a reasonably healthy place to work lies directly with construction labor, and construction management. Tho need for environmental standards is growing with each day. Noise offers a fine example: Heavy equipment, trucks, compres sors, chain saws, fackhammcrs, and a wide variety of power hand tools are producing hearing loss that Is reaching scandalous pro portions. There are choices. The individual contractor can hire an accoustics expert and modify these took at his own expense. As another choice, he can attempt to stuff ear plugs in his men, a method that will be of no practical valuo on a construction fob, and one that will probably reduce productivity. A popular alternative is to do nothing and let the insurance companies worry about it. Tho sensible solution is to collectively write a set of performance standards for power equipment. These can be written right now, from knowledge at hand, and would specify maximum allowable noise in tensities at an appropriate given distance from the equipment lire tool manufacturers may have difficulties at first But their engi neering and research departments are avail able and in the best position to control hear ing loss at the lowest possible cost. Adequate labelling also must be consid ered. Very few of the materials capablo of causing eye, skin, or lung problems such as plastics, paints, welding rods, fluxes, sol vents, lubricants, etc., have useful warning labels when they reach the construction site. This has two negative effects, in addition to the potential for injury. First, even the inter ested men cannot find out how to protect themselves. And second, if the material does cause a problem, the men have no clear in formation that might be useful in selecting a less harmful product for the next job.