Document baEpbvM5noYO6Y8y5kGz9mnok

::tW'S- 03~-2..'2.. RQ.~.o",-q INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE WALK-THROUGH REPORT PLANT NAME: Cyprus Industrial Minerals, Keeler Mill LOCATION: Keeler. California PURPOSE: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Healch (NIOSH) in cooperation with the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration (MESA) has underway a preliminary study of the talc mining and milling industry. As part of this study NIOSH is conducting walkthrough surveys to compile necessary data in an effort to characterize talc composition in the U.S. NIOSH PERSONNEL: Howard R. Ludwig. Thomas E. Sandusky PLANT HISTORY AND PROCESS: Cyprus Mines Corporation acquired the Keeler Mill from Sierra Talc and Clay in 1964. This mill processes talc from 5 different mines in California and Nevada. The Keeler Mill was built in 1919 and presently employes 5 workers 5 days per week during the single 8 hour shift. The stockpiled talc is picked up by front-end loader and dumped into a crusher before being sent to a roller mill. This product may be bagged or loaded in bulk or may be further reduced in size in a vertical mill. Over a dozen different blends and grades of talc from the various mines are processed for use in paints. ceramics. and pharmaceuticals. HEALTH HAZARDS: Potentially excessive dust and noise exposures. PERSONNEL RECORDS: Include Social Security numbers, work histories, and lost time accident data back to at least 1964 when mill was acquired by Cyprus. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. An audiometric hearing program should be instituted to ascertain the effectiveness of current hearing protection. 2. More effective ventilation around packing machines are needed to control dust levels. 3. A vacuum type system is recommended for cleanup of spillage instead of sweeping or shoveling. , - - - - - - . ~-EPRO-DUCE-DBY-: - N -t~::~::. u.s. Department of co~merce _ National Technical .Inr~,:,"atlon SeIVlce Springfield, Vlrgmla 22161 CAM-256 Work Sheet for Preliminary Industrial Hygiene Survey of Plant Name: Cyprus Industrial Minerals , Keeler Mill City, State: Keeler, California Survey Date: July 20, -1976 Survey Conducted By: Howard R. Ludwig Thomas E. Sandusky Industrial Hygiene Section Industry-Wide Studies Branch Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies National Inl:.titute for Occupational Safety and Health Cincinnati, Ohio 1.. General: 1. Establishment Name Cyprus Industrial Minerals. Keeler Mill Address P.O. Box 216 State._ _C_a_li_f_o_r_n_i_a City Keeler (714) Zip Code 93530 Tel. No.876-4550 2. Persons Interviewed~Z~a~c~k~M~1~l~l~e~r~!~L~e~a~d~m~a~n~ ~ Hallie Riley. Clerk ~_ Others: On Leave - Joe Guzman. Superintendent 3. A) Union Representative: N/A Title B) Name of Union(s) 5. NIOSH Staff Present H. R. LudWig T. E. Sandusky Telephone Number II. Plant Description: 1. Is plant a subsidiary or independently owned?~S~u~b~s~i~d~i~a~ry~ Name of parent company Cyprus Hines CorporatioD Legal Owner . __ _ 2. lhate plant built 1919 by Sierra Talc & Clay. Cyprus acqujrecin 1964 Date of plant additions. _ 3. Acreage of plant site. _ 4. Nwnber of major buildings.__...;5:::-. Total Square Feet__1S_....0....;O...;O'-- _ 5. A) How many people are on your payroll at the present time?_~S~_ _ usually 6 with maintenance person B) Of this number. how many arc normally in the ;. '. - - - - -Production Area? 4 Superintendent - 1 Clerk - 1 Administrative Area? 1 Lead men - 2 ----"""Mill hand - 1 Other Areas?_ _'_O _ - 6. Number of Shifts 1 - 8hr shift 7. Number of employees/shifts?__;S sometimes 2 shifts _ III. Description of Process: 1. What are your major products or services? (list) SEE NEXT PAGE * 2. Plant Processes A) Produc t:_.:.T~a::::l~c:__ ,.-- _ Raw materials and possible contaminants Talc City - Cyprus Oasis Mine (Nevada) - Cyprus Tecopa Mine (Panamint) - Cypru55 _ White Eagle Hine (Screenings & Lumps) Std. Ind. Minerals Sagger Mine (Oa51 S Mj ne) Production Processes Frontend loader loads talc ore j~tg crusher to roller mill where some may be bagged or loaded in bulk quantities or it may be further milled in a vertical mill. B) Product: Raw materials and possible contaminants . _ * Talc is processed for use in paints ceramics, and pharmaceuticals. Some of the various grades include: T-076 Tecopa Mine (Panamint) HGO-55 Blend (Tecopa, Oasis, White Eagle) HGO-75 Coarse Blend (Tecopa, Oasis, White Eagle) Trinity Superfine Blend (Tecopa, Oasis, \Vhite Eagle) Sierra Cloud Blend (Tecopa, White Eagle) C-500 Tecopa Mine (Panamint) 139 Tecopa Mine (Panamint) - Mistron MSC Tecopa Mine (Panamint - Stearite) - Mistron Sierralite Talc City (Frisco) Glacier 200 Talc City (Tailings) Furnace Greek Tecopa (Panamint) USP Oasis High grade Production -ProceSBCS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IV. Description of Medical, Safety and Industrial Hygiene Programs: 1- A) Does your company employ an industrial hygienist? Yes, at this location Yes, at corporate headquarters Yes. on a consulting basis Yes. insurance carrier Yes, specify No X B) Name Telephone Number Address C) What types of measurements are routinely taken? Explain. MESA .D) Were industrial hygiene measurements obtained: Yes _ No X 2. Do you have an agreement with a physician to.give your employees emergency or other medical car? -------Yes, at this location--full-time Yes, at this location--part-timc, --- . , Yes. on call X '-"""--- No- - - - Name Dr. Christenson Address Lone Pine. California Telephone -Number - - - - - - - - 3. Do you have a licensed nurse in your facility at a regular time? Yes. Full-tirue _ Yes. Part-time- - - - No-_.:.:X......- 4. Do you have an employee at this facility on each shift \~ith formal first aid training, other than doctors or nurses, who has been designated to provide emergency treatment? Yes X' No- - - - 5. When you hire a new employee, do you require him to take a medical examination? Yes, all employees__X _ Yes. some employees __ No- - - - 6. Do you provide any periodic physical examinations for your employees? Yes X No- - - - 7. Do you provide special job related medical tests for your ernplrJyees, such as: Chest X-Ray Yes X No Hearing Tests Yes No X Visual Tests Yes No X Lung Function Tests Yes. No X Blood Tests Yes No X . Urine Tests Other Yes No X Yes No X Specify: 8. A) Does your company have a formal safety program? Yes X No B) Safety and Health Supervisor .., C) How many people are involved in this program? All plant personnel D) How m,my lost-time accidents did yO\! have last year? Frequcncy O __ Severity O ----- 9. Has there been any medical abnormalities omong workers which can be contributed to an occupational exposure? E x p l a i n_ _N_o_ . _ 10. What protective equipment is required: Equipment Provided by Employer Clothing Classes Shoes Respirators Type Dustfoe 66 (MSA) Yes- - - Yes- - Yes-X- - Yes-X- - - No X No X NO_O_ _ No- - - - Where Used-------..:..------------------------------------------------ Oth~r Hearing Protection, hard hats 11. A) Are there facilities for taking showers? Yes- - - No x B) Are there facilities for changing clothes? Yes x No _ C) Obtained descriptive literature on products? -Yes --- No x - v. Narrntive: 1. Description of Medical, Snfety and Industrial Hygiene Progrnm: Superintendent conducts monthly safety meeting with all employees Past recommendations are reviewed and any new recommendatjoDs are discussed. 2. Potential Health Hazards: Dust, no"ise 3. Have product lines changed over the years? (If they have, include any other raw materials used). no 4. ,Are waste products reused: ~f not, how are they disposed?) Tailings from some mines are used 5. Briefly describe any past air sampling data. .. 6. Completeness of Personnel Records: .-Social Security Numbers __- _y_e_s Work History _-__Y_e_s _ _ Lost Time Accident Data _-__Y_e_s ---------------- _ --------------------Records Available Since at least 1964 7. Ventilation: (Include type, size, kinds of collectors. H.P. of blowers, history of changes, etc.) Fans near packing machines to keep dust away from packers. Exhaust ventilation over crusher. 8. Housekeeping: Fairly good; but vacuuming would be better. 9. Miscellaneous: \D ~M27~~~.I.l111n111.1.._~ "'"""T_~ REPORT DOCUMENTAllON 1 REPORT NO. . PAGE " 4. TllIe and Subtitle Industrial Hygiene Industrial Minerals, Keeler Mill, IWS-036-22 --,r-- 2. 'T"""~------'-:--------.-.~-.I" , i ) Walk-Through Report, Cyprus 5. Report Date Keeler, California, Report No. 76/07/20 8. 7. Author(s) LUdwig, H. R., and T. E. Sandusky 8. Performing Organlzallon Rept. No. IWS-036-22 9. Performing Organlzallon Name and Address Division of Surveillance, Hazard 10. Pro)ect!Task/WDrk Unit No. Evaluations and Human Services, Field Studies, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio U. S. Department of Health and f--------------1 11. Contract (C) or Grant(G) No. (C) (e) 12. Sponsoring Organlzallon Name and Address a13. Type of Report Period Covered 15. Supplementary Notes 14. --"'" A walk19. Abstract (Limit: 200 words) through survey was conducted at Cyprus Industrial Minerals (SIC-1499), Keeler Mill, in Keeler, California, as part of a larger study to compile necessary data to characterize talc (14807966) composition in the United States. Cyprus Mines Corporation acquired the Keeler Mill from Sierra Talc and Clay in 1964. This mill processed talc from five different mines in California and Nevada. Five employees were employed at this site, 5 days a week during the single 8 hour shift. The stockpiled talc was picked up by a front end loader and dumped into a crusher before being sent to a roller mill. This product, may be bagged or loaded in bulk or may be further reduced in size in a vertical mill. Over a dozen blends and grades of talc from the various mines were processed for use in paints, ceramics, and pharmaceuticals. The health hazards include potential excessive dust and noise exposures. Work histories and Social Security'~,mimbers were available, including lost time accident data back to at least 1964. The iiuti1"ip,t.s recommend.s that an audiometric hearing program be instituted to ascertain the effectiveness of the current hearing protection offered, that more effective ventilation around packing machines be used to control dust levels, and t~at a vacuum type system be used for cleanup of spillage instead of sweeping or shoveling. ~ 17. Document Analysis a. Descriptors b. Identifiers/Open-Ended Terms NIOSH- Publ ica tion, NIOSH-Au thor, NIOSH- Survey, Fie ld- Study, IWS - 036- 22, Region-9, Work-practices, Personal-protective-equipment, Control-technology, Miners, Mining-industry, Respiratory-system-disorders, Airborne-dusts, Mineral-dusts, Noise-exposure c. COSATI Field/Group 18. Availability Statement L- (See ANSI-Z39.18) 19. Security Class (This Report) 22. Security Class (This Page) --. -.- .. - - - .--~_ .c." .-~" c-""","~-:;- " REPRODUCED BY.. ' . U.S. DEPARTMENT 'OFc-6MM~~RCE" , I NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE I SPRINGFIELD, VA. 22161 I 0'.12.1 .N_~. Pag~_ \ -- -- -- ... -- .. / 22. Price .1..- ....... OPTlONAL FOR" 272(4-77) (Formerly NTlS35) Department of Commerce