Document daOnBp4GqJrJjGpZeJ4G0jNBG

Prcprin --Snhjrrt tr Cor-rccfi RELEASE AFTERNOON PAPERS MONDAY. NOVEMBER 14 Paper for Presentation to a 1/rrfirn/ owrf Health Group Session dur ing the 35th Annual Meeting of the Auirrictm Pttrolrum Institute, in the Patrmont Hotel, San PrancGco. Calif., P/ort-mhcr li, 1955. INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE IN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY t J. W. Hammond " ABSTRACT Tie objective* ol iniiuMrisl bygirne *rr ibe prrrtnlion of die*e rH Jo** of efficiency ihrough the control of orrapilionii) factor* vhirh m' IIrft normal prople.. In ihc pan, jnduMrial-hygicnc practice* 'err dirreird miinl.r toward the control of rxitlinf condition*. Todiy tnfinftrinjt control feature* arc applied to potential hrahh haiardi at tKc driigu or blurprinl il*(r, and a number of procedure# bavr been drvelojwd for evaluat ing problem# wbicb arc not apparent or cannot be con trolled at tbe drsicn or development #ta*-. Mot of Ibe occupational and health haxartfi found In the petro leum mdutlrv are not peculiar to It. and the experience teamed in other Industrie* can be applied dirretK in evaluating and M>Iving It* problem*. Reprcventativr ex ample* of probable chemical hazard,. tbeir xiurm. and extent in major department* of an oil company are listed. Introduction . our washrooms and toilets in modern refineries as at Modem public-health techniques have allowed the present world to build congested industrial, business, tractive structures, using tile and other suitable ma terial* for easy cleaning and pleating appearance. and residential centers. The secret of this development Tbe petroleum industry has gone to much expense to lies in our control of communicable diseases. Benefits , increase the comfort of employees, thereby promoting from control of the environment are obvious to everyone * mental and physical efficiency. Industrial management living in a modern community, where our food and I has recognised for years that, during the summer s+a- water supply, waste disposal, insect-vector control, and I son. man efficiency may fall and there is more need general sanitation are guided by public-health principles. j for vacation periods, and that recuperation from heavy Control of communicable diseases in modem industrial j physical and mental activities takes longer. Further communities ha* given rise to a new standard of living ; indication of the cost of discomfort can be noted by in onr homes. It ha* been said that there i* no better ! examination of the degree* of civilization throughout yardstick to gage the culture of a community than that the world, because It is found that civilization has de of basic sanitation- Today we have large group* of j veloped to the greatest degree in the temperate zones. people working closely together in modem plants where I This development is undoubtedly associated with the efficiency and production are greatly accelerated because ability to work efficiently, both mentally ami physically. we have these controls. .Communicable diseases have j Last, but not least, we arc interested in thr control of been brought under control by a combination of medical i occupational diseases. It is the control of these latter and engineering practices. Generally, isolation, vaccina- j diseases which are shall discuss for the next several tion, protection of food and water supplies, and limits- j minutes. tion of contacts and transmittal by insect vectors have j Occupational diseases are not a netr entity in the < been the winning approaches. ; field of medicine and the ills of mankind. Greek scholars . Occupational diseases are ! cwntroUad l>> the appli i*i 4W B.C. wrvlc Uhui, *>h1 M!y *ciViili,u li* cation of present-day scientific knowledge. The practice the field of medicine recognized the ills of occupation of thi* science is called industrial hygiene and industrial when seen in their patients. The materials responsible medicine. This field has many facets and, therefore, for these ilia have been.Identified and measured in quan- * requires the application of several branches of basic titatjve terms by toxicologist*. A few medications have sciences, as does the control of infectious diseases. In dustrial hygiene has multiple dividends to offer indus try, the same as environmental sanitation has multiple been prescribed for some of these diseases, which today' are numbered by the hundreds. The cure is generally ]muted to prolonged removal from contact with the ' rewards. . offending agent. The only sure control of occupational Specifically, we also have sanitation for aesthetic disease j* prevention. This Is the science of industrial | reasons. The pleasure t derive from boating and fish hygiene or occupational health engineering. ing on our rivers, and from our beaches and parks, is ^Modern industrial hygiene had Its beginning in the ; an example of the worth of suitable conditions in first decade of the 20th century in the U.5. bureau of ' recreational areas. Also, for aesthetic reasons, we build Mines .working in cooperation with the U.S. .Public , * Hgabt# Oil nil B*4tilnr C*. Hihi'Imq. Trl. 9 I'fWcol"! * xvJInl *ih1 Wallli l- tturivc Ibp JOib 'Annual M--tlnr of A*<rrlr*a lvi/lruu Ja*!. 1m iJm- ralrmanl H**!. Xan 1C13.**- ; jimlillnc. kt. 2. JUitiUar,, XuaJarJ Ol) Cm. {New Jpr-ri, N-w Xwrlc. N. V. Health Service. It soon moved out of the experimental stage and became a practical tool for operating manage ment in industry to maintain the Important asset*-- manpower and human efficiency. !: `*"AL DIVISION IP'-HY . KJ.V-E'LL i.-IL & REFINif CC-SPANY HOUSTON, T<:"3 EXX-MOR-003113 Industrial Hyciene in the Petroleum Industry OIjrrlin and of Indu'lrii! H? F'r"f hygiene personnel to spend s good portion of their time The objectives of industrial hygiene are to prevent disease and loss of human efficiency through the control of the occupational factory which may affect normal people. The scope of this science is to detect materials and physical agents within an environment which have health significance, to evaluate them in quantitative terms in relation to their effect on man. and to prescribe or design practical controls. To accomplish this it is necessary to understand man's limitations, his occupa tional relation to his tools, his physical contact with materials in hi; work, and physical factors of the chemi cal and material atmospheric contaminants of his work ing environment. There is no material too toxic to he used safely and, conversely, theie is no material so innocuous that it can be ignored. InduotrisMIyairnc Team studying existing environmental conditions and to evalu ate them in terms of quantitative facts. The fact cannot be overemphasized that there are many obvious advan tage; to the application of industrial-hygiene principles at the design stage. For example, control features are more acceptable and economical, and control features j built into the process are more efficient, than those added at a.later date, F urtherrnore. when the control measures ajre part of the original unit, no health hazard is permitted to exirt even for a short period or until it I could cause harm. One finds that design engineers usually welcome conj slructive romments on anticipated health problems and I control methods.. It may be necessary for the industrial I hygienist to establish channels for receiving plan; for review, and it i; necessary to stress the reasons for 1 wanting them. It should always be made clear that the An industrial-hygiene team, to be fully reliant, is hygienist jf in no way in competition with tht design generally made up of the physician, the industrial- : and development engineers but wishes to serve as a hygiene engineer, and the chemist. They must work consultant,staff member in a specialized phase,. Usually closely with allied groups. Other speakers on this pro the information which he may supply Jo the engineering gram have ably touched upon the important part of the group is: 1, hem' toxic the materials in question are; physician. The industrial-hygiene engineer is concerned 2, whether it is a problem of inhalation or skin contact: primarily with field studies, collection of atmospheric . 3. what the possible points of exposure are; 4. how samples, making of physical measurements, and evalua ' serious the exposure would be; and, 5, what would bo tion of results in terms of effect on health and in the the best and most economical control methods. preparation of proposed control measures. The chemist j Unfortunately, all problems cannot be controlled at is concerned with analytical work involved in handling ; the design stage. Obviously, aome problems will not be samples, as well as assisting in the collection of them. j apparent; but, if proper consideration is given to mi- Frequently he serves by supplying information relative J terialx and processes to be used, potential health hazards to the toxicity of products or materials and the in ; can be predicted. For evaluation of new potential proH- terpretation of the field results. I lems. as well as old ones, the following steps serve to point out the procedures commonly followed by the in Induitrial-Hvsienr Practice* I dustrial hygienist: Past industrial-hygiene practices have been directed . 1. Develop toxicity data on all materials u?ed. mainly toward the control of the existing working en | 2. Determine quantitatively the atmospheric concentravironment where processes, units, and operations were ! lion of toxic materials. well established. It lias been necessary to play "catch up,'* and this has often made it difficult and costly to j j 3. Then, evaluate the health hazard based on recognized limits or standards, commonly called maximum allow- provide effective control facilities. Today industrial able concentrations. hygiene ha* advanced to the point where It is realised I 4. Place exposed workers under proper surveillance. that problems of environmental health w-fll continue to increase as the "catch-up** approach alone is used. The 5. Develop, if needed, engineering method* of control. best time to apply engineering control features to poten The evaluation of the environmental health of a plant tial health hasard* and factors in the working environ may be accomplished in the following order: ' ment is at the design and blueprint stag*. A good illustration occurred in a new gas plant. In 1. Make a preliminary survey, which is an inventory of the health factors, and a list of all materials used. the laboratory it was necessary to use mercury in the distillation unit*. Spilled mercury found it* way be 2. Whenever toxicological information so indicates, make atmospheric tests. hind a laboratory bench and into minute cracks in the floor surface. From these places, its vapor rose to con taminate the atmosphere during the heating season while windows and doors were closed,. It was necessary to replace the flooring with impervious materia!, and to relocate the furniture to allow cleaning behind each piece, to correct this moderately serious health hazard. Admittedly, it will always be necessary for industrial- 3. Determine atmospheric contaminant* and physical __ factor* of the environment in quantitative values. J 4. Analyze biological samples (body fluids) where indi- - cated. j 5. Make statistical studies of sickness records. 6. Occasionally, develop toxicological data and apply 5 them to the other factors in the survey. 7, Carefully study possible correlation between environ mental and medical data. 8. Develop control procedures whenever indicated. 18 -v EXX-MOR-003114 Industrial Hygiene in the Petroleum Industry 3 This umf technique may be applied to handle mart industrial environmental health problems.. The data, whether negative or positive relative to health, provide definite basis for management decision* on the need for controlThe experience of a unit with a regular painter points field by participation in professional activities Indus trial-hygiene activities extend the medical services out of the clinic into the industrial plant They provide a mutual contact between the engineering and maintenance gfoup in the field and the physician. out the need for definite data- Surveys of materials Conclusion used and methods of application showed no exposure to lead.. However, the urinary lead indicated hazardous absorption. Inspection of th> worker's off-duty activities disclosed that his exposure cimt from his home paint shop, where he painted farm machinery with red lead for hi? neighbors. He stopped that exposure and was soon normal in lead excretion. j To summarize some of the benefits which arise from an active and constructive industrial-hygiene program: It provides facta regarding working environment: it prevents, or reduces to a minimum, occupational dis eases; it reduces compensation costs; it demonstrates company interest in health and welfare; it permits control of hazards before injury it done to employees; Extent of lndu*lril-H.'jrirne Problem* it assists medical departments in protecting employee health; it serve* as a clinical diagnostic aid; it reduces It is of interest that most problems found in the lost time caused by illness; it reduces employee illness petroleum industry are not peculiar to it. Materials costs; and it provides most effective and economical and occupational health hazards recognized in machine control of hazard*. shops and maintenance work, and in chemical, metal, electronic, and other industries throughout the nation, cause the same problems, ^his is good news, inasmuch as the application of industrial hygiene is relatively new in the petroleum industry, and experience gained in other industries can be directly applied in the evalua tion and solution of its problems. A lew representative examples of industrial-hygiene services to major depart Industrial hygiene is a natural evolution in the en lightened, resourceful industrial world. It is another practical tool of science used to increase the efficiency, lower the cost, and maintain higher standards of living in our free-enterprise system. Today management recog nizes that no longer is manpower cheap. Slight losses in, efficiency are important. ments of an oil company are listed in Table 1. Summary Benefit* of JnduMrial Hygiene - Union and labor interest in fields of health and frinpe benefits necessitate pood liaison with official apencies. These agencies are state departments of health and labor, compensation boards, and other regulatory groups.. One must be prepared to compare data for work areas in plants with their data. We often find it possible to be of service to the sales department in preparing precautionary labels as to safe use of petroleum nroducti. Other fields of service may be to customers concerning the safe use of petroleum products in their plants. This field is not_ static. It is dynamic: and, therefore, it is necessary to keep in contact with others in this i J In the broad sense, any program of environmental health or industrial hygiene is one of preventive medi cine. For many occupational diseases there is no satis factory medication: the only method of control lies in prevention. There are certain medical and engineering principles which can be applied to the working environ ment to enable an industry to locate and eliminate work ing conditions which are likely to cause illness, lower production, and the like. Modem industry* especially the petroleum industry, accents the responsibility for the health of the worker while he is on the job, and it it willing to institute the necessary steps for adequate health maintenance. It needs to be guided in the ap proach to this *o*l- 1(J v EXX-MOR-003115