Document eGyyzjJ53YjD9G98G2dyDrRq

FILE NAME: Chrysler (CHRY) DATE: 1975 Mar DOC#: CHRY110 DO CUM ENT DESCRIPTION: Internal Inspection Report - Trenton Chemical Plant, Chrysler Corp. from SubjM F r i n k M ir e r, PH. D. , In d u stria l Hygiene C onsultant S ocill Security D epartm ent C hrysler Corporation T rentoa Chem ical Plant T rentoa, M ichigin L o cal Union 372, Region 1A Inspection: Industrial Hygiene Inspection - Asbestos Exposure Requested by Joint National Committee Date of Inspection: R ep resen tativ es: Bob Sm ith. P re s id e n t. Local Union 372 C ary P ick rell, Safety Representative Pete Bellich, Committeeman Dave Pennington, Committeeman Dick Clayton, Chief Steward Company R epresentatives: Dan C laaer. C orporate Industrial Hygiene Elm er Lom bard, Plant Safety Supervisor John L ardie, P erso n n el Manager (clo-ing coni, only) Tom Lang, Labor Relations Supervisor (closing conf. ' only) T h is plant v is it w as requested by the C h ry sler Departm ent to review , su rv e y and recom m end c a rrectic. , , of health hazards of asbestos use at this location. The day of the v is it was sunny with a tem p eratu re in the 50's indicating e ffic ie n t v e n tila tio n conditions and am ple supp.y o co ing a tr o r relief of heat stre ss. The plant to u r was m ade with the above Unioa and Company re p re s e n ta tiv e s. C H R Y SLER SS1241 A sbestos is used `.n two lo e a tfjr.s. r.n the Chem ical PI*'., *>th about l OOh o u rly em ploye**. a sb esto s is an ingredient in v s r io u f products such as se a le r * Much greater quantities ol asbestos ..re used in the F ric tio n P ro d u c ts 3 u tld iag . with about 220 h o u r ly e m p lo y e e s , in the m an u factu re of b rak e U.-.ings and disc brake pacis. I. G en eral A ccording to in d u strial hygiene rep o rts subm itted by the C orporation and the State of M ichigan, airborne asbestos aU routla* d e r a tio n s e s a t9 t.d M b iw isr t * ** Lodig m ixer in the F riction Products Plant. A . - I |f l -to r is lo cstid n . In a num ber of a re a s the exposure '^ c o n s id e ra b ly below stan d ard s. This standard is scheduled to be reduced to 2 f ib e r s /c c in Ju ly I97f>. and a fu rth er reduction to one-half fib er/cc has been proposed This r e p o r t and reco m m en d atio ns a r e not stric tly keyed to the p rese n t or proposed law. th erefo re exposure should b* rej^cfttU rfl f r p o sslM ^ ^ b lrm e t.u re rte n tii-o f Specific exam ples will be cited below. However. the following - J . k!. ^ aVsxi'1/4 K< ___chant the olar.t A. P ?stin 1 /rtTfeca^ioni where a s b e : he a ir s ^ t * b * p0sf**'W lt* s ig n # whirr* say. A sb esto s Dust H arard Avoid B reathing Dust Y/ear Assigned Protective Equipment. V rs Do Not R em ain in A rea U nless Your Work R equires It. . ex \ A c- B reathing A sbestos Dust May -T aiis'e Lung Disease or C a n c e r/1 . i f . ' . _ .____ ..__ L U a f f f V * ' n fr ^ lo c a V io n s . ' At present sign* to t b ttr ^ a n ^ ix e r T)l. y . b ~ i * b . n b ..T fk loading stations in the .. . .... u sed f.s w e ll as rn*n-/,'.qe t i o ^ * A N*' CVbtYSL 691242 I 3- / `^ A I B. Containers All container J far asbestos, interm ediate m a te rla li. ' \ asbestos-contam inated clothing or asbeetos.^ontairung ' < scrap should be either covered or exhauated and should / bo labeled. T his was g e n e ra lly not done in this plant. C. Ventilation In dicators r \t* All o pauitO M with local exhaustvenU lation should have aa indicator v is ib le to the operator. which shays that ventilati on equipm ent la perform lnf^dequately. W here\ faaslbl# th ere sociuld b e late*loti which will prevent ' operation of equipm ent without ventilation. This should be a high p rio rity for bipel p resses, grinders and saws / D. Housekeeping r j. I la general h o ao efrrrels^ aeW M 'laprO T oaetft, with accum ulations of fallout dust and spillage oa the Lodige m ixer platform , the bipel press area, the grinder a re a s, the ham m er m ill platform , and at a num ber of other locations. This m atter was m entioned in both Corporation, State of M ichigan u.-.d previous L'AW in d u stria l hygiene reports. The local union stated repeatedly, and was not contradicted by local management, that extra manpower had been applied to clean up in the previous days. \ The local union safety and health representative, and the \ plant safety su p erv iso r should together, objectively and ) cooperatively determ ine the frequency and nature of cleaning needed to attain a satisfactory level of cleanliness .S u f f ic ie n t m anpow er should then be applied to this task. E. Cleaning M ethods Vacuum cleaners w ere present at many work stations. Q uite c o rr e c tly the ex h au st o u tle ts we r e connected to the ventilation ducts to prevent recirculatiqp of a ir into the w orkroom . "Squeegeee" ra th e r than broom s w ere supplied for cleaning floors This is equivalent to dry sweeping. whatever im plem ent is used, and should be b an n ed F loors should CH RYSLER 1243 .bo*s7 k d0" 'n before squ,, c..t , . * ****= ' e s t a s . ,,.-.taw ing c-u-t. P - 6 ue<i Work Cloth;.,., ^ e i g h - t o e r aT r,SJi:W * ? r Vid' ci '1^ to* m o d i/ie d a ,' (<lllo ? r0 S'*TM ` ` r M * . t t 2 ! S ^ k "" *' '* * * it s s ? p re s e n t the Comoany feels th>* i o cost r At v 2. s to re d ,,d d o .h u tie tu n t locke* not ^ 3. No w ork clothing shall b r homfc 4. Em? ,, Y,, , )hr r i ', w ,, . , ,** i n i 0, M onitoring Cbservati,TM . on e l L M ^ T e ^ is 2* ,Safeiy r e PT0*n* ^ iv e should receive O jPfef *11 notification! Individual em ployees of 3. The le tte r Inform ing em ployees o f -------- --- . ___ re su lt ^ V S h o u l d consol t b r n c m e J E r ' , f nuniber of *ibera p er cc) and should M r ! ou* that such exposure exceeded allow able lim it* CHRYSLER 001244 - 5- H. R e c s iv iu r of A s b e i'o* lom ents It w as state'] that from tim e to tim e shipm ents cf m a te ria ls would arriv e v/.:h broken or spilled b aft of a s b e s to s . If it has r.ot a lre ad y been done, a p ro g ra m to control this hazardous situation should _ be developed to include: 1. SfgBifofs should s # p t g ts b e s to s in bags which have an individual Sem* asbestos was not in such v/iapping. 2. "X 4M BJtdgre for c l should be 'should Include: la & tt'v e spiratat-s methods and II. F ric tio n P roducts Building A.. v/`oighUo Station VV .'y^ y l. 4 Mtiifn4 rs for add ' with asbestos. |s should be te i f te d or rs being contam inated * / g, S ' 2. I l i f c a td r s on the es should si yf and the rexclosure ls oa ^ ^ >3. T he c n c t S ^ t f o ^ C ^ n - y r o r l d y i t l a g o v e r n o r * tra n sp o rt and while waiting to be loaded. B. Lodige M ixers 1. #4 Lodige m ix er was used for a d ry m ix for disc 1 brake pad m anufacture. The other m ixers were used fo r w et m ix e s. The #4 m ix e r was said to routinely leak visible dust during operation. Ths o p e ra tio n was ru n on th ird shift and could r.ot be dem onstrated during this v isit. However the accum ulation of dust in the vicinity of the m ixer on th e m ean a nine and fallout on m o re dls*??* iv - f '.ces i.-.d;ca-v! '.he d u st c s -tin . ' - - - . m ix e r should be m odified o r re p a ir# * so th a t ifc v isib le d u st leaks o c c u r s The Company should p repare CH RYSLBt e124S  6 2. Sm all amour.*.s ot -.ore c<.r. '.-.caou as -taris v.ero ra w -'- :o load mi.vf.-i. I h i j J u a r escape should be prevented. 3. H ousekeeping on .he m ix e r m ezzanine should improved Dry use of squeegees should -.topped and vacuum or wet cleaning methods suh :ti:u::<i. 4. V isible d u st had accum ulated on raise d su rfaces and duct w ork In the e x tru d e r room , [.'.-.inly as a re su lt of escapes from M Lodige rr.iver. These accum ulatlona-should be prevedfed. Bioel P re ss T his o p e ra tio n should be modlfledrfEo prevent c r reduce airborne asbestos exposure. There are At p resen t, an asbestos - containing mu:tur e is transported to the w ork station in a covered bin. It is then shoveled into a sm a lle r, plastic bin at w aist height a: the work station -- d ire c tly in the o p e ra to rs' and sh o v elers1breathing zone. Hot p re s s o p e ra to rs do the shoveling. Portions are then scooped out of the bin, weighed by hand at waist height and added to the PFe* * |, , '* exhausted. F iber c o a sts w e r e c lo s e to'- T f ? ^ r * / ? ? a t th i7 lo b a tlb fe This is p robably the v o r* fe * a C fe r'i r caopiRHasBStfWffire to a sc o t:.' which could be reduced by obvious sm all changes in p ro cess. 1. S hoveling aofiXTlffj OtbsH^bSTs shooldteoiytbe ^one In an ex h au sted ? enc lo sed ita tw B 2. The p lastic bids should be c m b f M li n i u i t i d f The se a l# should be exhausted. 3. and hot pness o p erato r^ should especially be provided with protective clothing. O. E. M. G rin d ers A t the tim e of the v is it, the v * E I a tl# n on 2 O. S. M. g rin d e r cut o il during operation, resulting in a v e s y 4 ll|s e s c a p e of asbestos-containing dust. The Company representatives agreed that the p ro cess should not be run without ventilation. CHRYSLER 001246 7 i f ' r' T h e C o m p a n y s a l e *.'c p r o b l e m as that the b a g l - o i i or. the . v. .-.til of. or. s y 3 - -- w a s s h a k i - : - owr. . ' h. ch had : off a i r :lj'.v to t he j r - . - . - e r . T he Union s a i d t'..a`. the b r e a k d o w n of v e n t i l a t i o n on the 2 C. a. I t. g r i r . c e r ' . m a reseated oroblerr.. 1. The g rin d e r should be e le c tric a lly Interlocked with the ven tilatio n sy stem , so that the operation caroto: be perform ed if ventilation is down. At present, personnel, Including supervision, should be instructed not to run the g rin d ers if ventilation is not functioning. ? 2. P la n t engineering should investigate this problem . and furnish a w ritten reporSRo the safety and health ' rep re sen ta tiv e as to the canshnsttba breakdown^, the m ethod of c o rre c tio n and a date of correction. 3. The o p e ra to rs ' noise exposure should be d eterm in ed .:* ' Saw A rea 1. Fine d o st falloum on m any su rfaces w a s ^ p tg ^ jq i of airborne asbestos escape and inadequate housekeeping. 2. Manv open b a r r e ls o? a sb e stis-c o n ta ln in y -sc ro p were , / ' p r e s t o : i:t titii a re a . These be provided-vith covers. *>i' . *\V 3. The o p e ra to rs' noise exposure should be determ ined. V ^ ' F . H a m m e rm ill Mere ran in e 1. D u ctw o rk on the t I h am m erm ill wa# leaking due* This was scheduled to be rep aired ^ 2. Qgpt accum ulations on the floor and other surfaces should be prevented. ' i/ G. A ir Cleaning Equipment /... / , ( < 1. One of the sc re w conveyors from the baghouse to the d isposal container w ee leaking aabes -containing dust. This should be repaired and preventive m aintenance shsuid be applied. !) CHRYSLER 001247 \ i - 3 2. F allo u t from the above !ca.'< into a fl.-iished product storage a rc * should be '-acuumed m o:e ig ^. cisively. 3. The baghouse'on the root was visibly leaking due into the outside a re a . It -.hould be re p a ire d . 4. F in al disposal of d ts t from the dust collector yuern w as enclosed and, a p ro p er o p eration, should give no dust exposure. 5. D isposal of aabestoe-coatalain^m A terial such as bags and perhaps scrap was by an ordinary trash com pactor. Since these material.-: w ere d ry and w ere not in closed containers, there was potential for re le a se of airborne asbestos. The process should be changed so that no a sb esto s is re le a s e d into the outside a ir. . III. Chem ical Plant A. Flow-- t*irfc-iyigh-U p Station A sbestos is re g u la rly weighed up a t this location a sm all p a rt of the tim e. The areo- shoal* Vo p o sted for asb esto s exposure. The local union and plant sa;ty rep re sen ta tiv e should observe this procedure to determ ine if airb o rn e asb esto s exposure is possible, and if so, an d^M B tpleebhould be taken. B. Storage A reas A few b ro k en bags of asbestos w ere found. T hese w ere not w rapped in p lastic. The solution to this problem was d iscu ssed in I. , H. C. M ezzanine W eigh-Up Station 1. Pro*Msion for vacuum o r w et clearin g should be m ade. 2. The a re a should be poated4or asbestos exposure. D. M ixers T u . kro*4 *.h: 1jading " should be repaired. CHRYSLER 00124 \ - 9 - 2. H ousekeeping on :hs -2 P.eadco c w e r platform should be im proved, , 3. AU m ix e rs /P.eadco and *4 and *5 Churn) should be posted for asbestos exposure and provisions for wet or vacuum cleaning should be made. IV. Sur.~L-r.ary The Com pany position or. m any recom m endations made verbally was tnat they w ere doing all that the law required, esp ecially w ith resp e c t to posting, closed containers, w ork clothing and lo ck e r room fac ilitie s. V."hilc this is g en erally in good sh aift, L ajbB p*i(iB dInbelo*U .*a^^ being tre a te d w ith enough r e s o e e f io r H*,"iaheirwe'nusia|(V p ro p e rtie s. The abmrfr-reeommendOCIohs would Br'fcaffbl* steps in further reducing this very serious health threat. F ra te rn a lly , F ra n k lin E. M ire r, Ph. D. Indurtalel Hygiene*-Conauitan* X L Sodni1,,srer-Uy FE.M /sm ' opeiu4Z cc# Doug F r a s e r / TDolcm^ GR iubpspoenrt Ralj^i F ileccla H o m ir Jolly* M arcelllus Ivory Ed G rant M elG lasser / Bob S m ith , P r e s i d e * , Local Union 372 G a ry P i c k r e l l, S aiety Rep. . L ocal Union 372 CH R YSLB* 01249