Document gDJ00ZRrd91R1bqXRnxbLzKQe

SAffty AND HEALTH L SERVICES REPORT ' V T- Wausau Insurance Companies 2000 WESTWOOD ORIVE WAUSAU, WISCONSIN 5440 Sam Thomas, Plant Manager Flexitallic Gasket Company 151 Heller Place BelLmavT, New Jersey 08031 January 18, 1982 CONCERNING 151 Heller Place BellmawT, New Jersey , REPORTED BY - - - ------------------ - PERSONS CONTACTED ~ '- S. Skubik, environmental health engineer; and B. Wizorek, safety consultant; on December 18, 1981 Sam Thomas, plant manager REPORT SUMMARY ENVIRONMENTAL health engineering service This survey was made at the request of Sam Thomas, plant manager, to determine airborne concentrations of asbestos fibers to which employees are routinely exposed during normal production in the slitting, winding, preforming, and shipping/receiving areas. Six air samples, four personal and two fixed location, were collected by drawing breathing zone air at a fixed rate by means of calibrated personal sampling pumps, through a 0.8 micron pore-sized mixed cellulose acetate filter mounted in three-piece open-face cassettes. Asbestos fibers thus collected were subsequently counted at our laboratory (AIRA Accreditation Number 3A) using phase contrast illumination microscopy. The results are shown in the attached Table I, along with the current OSRA permissible exposure level for chrysotile asbestos. * The results show that the concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers were all less than 25 percent of the current OSHA PEL. This report covers on.y conotions and prac tices observed ana considered at me time ot this can n is nof mtenced to macate that any hazarcs are adequate/ controlled or mt such ccnct pns or prsct'css meet me requirements ot any aopiicaoie teaerai state or local law regulation or ordinance It you have any comments orquestions con cerning this report, write to R. E. Hawkinson, Vice-President, Safety & Health Services. Consultative safe:/ and hearth services a a available to an poncyhotders ana we en courage you to contact your servicing sale'./ consu'tant whenever tne need arises Sam '''homas Flexitalllc Gasket Company 2- - January 18, 1982 The following observations and recommendations are presented as a result of this survey: 1. If further lowering of airborne asbestos levels is desired, considera tion should be given to increasing the effectiveness of housekeeping in the production area. The slitters, winders, and preformer are all low-speed equipment which would not be expected to generate excessive airborne levels of contaminants. The majority of the airborne asbestos levels found would appear to be primarily the result of employee mobility. Keeping work areas as free as possible of residual asbestos would reduce the amount reintroduced into ambient air by employee movement. Local exhaust at each of the winding and slitting machines would be the most effective and preferred method of controlling asbestos initially released into ambient air. From a cost-effectiveness standpoint, considering the relatively low levels present, frequent use of portable HEPA-filtered vacuum equipment would be almost as effective. One other producer of such equipment, other than NILFISK of America, is American Cleaning Equipment Corporation, 111 South Route 53, Addison, Illinois, 60101. HO 64 cc: Fred S. James and Company of New York TABLE I CONCENTRATIONS OF AIRBORNE ASBESTOS Flexltallic Gasket Company Bellnavrr , New Jersey December 18, 1981 Sample Number Samole Location 1 Station 2, top of slitter filing cabinet 2 Shipping/rece iving department, scale area 3 Winder machine number 2327, operator 4 'Winder machine (EC), operator 5 Preformer, operator 6 Hydraulic winder, operator Found Fibers/cc(1) 0.14 0.07 0. 16 0.22 0.32 0.13 OSHA PEL(2) Fibers/cc(U 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 (1) i Fibers/cc greater than 5 mu - Asbestos fibers per cubic centimete of air greater than 5 microns in length. (2) OSHA PEL - Permissible Exposure Level, Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1910, Subpart 2, Section 1910.1001, Asbestos.