Document gaVGemQbRJk7oDRqVz5QkRmq9

FILE NAME John Crane JC DATE 1977 Apr 14 DOC JC049 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Field Visit Report ww pl ae wee- SO ee wee Ok CH ewen 15 Overlea Julevard 5th Floor Toronto Ontario M4H 1A9 416 965-4066 April 15 1977 Plant Superintendent Crane Facking Company Limited 423 Green Street Stoney Creek Ontario Dear Mr. Mellikow Enclosed is a copy of the Field Visit Report prepared by Mr. J. Toth P.Eng following a visit to your plant on February 28 1977 The directions suggested at the end of the report are for issue to you by the Ministry of Labour's Industrial Safety Officer Yours truly HMN Encl H.M. Nelson Chief Occupational Health Engineering 610007 2 ntario Ministry of bie LABOUR 98 I.S.B. File No. : O.H.P.B. File 98 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH BEKEREN BEKEREN BRANCH FIELD VISIT REPORT Date April 14 1977 From J. Toth P.Eng lant Address Crane Packing Company Limited 423 Green Street Stoney Creek Ontario Requested by O.S.B. Accompanied by Mr. E. Dewhurst O.S.B. Date of Visit February 28 1977 Contacts Mr. R.A. Mellikow - Plant Superintendent Mr. C. Morin - Union Assistant President Copies to taz Methyl alcohol chlorothene asbestos and lead Dr. V. Tidey Mr. H. Hendrickson Mr. E. May 2 Mr. R. Ogilvie Dr. J. Vingilis Mr. S. Morton Mr. R. Mellikow Abstract This visit The report be taken was made to assess the dust and ventilation conditions in this plant describes the operations and indicates where protective measures shall Recommendations are made and directions are suggested * * * The company manufactures precision ground seals from stainless steel seals from teflon packings from asbestos and Plastic Seals a compound used in pipe joints Canada10100000088 Canada10100000088 2 In a 30 x 50 x 22 high lapping room methylalcohol as a compound in the grinding powder and chlorothene for degreasing are used These operations are not exhausted In the 50 x 75 x 22 high teflon department phenolic resin containing materials are cut and the dust is exhausted by an industrial vacuum cleaner In one corner of this room premixed teflon powder is moulded and heated in an exhausted furnace Asbestos cloth and yarn coating with teflon is carried out in the north side of the room The coating operation is not exhausted In the 50 x 75 x 22 high packing department 4 braiding machines are operating with teflon and wax coated yarns None of these machines are exhausted In covered and exhausted soaking sinks 2 asbestos yarns are soaked with wax In the same room in a 25 gallon mixer packings used on the bulkhead in the shipbuilding are produced using about 250 year of chrysotile asbestos The packing contains asbestos resins and castor oil The mixeirs exhausted by a side hood connected to a vacuum cleaner In one corner of this department plastic seal is produced in an open mixer of about 20 gallons capacity The seal contains about 80 lead powder of 20-50 micron in size castor oil glycerin butyl alcohol traces of carnauba wax and pyrogallic acid About 30 lbs of lead powder is taken from a drum containing 200 lbs of lead powder and 170 lbs is dumped to the mixer Air velocity at the 10 diameter side duct was about 900 fpm The plastic seal is poured directly from the mixer into small tin containers One 2 diameter roof fan is installed in this department About 44 persons are employed in the whole plant but only 10-12 of them work in the above described departments Respirators for toxic dust are available and used at the lead mixer Medical supervision is carried out by the Occupational Chest Disease Service Comments 1 The operations where the workers are exposed to methyl alcohol and chlorothene vapours are not exhausted The grinding and degreasing operations are done with bare hands Direct contact with these solvents may lead to skin dermatitis The threshold limit value TLV is 200 ppm for methyl alcohol and 350 ppm is for chlorothene methyl chloroform No operation was carried out in the teflon department during this visit From the health viewpoint the cured teflon is physiologically inert Operations involving exposure to teflon dust at room temperature may be regarded as nuisance dust with a TLV of 10 mg It is expected that no hazard exists below 200 392 to the decomposition products 3 Significant airborne dust generation is not expected at the braiding machines and at the mixers but some dust was settled around this equipment Lead cards are posted above the lead mixer Recommendations In the lapping department skin protection should be used while working with parts wetted with methyl alcohol and chlorothene Direct inhalation of the vapours of these solvents should be avoided No smoking should be permitted in this area The teflon department should be no smoking area Cigarettes if carried in pockets should be protected from teflon contamination enclosure The teflon should not be heated above 200 without proper adequate local exhaust and About 500 cfm is exhausted at the plastic seal mixer With a booth enclosure not bigger than 2 sq ft at the face this air volume appears to be adequate Air velocity at any opening into the enclosure should be at least 200 fpm Consideration should be given be | simplify the weighing and the avoided i to use full drums of lead dust generation lead powder at the scale It would would Considerable amounts of asbestos has been allowed to accumulate under the asbestos packing mixer This mixer should be properly enclosed If spillage occurs it should be cleaned up after every operation I was told that blue asbestos is stored but not used any more in the plant When it is not used it should be removed Air sampling for lead and for asbestos is suggested follow the air sampling report Further comments will Respirators approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH should be used while working with unsoaked asbestos list of NIOSH approved respirators is attached he respirators and clothing worn in the packing department should be leaned every working day There should be clean storage for this quipment Clothing worn in this area should not be taken by the workers to heir homes e employer should inform workers about the dangers involved and the pre- ntive vel measures to be taken Housekeeping should be maintained at . high The containers and bags containing lead and asbestos should be pt closed after taking the required amount of materials from them je operators in the packing department should be encouraged to practise od personal hygiene This should include washing before eating drinking moking or using washroom facilities They should have a shower at the end of the shift Directions to be Issued No dry sweeping shall be permitted in the packing department or vacuuming is suggested Wet sweeping Proper enclosures with adequate local exhaust shall be provided at the asbestos and lead mixers Until such time as the the packing department protection above shall directions are implemented the operators in be provided with adequate personal respiratory 4. No eating drinking or smoking shall be permitted in the packing and teflon departments : 5. No food drink or tobacco shall be brought into the packing department The company shall provide a medical program for workers exposed to lead which should include a preplacement medical examination b annual medical examination c) urine sample submitted from each lead worker every 6 months to the Occupational Health Laboratories 360 Christie Street Toronto Ontario M6G 3C2 JT , _ 10 ee0 100 100 100 stat 101 101 101 1. Toth Toth