Document j4JpaZe74ba6rEg0g3ywrkEQ

FILE NAME: National Safety Council (NSC) DATE: 1977 DOC#: NSC502 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Industrial Supervisor Article - Protect Their Lungs From Asbestos EVER get the feeling that your department is in the doldrums? Do you get the idea that your operation is not progressing as it should--that production is not improving as you'd like? Perhaps a thoughtful reappraisal of your management methods' held over from the techniques of decades ago, may reveal spots in your pattern that need refurbishing. You can find lots of valuable help in such an effort if you'll take advantage of the excellent talent all around you--your crew! If you have encouraged- their cooperation; and have inspired their wholehearted dedication to the job, they will' have many excellent ideas for improvement. As a break from such serious problems, why don't you try for a lit tle fun--and profit--by finding a clever finishing line for the in complete limerick above. Be sure to m e a post card (no envelope), giving your name, address, firm name and position. You may win $10, or one of 15 $1 runner-up prizes. Remember: NO ENVELOPE! Mall your card b efore August 20 to INDUSTRIAL SUPERVISOR, National Safety Council, 44 4 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611 U.S.A. W inners will re- . calve prizes by mall and will be listed! In our O ctober Issue. /No o th e r en trie s will b e a c - : knowledged. No duplicate prizes shall be aw arded. In c a s e o f ties, early postm ark will win. Decision of judges will b e final. A pril lim erick Wlmmeirs 7 7 . _ ,, ,, . _ 3804 Winner of the $10 top prize in our April safety iimerick contest was Debbie Brehun, secretary for the West Penn Power Co., Loyalhanna Division, ra Latrobe, PA, who com pleted the verse in this manner: If y o u 're drow sy w h ile driving, ta k e ten. And resum e your safe trip o n ly when You're aw ake and alert, So no one w ill get hurt. We would all Ilka to see you again! Fifteen winners of 11 runner-up pnres wore A. V. Angove, admin, assi., St Louts Ship- Sl Louis, MO; J o s e P. Bernardo, supvr., social responsibility, Victorian Milling Co., Vicmtco, Negros Occidental, Philippines; W1 L D reeszen, Info. &. security mgr., Ames Laboratory, USERDA, Ames, IA; Ron Tremblay, bldg, inspector, City of Salinas, KS; N ancy E. M cLean, recpL, General Refractories Co-, Warren, OH; M. FL Troupe, Thiokol Corp., Huntsville, AL; Kathryn E. Vauthrln, cleric-typist, City Health Dept, San A nlonb, TX; L ee T. Sau n d ers, sr. sal. engr., Georgia Power Co., Macon, GA; J o a n n e Rutherford, T/M, Burwood Products Con Traverse City, Ml; Alan Brahro, 'line supvr.. Hallmark Cards, Overland Park, KS; Barbara DeMars, reports jissl, Rochester Telephone Corp_, Rochester, NY; Ja m e s T. Orrell,. jrnymn. metefman, Arkansas Power & Light Co,, Hot. Springs, AR; Helen MOler, admin, svc. clerk, Federal Aviation Administration, Reno, NV; J o a n M. S tab ler, area dk-> Omaha Public power District, Humboldt, NE, and Bradley H. Rahn, elk, Michigan Cons. Gas Co-, Aim Arbor, Ml. 131.03-077 By Jean Spencer Felton, M.D. M edical Director Long Beach N aval Shipyard LONG considered safe and prot tecting, asbestos is now viewed as a material extremely hazardous to the worker. Although known for centuries, and having served as an important substance in our econo my for nearly a century, medical science has learned in recent decades of the harmful effects of this valuable industrial commodity. Asbestos has had well over 3,000 useful applications, some of which have been seen in building siding, brake linings, insulation, safety cur tains, filter cloths, bench tops, and spackling compounds. Considerable quantities, in ap propriate mixtures, have been sprayed into plenum spaces and onto ceilings as a fire protectant in modern construction. Serious exposure has been en countered among occupants of these structures, among workers at the time of demolition o f buildings, and among personnel involved in the ripout of insulation or ceiling covers in dormitories, schools, ships, and public office housing. C hem ically, asb esto s is a crystalline, hydrated mineral silicate made up of fibers of high tensile strength and various lengths which are flexible and long lasting, with the unique characteristics of fire arid heat resistance. Its worth lies in its ability to cut energy loss, to mini 12 INDUSTRIAL SUPERVISOR fo r JULY. 1077 mize heat stress of workers in hot workrooms, and to protect person nel from thermal burns. Mined primarily in Canada, the United States, Russia, and Africa, it goes under a variety of names, de pending upon type, such as amosite, crocidolite, chrysotile, and iremoIite, among others. Observers in ancient Greece and Rome described a sickness of the lungs of slaves whose work was the weaving of asbestos into cloth. But it was only in this century that re search pinpointed the real dangers to humans and identified the dis eases connected with its use. Scarred Lung Tissue The primary condition resulting from work with asbestos and the in halation of its fibers is asbestosis, a scarring of the lung tissue. This change may follow brief exposure or may not appear until many years after first work contact. The first sign seen- in x-rays of the chest usually is a thickening of the pleura, the thin, smooth, well-lubri cated lining of the chest cavity. When the fibers cause changes in the lungs, these alterations are seen most frequently in the lowest parts of the lungs. The scarring that re sults is called fibrosis and it lessens the ability of oxygen to pass from the air inhaled into the lungs to the circulating blood. After many years, there is a gradually increasing short ness of breath, even with mild exer tion. Smoking hastens the develop ment and severity of asbestosis. A second illness that follows the breathing in of asbestos fibers is cancer of the lung, a possibility definitely increased by smoking. The third disorder is a rare tumor, called m esotheliom a, a cancer which develops in the lining of either the chest cavity or the abdo men. While identified years ago as a malignant growth, it was only after going back into medical records that it was found related to the inhala tion of asbestos fibers. Usually, it follows exposure to the crocidolite variety rather than to the others used in industry. Lastly, cancer of the digestive tract, stomach, rectum, or colon has been found to occur more frequent ly in asbestos workers than in other persons of the same age and sex, but who are in different occupations. A time connection between expo sure to asbestos dust and disease on set has been roughly established as follows: Asbestosis, 10 - 20 years; Lung Cancer. 1 5 -2 5 years; Meso thelioma, 20 - 45 years. One must remember that there is this latent period, or time delay, be fore changes develop. Implied in this fact is the great need for preven tion. Several measures can be taken to elim inate the disease changes;Wherever possible, asbestos should be eliminated from the work proc ess. In a few situations only, no satisfactory substitute has been found that can resist a high level of heat. Fibrous glass has replaced asbestos in many uses, and research is going on now to determine the safety of this material. Particularly during ripout pro- . cedures, the insulation being re moved should be wetted down so that no fibers will be free to be in haled. All removed material must be placed in plastic bags, labelled, INDUSTRIAL SUPERVISOR to r JULY. 1977 13 and sealed for removal to safe dts- environmental measurement to be posal areas for burial. Exhaust ven-r utilized by industrial hygienists, tilation in the form of sucker lines Records of sampling, examinations, and collectors must be used. Under and related activities are mandatory, no circumstances should streams of in no other area of human conser- air be used to blow the dust away. vation does the supervisor have .^-'-'^greater responsibility than in .the prevention of asbestos-related dis- eases. He or she must be familiar with the health hazards of the asbes tos fiber and the asbestos content, if any, of the work materials. The supervisor must ask for engi neering controls when they are indi Protective clothing must be worn. cated--must seek alternative work Disposable coveralls are available. If substances if they are available-- work clothes are used, they must be must ascertain that wet methods are laundered by the employer, and utilized for dust control, and must under no circumstances should they educate all employees in the .safe be worn home, because the gar work practices required for asbestos ments can contaminate one's resi handling. Further, it is necessary to dence and create a hazard for other determine not only that respiratory members of the family. Cases of protection is available but is used. disease have been reported in adults The supervisor is responsible also who, as children, were exposed to for determining that employees their parents' dusty work clothing. keep appointments for medical ex Most important is the use of aminations, and that they know .of respiratory protection in the form of what is found following both envi self-contained air supply units, air- ronmental and clinical monitoring. supplied masks or hoods, or less If disease is suspected in old timers, valuable, as disposable face respira the supervisor must arrange" for tors. All areas where asbestos fiber their examination, and if retirement is present in the air must be iden is the answer to job-caused disabili tified by signs. ty, should know the steps needed The Williams-Steiger Occupa- for filing a work injury claim, and tional Safety and Health Act o f 1970 the applications required for the called for health .standards "to~EF particular retirement systems in issued by the Secretary of Labor, volved. and the Asbestos Standard was the In short, the supervisor must be first promulgated. Medical require thoroughly familiar with asbestos ments are built into the standard, and enforce the use of all precau which call for periodic physical ex tions. He or she should not be guilty aminations, including chest x-rays of sacrificing workers to the ravages and lung function studies. Also pro of the work disease of "White vided are the levels of fibers allowed Lung" and its extremely serious in workroom air and the kinds of complications. 4 14 INDUSTRIAL SUPERVISOR for JULY, 1977 H ouston B elt & T erm inal R ailw ay Company Houston, Texas IS your attitude showing? Maybe you've heard someone ask the question in jest; but seriously now, just how important is your attitude? Did you know that your inner at titude affects your appearance, your health, the way you conduct your business--and even causes similar attitudes or adverse reactions among your family, friends and coworkers? The term "ill feelings" toward someone or som ething is ap propriately named. It is a sick at titude, one that does more physical harm to oneself than it does to the object of inner wrath. And it is even more damaging when it is vented upon one's work ing environment: the occupation, the industry, or the supervision and fellow employees. Taking the "healthy" attitude is so much better. People are easier- to work with, the job is more tolerable, if not enjoyable, because of the sense of accomplishment it offers; and as the quality of your work im proves, so does the "health" of your company and industry. Success is the product of people thinking together, in a team effort, that success is their common goal. Each and every employee, from the chief executive on down, has as much at stake in the company as anyone else. If he fails, the company fails. I f the company fails, all are out of livelihood. There can be no failure where success is the attitude, and every em ployee relates the company's suc cess to his own. Take an interest in your com pany's affairs and place in the com munity. Don't perpetuate rumors about the company or its em ployees. Take as much interest in your company as a stockholder would, because your fortunes are as directly related to the company's well-being as his are. And take your good attitude home with you. Spread it around your family and community.' Say positive things rather'than griping--., about your work. Where would/'; you--or they--be without it? \ Think about it!! ' INDUSTRIAL SUPERVISOR lor JULY. 1977 ... ...is*-.-,