Document jyazvpdGQ0D4vQEZ62kpOZ6ep

Washington, D C. 20004 202-737-6330 " Organization Resources LUd Counselor^ Inc May 25, 1984 Dor Ice t Officer Socket No. I1-033C Room S-6212 C.S. Department of Labor Third Street and Constitution Ave., Washington, D.C. 20210 N.W. In Re: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (49 FR 14116) Occupational Exposure to Asbestos. Dear Sir or Madam: On Tuesday, April 10, 1984, 0SKA published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) on Occupational Exposure to Asbestos. The NPR requested data and comments on OSHA's proposed revisions to its Asbestos Standard 1910.1001. Organization Resources Counselors, Inc., (ORC) sponsors an Occupa tional Safety and Health Group which is composed of about 60 companies from a. wide range of industries and with employment size ranging from medium to large. All of these companies have a strong commitment to employee safety and health. The members of the Group work with ORC on OSHA rulemaking activities and other aspects of employee safety and health. Although this statement was prepared it< consultation with member companies, the views it presents are solely the responsibility of ORC. Independent comments may be submitted by ORC member companies. O-.C commends OSHA's action in undertaking the revision of 1910.1001. Such a revision is long overdue, because many provisions of the nresent standard ao not reflect the increased understanding of tne oiuea.se process associated with asbestos or the range of actions thif can te undertaken to control potential exposure to it. OHC, recognising the need to impose stricter controls on employee exposure \o asbestos, developed and submitted to OSHA on June 6, 19S3 a R-. commended Revision of 1910.1001. H C EIV E P JUN 1 3 1934 N. W. GAINES UCC 017421 Docket Officer May 25. 1984 Page 2 It is widely recognized that exposure to asbestos fibers can be a significant source of risk to American workers. There is no known threshold for "safe" exposure to asbestos, and there are many studies that amply document the nature of the risk associated with exposure to asbestos fibers. Recognizing the necessity to closely control employee exposure to asbestos, we must also recognize that much of the disease that we are seeing today is the result of exposures that took place 30-40 years ago. Much has changed in the industrial environment since 1944, and our understanding of the disease process has improved dramatically. As our understanding of the risk presented by exposure to asbestos fibers has grown, the use of asbestos containing products and the concomitant exposure to it have dropped sharply. The use of improved respiratory protective equipment, coupled with prudent administrative and work-practice controls, has reduced the actual exposure of the great majority of American workers to levels approaching the limits of reliable detection. As OSHA makes much needed revisions to its Asbestos Standard, it must recognize that the new standard will be applied to conditions of exposure existing in 1984 not 1944. OSHA's revised Asbestos Standard will be applied to reduce exposures that in a majority of rases are already below 0.5 fibers per cubic centimeter of'air. Thus, calculations of benefit and risk must be based on studies '.hirh reflect today' s exposures not yesterday's! In its revised Recommendations For Revision of 1910.1001 (May 25, 1984) ORC is recommending two permissible concentrations cf asbestos fibers: (1) Permissible Airborne Concentration: (PAC) Intended to regulate ambient concentrations of airborne asbestos on the worksite to 0.5 f/cc, or less. (2) Permissible Exposure Limit: (PEL) Intended to regulate actual employee exposures to asbestos fibers, (fibers inhaled into the lungs), to 0.2 f/cc. In the accompanying material, ORC has submitted a modified version of its riecommended Revision of 1910.1001 along with comments and additional data concerning key elements of any asbestos standard. UCC 017422 Pocket Officer May 25, 1984 Page 3 It is our hope that these comments and the accompanying data will prove to be useful, and we would be happy to answer any questions ycu may have concerning our submission. 5incerely, President 7 3:1 fc.j UCC 017423 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION OS HA'S NPR A Disappointment...................................................... .1 The Need For Latitude.............................................................................. 1 A Factual Misunderstanding.......................................................... 1 Regulatory Outlook For Asbestos.................................................... 2 Major Sources of Occupational Exposure.................... 3 What Needs To Be Done............... .3 A Practical Compromise.................... 3 Permissible Concentrations................................................................. 4 ORC's Intent......................................................................................................4 A Problem of Definitions.................................. *.................................4 PERMISSIBLE AIRBORNE CONCENTRATIONS AND PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE LIMITS.................................................................... 5 Permissible Airborne Concentration...........................................5 Permissible Exposure Limit................................................................ 5 A Practical Distinction............................................ PRACTICAL METHODS TO CONTROL ASBESTOS EXPOSURES............................................................................................................................. 6 Results Possible With A Good Program......................................... 8 Dealing With Contractors. ............................................................... ...8 Shipbuilding and Repairing............................................................ 9 Integrated Safety and Health Programs......................................10 Engineering Controls May Be Difficult..................................... 10 Short Term Jobs Most Common............................................................... 11 The Difficulty of Control.................................................................... 11 MON I TORING ASBESTOS REMOVAL............................................................................ 11 Constant Monitoring Not Required...-....................................11 DISCUSSION OF THE RISK AT 0.5 Fibers/cc. ......................................... 12 Factors Affecting Risk Estimates.................................................13 Nature of Early Studies.......................................................... 13 Studies Done in Asbestos Industry.................... .....13 Few Studies At Low Exposures.......................................... 13 Many Exposures Not Measured................................................ 13 Cumulative Dose................................................. .......................... 13 Excessively High Numbers Used............... 14 Sampling And Analytical Problems................................14 No Allowance For Fiber Type and Industry............. 15 Lack Of Smoking History.......................................................... 16 6 Org.)rtlA)!l< .11 (v '.< >;if( C" ( OUnx'ltX'IlK . 1331 Prnn.NKjruu Avrnuo. fs U V\ J.hir pon D C. 2COO-: UCC 017424 table of contents 2- - A USEFUL RISK ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE FOR ASBESTOS EXPOSURE............... 16 RESPIRATORY PROTECTION......................................................................................... .17 ORC Recommendations For Respirator Use.........................................17 Discussion of Permissible Airborne Concentration........18 Discussion of Permissible Exposure Limit....................................18 PRC Recommended Respirator Requirements.........................18 x^-tmx's of Compliance............... ...19 Respirator Programs................. ................... ............................................. .21 CPC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A STANDARD CONTROLLING '?! USF OF RESPIRATORS WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION...................................... 21 Stcpe. .................... ..-.21 u.jjcc tive.................. ...21 remissible Practice and Responsibility................................... ...21 Employer Responsibility.. -.................................................................... ...22 Employee Responsibility............... ...22 S t a r< d rd Operating Procedures..............................................................23 Program Administration..................................................................... .23 Respirator Selection & Issue.......................................................23 Respirator Fit-testing.................................................................... ..25 Training................................................... .......26 Respirator Maintenance & Inspection................................... ..27 Xork Area Surveillance.................................................................... ..28 Health Evaluation...................................................................................... 28 Air Quality. ................................................................................................................29 f'Aspirator Use in IDLH Atmospheres....................................................... 30 oi F o I C AL 3 V H V EI LL AN CER ECO M MEN D A TI ON S....................................................31 liseussion Of ORC Medical Surveillance Rmomnejiaati on s.................................................................................................................33 's AXV ORC COMMENTS............................................................................................................ 36 . - . f /c. ............ .................................................................................................................................. 38 >! l Kt >( ;t.fi t > C (>un.A`K Xs,ll K. 1331 fVnm\ I. imj Awnur. N V\ UCC 017425 VI j Sini;i<>n D C . TOOi'l table of contents -3- APPENDICES "Estimating The Risk From Exposure To Asbestos" Howard E. Ayer. "Asbestos Removal", Carl D. Richardson. "Techniques For Asbestos Analysis: Understanding The Froblem," Graham W. Gibbs. "Asbestos Removal In The Petrochemical Industry" T.E. Kupferer. "Working With Asbestos Containing Materials, And The Use of Respirators To Protect Against Asbestos Fibers," Norman A. Beddows. "Asbestos Removal Techniques In The Paper Industry" E. A. Pinzer. "Respirator Health Evaluation Questionnaire," ORC "Comments on OSHA NPR for Asbestos", Joseph F. Stelluto. A B C D E F G H O >n Resources (.'ouny.'lcxs.lix. Ur. Pi-nrmk.inia Ax<-nuo. K\\. Washington. D C. 200<U UCC 017426