Document kOwzQeXQXonGgb6g5QVm5LdD

736 LEON P. CURTISS however, it was not uncommon for applicants transferring from one dial-paiffiif plant to another to deny any previous experience because it might prejudice'll chances of securing the new job. Therefore, it is to the best interests of all-Sf cemed to require rigid medical examinations, including blood counts, ofJ prospective workers. In particular, those already suffering from anemia or leS penia, or showing symptoms of tuberculosis, should be rejected. In addition*! expired air should be tested for radon. If, after repeated and careful measureme! this exceeds the tolerance limit of 10-12 curie of radon per liter of expiree^ the applicant should not be employed in this work. General Procedures. Emphasis should be placed on cleanliness and nefDp on the part of all persons in the factory.- This must extend to every stage work and to all parts of the building occupied by dial painters. Carelessng personal habits of neatness, and much less in the handling of radioactive! pounds, cannot be condoned. A careless worker exposes fellow employees to unnecessarily and jeopardizes his own health as well. Great care should b$!tf to see that any radioactive substance accidentally spilled, whether on tiM table or on the floor, is immediately cleaned up and any waste disposed ip thoroughly safe manner. Workers should wear coveralls or smocks whi! workrooms and should keep these garments, as well as hands and hairjdf' radioactive material. No food or refreshments of any kind should be consul the workrooms, and smoking there should be prohibited. 'j?; Brushes. The most satisfactory method of applying radioactive paint seems to be by the.use of a small brush. Since tipping of brushes bvft! led to many of the early, fatalities, this procedure must be eliminated ehti||!| most careful scrutiny. Fortunately, the adhesives currently used requireSo. solvents of unpleasant odor and taste, thus reducing the tendency to pointi! by the lips. The use of bare fingers for this purpose is dangerous, also. On most satisfactory procedures for wiping and pointing brushes entails tht> small squares of cleaning tissue, which are discarded immediately after, containers reserved for this purpose. All such discarded material containing radioactive compounds^tn frequently and carefully collected and disposed of in such a way a constitute a hazard somewhere else, either inside or outside the plant..Lai|i| frequently return this waste to the manufacturer of the compound.-forar!*'' the radium. .. ... Supervision. One of the best safeguards that can be providedHfSrifi ^ tion of dial painters is a thoroughly experienced supervisor, famiharsniitj^rnJfi with the manufacturing process but also with the stages at which bazi^^m '- methods and procedures of their own, which may not be safe. It si duty of the supervisor to detect and prevent the continuance of an practices, as well as to instruct the employees in the hazardous-nittu material with which they work and in approved methods of proced ire RADIANT ENERGY 737 spections of employees for neatness and the presence of radioactive material on |||!shing or hands should be made by the supervisor. Inspection for luminous ainpound can best be made in a darkened room provided with an ultraviolet lamp Immoderate intensity. Even small particles are instantly detected by their uorescence. It is sometimes convenient to inspect floors and work tables for oattered luminous material by ultraviolet light, making the inspections at night jthe rooms cannot be completely darkened. ^Equipment. The utensils and equipment used by each dial painter must be gt neat, and should always be arranged in a definite and orderly -manner, igf.enient for the type of work in progress. No untidiness involving radioactive Jterials can be tolerated. The number of utensils and tools on each table should jfeduced to the minimum required for the work, and no articles extraneous to ||||j;work should be permitted on the work tables at any time. This refers to the &sonal effects of the worker, including purses, clothing, cosmetics, and so forth, fcjg-important that the surfaces of all tables on which radioactive compound is handled be smooth and impervious to the solvents used for the adhesive. Likewise, pmooth floors that can be cleaned readily by mopping should be provided. Dry peeping should be prohibited in work rooms. I Storage and Drying of Completed Work. Painted articles should be removed om the vicinity of the worktables frequently,, to prevent any considerable Jpumulation, which might produce a gamma-ray hazard. If these articles are Seed in drying racks, such racks should be enclosed and provided with sufficient echanical exhaust ventilation, at an exit port, to maintain an air inflow of at 75Tinear`feet"per minute'afaH'bther ports, and at all cracks when the cabinet plpsed. Cabinets containing 500 or more dials should be located at least three J$ distant from the permanent station of any worker. Finished dials may be fed on open shelves, if in a physically separated room supplied with ventilation mot less than 400 cubic feet per minute per thousand dials. Since dials in racks |nd, cabinets may be a source of overexposure to gamma radiation, the gamma-ray fnsity.in their vicinity should be checked by suitable .instruments,- andyworkmen j^uld; spend only the minimum required time in or near storage areas. Ventilation. Any operations that produce radioactive dust, such- as grinding Sscraping surfaces, where radioactive luminous compound has-been; applied, H|uld. be ayoid.ed^as. far as possible. .Hhe^e.sjich .prpcedure?>ia^q.iBP.cessaiy,,;the Ssatipn^iHpuld'b.e enclosed ~ancTprotected by"ventilation "designed"toTprbhiibit Hfescape of respirable particles. Where any considerable amount of radium luminous compqun$lis,,app!ied, the Concentration of radon in the air will soon exceed permissible airfpunts j .therefore, r-n.f=fnrced-vfint.i1at,iom:iaieRSRntiftl. Tn present, plants this -ventilftt.ion has ej|i accomplished in two ways, both effective if properly installed and. operated. gme use general room ventilation adequate to keep radon concentrations bejpw ol'erance. Others rely on individual hoods placed over each worktable. and con noted to an exhaust system. A combination of the two is also used because ihe