Document pRVodgEOx92QXDjv0aq5D6Jw

FILE NAME Corning OC DATE 1970 Oct 13 DOC OC253 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Memo & Report - Respirator Program at Bloomington Plant to K. O. Preston - Bloomington subject CHEMBEST RESPIRATOR PROGRAM company correspondence from Gerald E. Devitt - Toledo 11 C date * October 13 1970 CC H. F. Janecek - Bloomington aw J. L. Konzen M.D. - Toledo 11 F. ON Brisley - Toledo 12 J. J. Young - Toledo 12 Attached is a copy of the suggested respirator program As I'm sure you are aware we look upon this as a temporary measure until positive engineering and process controls can be installed If there are any questions or we can further assist you do not hesitate to contact us Gerald E. Devitt Chief Industrial Hygienist GED Attachment 1202 re I 217 | RESPIRATOR PROGRAM BLOOMINGTON PLANT 3 ~- Your because of employees respirator program is the types of exposure fundamentally against which divided you are into two areas protecting your The urethane operation west of the tracks is to be protected against by the use of nusiance type respirators of which you have already received samples Although these units are advertised as single service many firms use them for longer periods of time and the dust exposures in these areas of your plant should permit this activity Essentially we are suggesting that these units be issued on a as needed basis and several days service should be gotten from them This should aid the cost picture greatly It must be pointed out that these 3M against toxic materials such as asbestos be confined to protection against nuisance the foam area masks are essentially useless and therefore their use must dust such as those found in The program in the foam area should basically consist of informing the supervisors and employees as to the need for the use of these respirators until such time as the proper engineering controls can be installed Then once this respirator program is installed enforcement should be done by the line supervisors Employees resistance towards these masks should be minimal as the masks are light relatively comfortable and easy to breathe through Since these units are disposable maintenance is essentially existence The respirators and program for use in the asbestos operation is more complex than those for the foam program _t is necessary that the employees using these units be both informed and impressed with the need for the proper use and maintenance of these respirators Before each day's use the rubber parts such as the elastic straps should be checked to see that they are pliable and in good condition The valve of the respirator should be examined and the entire unit should be tested for tightness Filters should be examined and replaced as necessary In making a decision as to the need for the replacement of filters the amount of resistance to breathing through the device when it is actually put on in normal air is probably the best indication of all Mechanical filters such as those in the Dustflo respirator recommended that do not offer excessive resistance to air flow and are obviously intact may be considered to at least retain their original efficiency and in some cases to have improved and therefore do not need replacing Each day as the respirator is used by the individual employee to whom it has been assigned the unit where it contacts the face should be washed with warm water and soap If such a used unit is to be reissued to another employee then it should be sterilized Several commercially available solutions are available for this purpose However care must be exercised that the sterilizing or disinfecting solution choosen does not damage any parts of the respirator It should be pointed out to the employee when he is first issued this respirator that in order to be effective in its protective capacity the unit must be worn tightly fitted against the face They should be informed that if the respirator fits too loosely and air gaps are allowed to exist then this RESPIRATOR PROGRAM - BLOOMINGTON PLANT -2- respirator will actually increase the hazard to the employee trap some of the asbestos fibers and almost insure that they be inhaled by the worker as it will will ultimately We would also suggest that one member of plant supervision or management be held responsible for the basic operation and issuance of these respirators As part of this duty the respirator supervisor should see that each employee who has been issued such a unit is given a clean dry location which is relatively dust free and not in direct sunlight for the storage of the individual's respirator Also each employee should be issued his own respirator and by the same token he should be held accountable for this unit as long as working in operations which require respiratory protection Certainly part of this respirator program is the instruction to the wearer to insure that he is aware of the purpose use and care of this personal protective equipment which has been issued to him and the fact that he has a real responsibility for his own good to maintain this unit in good and operable condition Additional aid for such a respirator program should be forthcoming from the supplier of these units By the same token if Medical Services can further assist you we would be happy to do so fN% 1001 1001 16 Mem, @ " 219