Document pyyVbgoGQpyE2kkRxp4VNJ97

Industrial Safety Subject Sessions sort. Tlic most admissible role that such equipment fills is to protect persons against occasional or even regularly recurring ex posures of short duration. The first might be at times of unforeseen mechanical break downs; the second, during periodic but brief cleanup or maintenance jobs. Personal pro tective devices clearly do not control a con taminant ; they merely protect a person against ovcrcxposurcs. To require a person to wear a respirator during his whole shift, day after day, is unreasonable, and an ad mission of failure on the part of the oc cupational health engineer. For protection against dusts, fumes and gases, only those respirators should be sup plied that arc approved under the appro priate testing schedule of the U. S. Bureau of Mines. A procedure must be followed for issuing, cleaning, and servicing them regularly; this often is planned jointly by the nurse and safety engineer, although the day-to-day finger work may be assigned to others. For intermittent protection against radiant heat, reflective aluminized clothing can be bought. Such garments need special care to preserve their essential shiny surface. Air cooled jackets and suits may be had to make endurable a high convective heat load. Leadbearing materials arc available to protect against ionizing radiation. Film badges, dose meters, etc., must also be used regularly to show the person's exposure has been within safe limits. Protection against noise-induced hearing impairment, either as ear plugs or muffs, may often present especial difficulties. First, as with air contaminants, the real answer, is to reduce the noise exposure. But in plants with old machines and processes, and even in new plants, this problem may loom as insoluble. It may be overwhelmingly costly to lower the noise. So we end by making car protection mandatory. A fair number of companies arc doing this today, and prob ably more should. It's not a comforting solu tion to wear plugs 8-hours a day, year in and year out, especially when heat makes a person hot and sweaty. Blit the protection is worth it -- and too often there's no other answer. Good housekeeping plays a key role in occupational health protection. Basically, it is another tool in addition to those already listed for preventing dispersion of danger ous contaminants. Dust on overhead ledges and on the floor can readily lie dispersed to the in-plant atmosphere by traffic, vibra tion, and random air currents. Housekeeping is always important; where there arc toxic materials, it's paramount. Proper training and education arc supple ments to the engineering controls. Here, the nurse and safety engineer sometimes can be key figures. Perhaps by getting a workman, for example, to change his manner of weigh ing a toxic material, or of handling a scoop or shovel, there will be no dust exposure. The plant that can avoid costly engineering controls merely by doing the job differently is fortunate, and in some industries this will work. But the opportunity doesn't come along very often. Finally, where can a plant that doesn't have a full-time safety director, or nurse, get help in controlling its health hazards? Many insurance companies carrying work men's compensation insurance provide indus trial hygiene service, in a similar way to their providing periodic safety inspections. Where this exists, a plant can get much good from it. Private consultants in environmental health arc available in most parts of the country. These may be individuals or firms. One or ganization supported by industrial compa nies is the Industrial Hygiene Foundation, Pittsburgh. 1. Accident Prevention Manttal, 6th cil. (1966) National Safety Council, 426 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois G06U 2. American Industrial Hygiene Association, 14126 Prevost, Detroit, Michigan 48227 3. American Conference of Governmental In dustrial Hygienists, Committee on Indus trial Ventilation, P. 0. Box 463, Lansing, Michigan 149