Document q3jjyEqLpwJEX5NZyj6b3moQM

/Qa-t*- J /i U.A-.-ffietJ ^ tuPf-f- o 3 D. A. WHITFIELD MATERIALS AND STANDARDS SECTION PITTSBURGH OFFICE - 3 WPH memorandum -- Cx. --<efm, ; Soi O ' ** * * ** & t S)c*m IT< 1981-11-17 *" /*e AV. /-#s - OC RE: ENGINEERING STANDARD ON REMOVAL OF REFRACTORY LINING IN ALUMINUM FURNACES--ENGINEERING STANDARD 26.1.7 The attached standard is the result of comments received for precautions necessary on the removal of refractory containing asbestos or phosphate bonding. Please review and return by 1981-12-15 with any comments you may have regarding this standard. D. A. WHITFIELD Mechanical Engineering Division DAW:bh Attachments fX 14:;-f IBB r= ^ y-'!i i `J.i-' &J> <_C Vic. ?VAS 0. J cc: E. E. Rumberger/T. B. Bonney - AB 6 J. R. Stemler/A. B. McKee - A.TC J. Damiano - ATC S. Anderson - AB 6 R. C. Holtz - 3 WPH S -*y c,a<g Jce.^0 2."2.'. V ,i i" c ' tC5 W/ttrcd. P 2.2 A *7 jA -- ty JtldkA. /> C a <<5 ^ V ^ SA-J a/* *** I / tJ Sf'cessarp.' 7^1- a-c ras..^ o., * J . t / t* t*V m. .1 / A* O*" ' lAt' C ^ J `Alf. eJt Aft. Ae* Av iiits. ZT<i ^ ^ ^ /> // /i^- ?i, / 7^ 7^j j Jn.* A 7^ . Qe/^ tm/S" Kl Co ~ -/C* ^*j. SA<. At* * f~A ,, 7%'SA C s"-<-A fAKc^ct. 0*yiC /o-ci-y, **'yy e *-/< fe'if'*- ^ ^- -JU 4L~o~~ Is A A 9 i ALCOA Engineering Standard Materials and Standards Section* Pittsburgh REMOVAL OF REFRACTORY LININGS IN ALUMINUM MELTING AND HOLDING FURNACES 26.1,7 PAGE 1 o f the methods, processes, products or procedures described or senlstions, express or implied are made as to the u tility or effectiveness fo r any recipient other than Alcoa. No warranties, guarantees or repre- cloang Alcoa' approach, and is not intended to be a recommendation This engineering standsrd is provided solely fo r the purpose o f dis-_______________recommended herein.___________ pany o f America or Its subsidiaries, w ithout permission. in whole or in part, or used on behalt o f othen than Alum inum Com- and must be relumed on request. It shall not be reproduced or copied, T ho ituidan) n (he property o f Alum inum Company o f America 1. SCOPE This standard covers precautions necessary hen removing the refractory lining materials from melting and holding furnaces. The pre cautions cover a) Phosphate bonded refractory materials ano b) Asbestos containing refrac tory materials. Portions of this standard are .taken from OSHA 1910.1001. Refer to AIcobn Huj-ui duuc=s*ss*+*i*,>08ta Sheet No. AO for Asbestos and No. 213 f/r Phosphine. 2. PHOSPHATE BONDED REPRACTORY.. jp * 2.1 Ceneral. There have been/several dra matic incidents wherein Alcoa i mployees en gaged In dismantling furnaces fave been ex posed to phosphine. Thesm etposures have been associated with the use < f phosphatebonded alumina refractories. Pfosphate bond ed refractory material is comminly found in melting and holding furnaces apd ladles. The phosphine problem was first ''it uuyiil "tmmut absent ten during the repair of a DV-JB hearth that had failed prematurely. In order to minimize the dust generation that accompanies dismantling work and to expedite the disin tegration of the reacted brick, the workers wet down the floor of the furnace. Their use of the Jackhammers brought unexpected re sults. Striking the 0V-3B hearth with a Jackhammer produced minor firecracker-like explosions. Small matchlike flames continued to burn in the ares where the exploslbns had occurred. Although an odor was noted, it was interpreted as being the usuel acetylene-type that is noted frequently during brick re moval. Subsequently, similar Incidents were reported. Because the generated gases were spontaneously flammable, phosphine was sus pected early, and it eventually was positive ly identified. exhalation, moist bresth does not contact the dust collected on the filters and generate phosphine gas. If the refractory contains asbestos, aodltlonsl precautions may be nec essary. (Reference Section 3) . -_ iffx *.<4--nt t*w.fcr/yi>v wf ft* f for some reai^on one of these furnaces is wetted'down, A will be necessary for the Works lndustr/al Hygienist to sample the working area 'Tu Iiuwmi ,tr,nt ttwie eie IRT Her at ITU us euweant rat tun* -gf pmupiiina.. If there Is sny need for a person to enter a contami nated area (l.e., where the pnosphine (PH3) concentration is above the 0.3 ppm Tlv) he will require personal protection, such as a gas mask respirator with a canister approved for phosphine (color coded as yellow with an orange stripe around the bottom), an airline respirator, or a self-contained breathing ap paratus, depending on the concentration of phosphine. 1 <> Moisture in the air can release phosphine from stored reacted brick following its re moval from a furnace. Therefore it should not be stored in a confined place, especially If employees work in the area./ffif tfeee we am; cor.eetag gtmut the safety y--tne -are-e it Pyrotechnics have also been reported during tne removal of brick that contains no phos phate. Therefore, the presence of fireworks is not positive proof of the presence of pnosphine. On the other hsnd, if explosions and flaming occur, the Work's industrial hy gienist, with the eld of a detector tube, should determine whether or not phosphine is present. 2.2 Removal of Refractory.^^The removal of pnospnate-bonoeo refractory materials should be done In the dry condition. All respirat ors should be N10SH approved. The selection of appropriate respiratory protection*, beatas (float--respii gtorT--powered--ale I purify lag------ratpi FBter-i anppUM aiTmto-J--Hivulu m betid--an--ttva conoeWt-eoUsns &f. eatiertei piteant. It should be neted that the 3m 9906 respirator is not apafoved for protection against asbestos. The .respirators should be equipped with valves y&o that, on The refractory gradu ally loses Its reactivity when it is exposed to air. ^fhe presenc preclmble In casloi\ to ' 11ie .fa Engineering Standard ALCOA Materials and Standards Section -Pittsburgh REMOVAL OF REFRACTORY LININGS IN ALUMINUM MELTING AND HOLDING FURNACES 26 L7 PAGE 2 2.3 Phosphine Gas. Phosphine Is colorless gss with an odor described as like that or garlic, decayed Hsh, or onions. The symptoms of acute phosphine poisoning re ported include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, thirst, sensation of pressure in the chest, back pains, dyspnea, feeling of coldness, and supor or attacks of fainting. Reference Alcoa Material Safety Data Sheet No. 213 for complete health and safety Information, and proper precautions. 3. ASBESTOS CONTAINING REFRACTORIES 3.1 General. Most of the furnace equipment presently In service in our Ingot Plants was designed, fabricated and/or purchased during an era when most of the best Insulating and refractory lining materials contained asbes tos. Many of these pieces of equipment have ; recently been rellned with asbestos free ma terials, but some still have the asbestos containing materials in place. Relining, re modeling, or even scrapping these Items re- ' quires special procedures to prevent asbestos ! exposure of either the worker or of non-ln- volved employees. ^ Employee /exposure to asbestop shall be main tained below the OSHA cccteria: 2.0 fibers/cc,7at an 8 hour tine-weighted average, and 10.O' Tibers/cc as a celling limit. (Ref- erence^iaaewfue -Material PQata Sheet #40 for additional information.) 3.2 Outside Contractors. It is imperative that an outside contractor know he is dealing with asbestos. It is recommended that a copy | of this standard and a copy of Alcoa Material I Safety Data Sheet No. 40 (asbestos) be ln- ! eluded with either the specifications or the i order, as well as verbally calling the con- \ tractor's attention to the hazard. ; The works Industrial Hygienist should monitor ; nearby Alcoa work stations during the demo j lition to Insure that Alcoa employees are not overexposed to asbestos. ! Alcoa has no direct liability under the as: bestos section of OSHA 1910.1001 for the con tractor employees while the contractor is de molishing the furnace. The contractor should be required to furnish approved respiratory equipment and special clothing for his em ployees as noted in OSHA 1910.1001(c)(2)(ill). 3.3 Removal Procedures. Initial site preperation involves taking precautions to contain entrained asbestos fibers to the immediate work area. In the case of a melting furnace or holding furnace, a total enclosure made of plastic sheeting is recommended if feasible. M It hu be erected in such a manner that It can be dismantled, when the old lining has been removed, so that all the dust Is con tained. Attaching plastic to the Inside of a lumber frame will allow for easy removal and dlsposalln approved containers. The size of the enclosure must be large enough to contain the power equipment, a hlgn efficiency vacuum cleaner, and several 53 gallon specially marked steel drums. Employees engaged in the removal or demoli tion of structures or equipment covered or Insulated with asbestos, shall be provided with respiratory equipment and with special clothing. 3.3.1 Respirators. The works Inoustrial Hygienist shall prescribe appropriate respir atory protection to assure that asbestos ex posures are below the limits prescribed in 3.1. Based upon previous Industrial hygiene sampling of exposures duMng removal of re fractory linings, a properly fitted dust res pirator will generally provide a sufficiently high protection factor. 3.3.2 Clothing. Disposable coveralls, gloves, hair covering (under the hard hats) and respirators approved for asbestos shall be worn at all times when work is In progress in the enclosure. The coveralls are to be taped at the ankles and wrists. All Disposa ble clothing is to be removed and dlscaroed each time a workman leaves the work area. Shoes must be wiped with a damp rag or vac uumed so that the area outside the enclosure is not contaminated. Before leaving the con taminated area for any reason, the workmen shall vacuum the protective clothing, remove the head covering, unzip the coveralls and carefully peel them off, with gloves and shoe coverings remaining attached. The respirator is removed last. The disposable clothing and used filter cartridges shall be disposed of in plastic bags, appropriately labeled for asbestos waste. Respirators shall be cleaned and sanitized at the end of every shift, workers must wash all skin surfaces that have been exposed to asbestos before eating, drinking, smoking or leaving work. No smok ing or eating is permitted while in the en closure. I I , | Should there be phosphate containing refrac tories, the use of water as a dust suppres sant is not permitted (see Section 2). Hydraulically driven hammers or Jack hammers equipped with exhausts exiting outside of the dusty area should be used for removing the refractory lining. Removal of the asbestos containing insulation is best done with pry bars having a vacuum nozzle running contlnuously at the breakaway point. This material shall be bagged as it is removed rather than permitting it to pile up for cleanup at a later time. The objective for doing this carefully and effectively is to minimize entralnment of dust and potential employee ex- posures to esbestos. < 1 > i 1 !  Engineering Standard 261i7 ALCOA Materials and Standards Section* Pittsburgh REMOVAL OF REFRACTORY LININGS IN ALUMINUM MELTING AND HOLDING FURNACES page 3 ns, tee Caution signs shall be provided and displayed at each location where removal of refractory linings containing asbestos Is In progress. f! s: as ^ jf 8 J SSjs I _ c a iE = s is8 fill u_ u ic ?.* Cleanup and Disposal. The cleanup of the enclosed area after the lining materials have all been placed in the properly marked containers must be thorough. The Inside of the plastic enclosure, the furnace shell, both the Inside and outside surfaces that could be dusty, and finally the floor must be cleaned wlthLthe apaelal >na eisewen ; Khen this Is | all completed, the plastic sheeting can be taken down, continuously . folding the contaminated side to the Inside, and placed in i drum for disposal. The disposal af all asbestos containing waste material as will as contaminated material re quires speclajl procedures. `Asbestos contain ing insulation, contaminated refractory rub ble, the used disposable clothing, loose ma terial picked up with the vacuum cleaner, wiping rags, and finally the plastic enclos ure sheeting shall be packaged In plastic bags and then placed In sealed containers. Caution labels shall be affixed to all scrap, waste, debris, and other products containing asbestos, or to their containers. All plas tic bags and sealed steel drums shall be af fixed with labels that read; CAUTION CONTAINS ASBESTOS FIBERS BREATHING ASBESTOS DUST MAY CAUSE SERIOUS BODILY HARM These drums must then be disposed of In an approved land fill. " 9 > 13 <;:]