Air Quality Testing (?)

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Permalink Reply by John Astad on December 16, 2009 at 7:41am

Check out the Linkedin combustible dust group. You'll find many ongoing discussion that will help answer your questions.

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Permalink Reply by HRinDallas on December 17, 2009 at 8:14am

Thank you for the feedback.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Burzynski on December 17, 2009 at 8:49am

Remember too that just because OSHA doesn't require it doesn't mean you can't go above and beyond to preserve the safety and health of your workers.

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Permalink Reply by HRinDallas on December 17, 2009 at 9:03am

Very much agreed!

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Permalink Reply by Michael Moore on December 28, 2009 at 2:02pm

It would be a good practices to start testing the quality of your employees air they are working. Review your MSDS for TWA for an 8 hour exposure.
The 8-hour TWA PEL is defined in the Federal Register, Vol. 57, No. 114, June 12 1992, pps 26539, 26556, 26572, 26573 and 26590 as follows:
"TWA is the employee's average airborne exposure in any 8-hour work shift of a 40-hour work week which shall not be exceeded."
The 8-hour TWA PEL is the level of exposure established as the highest level of exposure an employee may be exposed to without incurring the risk of adverse health effects. This should not be confused with short term exposure limits (STELs) or peaks. Therefore, your interpretation #1 comes closest to OSHA's definition of an 8-hour TWA PEL. OSHA would be justified in issuing a citation when personal air sampling indicates employee exposure to be in excess of the PEL on the day sampled.

It is well established by the industrial hygiene profession that a workplace survey should be conducted in a facility to determine the potential for exposure(s) in excess of established exposure levels such as the PEL and TLV's. This survey must include job tasks and the potential created for the exposure by these tasks over all operational shifts as well as the potential for increased exposure(s) as a result of production/work demands. The industrial hygiene survey will allow the employer to establish which shift(s), process(es), etc. need to be sampled in order to acquire a representative sampling of employee exposure. Good industrial hygiene practice dictates that significant changes in the work process would call for additional personal air monitoring thus acquiring revised data which will be representative of employee exposure(s).


Don't forget the standards on "combustible dust particles".

OSHA PEL
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 15 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m(3)) of air for the total dust and 5 mg/m(3) for the respirable fraction of wood dust, all soft and hardwoods, except western red cedar (as a nuisance dust) [29 CFR 1910. 1000, Table Z-3].
* NIOSH REL
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has established a recommended exposure limit (REL) for wood dust, all soft and hardwoods, except western red cedar of 1 mg/m(3) as a TWA for up to a 10-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek [NIOSH 1992].
* ACGIH TLV
The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has assigned wood dust, all soft and hardwoods, except western red cedar a threshold limit value (TLV) of 1 mg/m(3) for certain hardwoods, such as beech and oak, and 5 mg/m(3) for soft wood, as TWAs for a normal 8-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek and a short-term exposure limit (STEL) of 10 mg/m(3) for soft wood, for periods not to exceed 15 minutes. Exposures at the STEL concentration should not be repeated more than four times a day and should be separated by intervals of at least 60 minutes [ACGIH 1994, p. 36].
* Rationale for Limits
The NIOSH limit is based on the risk of pulmonary dysfunction and respiratory effects [NIOSH 1992].

The ACGIH limits are based on the risk of impaired nasal mucociliary function, potential nasal adenocarcinoma, and related hyperplasias (1 mg/m(3) TWA for hardwoods), and dermatitis and upper respiratory tract disease (for softwoods) [ACGIH 1991, pp. 1729-1730].

This is the fianl whipping Stick that OSHA would need to go after employer: Each employer --


(1) shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees;

(2) shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act.

29 USC 654
(b) Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct.

Let me know if this helps.

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Permalink Reply by Kelley Pettigrew on December 29, 2009 at 2:56pm

Denise,

In our facility we test the AQC every 2 years. We have a welding bay that is sectioned off from our main shop and we have installed fume extraction units in the welding bay to ensure minimal exposure to our welders. In Canada we are legislated provincially and Occupatinal Health and Safety Determines the allowed occupational Limits for an 8 hour period.

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