For the following research paper assignment, you have been asked to perform an evaluation of employee exposures at a small automobile parts manufacturing facility. The manufacturing processes include two metal presses, two machining stations, three welding stations, a small paint booth, and a shipping/receiving area. There are two employees working at each press, one person working at each machining station, one person working at each welding station, two people working in the paint booth, and four employees working in the shipping/receiving area. One of the presses is a 2,000-ton press, and the other press is a 200-ton press. The 2,000-ton press is the greatest noise source for the facility. The machining area uses a metal working fluid. The safety data sheet (SDS) for the metal working fluid is attached here. All welding is performed on stainless steel. The painting booth uses a powder coating operation, but the employees use xylene and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) to clean the parts prior to the powder coating operation. At the end of the shift, one of the employees uses 1,3 butadiene to clean the nozzles for the paint booth. The facility uses two electric forklifts to move materials between the production area and the storage warehouse and between the warehouse and the shipping area. All employees work an 8-hour shift.

Part 1: Using the information on anticipation and control we studied in the textbook, identify the hazards that are present in the facility. In your discussion, explain why you chose the hazards, and describe whether you believe the hazards to be actual hazards or potential hazards (which require further evaluation). Describe the specific location(s) at the facility where the hazards are located, and determine how many employees are potentially at risk in those areas. Your response for Part 1 should be at least one page in length.

Part 2: Using the information on evaluation that we studied in the textbook, summarize how you would measure the personal exposures to the hazards that you identified in Part 1. Use the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website (https://www.osha.gov/dts/sltc/methods/toc.html) or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) website (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2003-154/default.html) to select the specific sampling and analytical method that would work best to evaluate any chemical hazards you identified. Provide a summary of the sampling media you would use, include the sampling flow rate, discuss how long you would sample, and explain how you would calibrate the sampling train. Include a discussion about why you selected the specific sampling and analytical method.

Part 3: Access the attached sampling results here. For each set of results, perform the following actions: Calculate the 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) exposure. Compare the results to the appropriate OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL). Determine which results exceed an established OSHA PEL. Write a one-page summary of the sampling results; document the exposures that exceeded an OSHA PEL, and identify those areas that you believe will require the application of controls to reduce risk. Include your calculations, include a list of the OSHA PELs you compared the results to, and explain how you decided that an exposure exceeded an OSHA PEL.

 

Employee Position Analyte Sample Time Sample Result 1 Machining Mineral oil mist 480 minutes 1.1 mg/m3 2 Machining Mineral oil mist 480 minutes 0.9 mg/m3 3 Welding Cleaning Hexavalent chromium 360 minutes 120 minutes 8.5 µg/m3 0.5 µg/m3 4 Welding Cleaning Hexavalent chromium 300 minutes 180 minutes 10.0 µg/m3 0.2 µg/m3 5 Paint Booth Xylene MEK 480 minutes 24 ppm 60 ppm 6 Paint Booth/Cleaning Nozzles 1,3 butadiene 15 minutes 6.0 ppm

Noise Dosimetry Data

Employee Position Sample Time Sample Result 1 Setting up parts for press Operating 2,000-ton press Clean-up 60 minutes 400 minutes 20 minutes 82.0 dBA 100 dBA 80.0 dBA 2 Setting up parts for press Operating 200-ton press Clean-up 30 minutes 430 minutes 20 minutes 80.0 dBA 89.0 dBA 80.0 dBA 3 Machining 480 minutes 85.5 dBA 4 Paint Booth 480 minutes 80.5 dBA 5 Shipping/Receiving/Forklift Driver 480 minutes 82.0 dBA

Part 4: Using OSHA’s hierarchy of controls, recommend the control methods that you believe would be the most effective for reducing the risks associated with the exposures that exceeded the OSHA PEL above. Explain how you would implement the controls and how you would evaluate the effectiveness of the controls. Also, discuss any interim control methods you would recommend for the facility. This section should be at least one page in length. Include a reference page and in-text citations for all sources you used in this project, including your textbook, using proper APA format.