Controls through personal protection

Primary prevention pertains to actions that are taken before disease develops. The first line of defense against toxin-induced disease is the recognition that specific exposures are hazardous this distinction is based on either prior human experience or experimental evidence. Recognized hazards may then be eliminated from the environment through substitution, through engineering controls, or through personal protective equipment. 

Again when the measures in Table 5.22 do not prevent, or provide adequate control of exposure there is a requirement to provide suitable personal protective equipment to accomplish it. This includes respiratory protection, protective clothing generally, footwear and eye protection which, in the UK, complies with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992. All routes of exposure, e.g. inhalation, ingestion, absorption through the skin or contact with the skin, must be considered. 

However, the practical options for managing exposures through the use of personal protective equipment or engineering controls are considerably more... 

As per OSHA, workers exposure to 2-acetyl-aminofluorene is to be controlled through the required use of engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment, including respirators. Identified as an occupational carcinogen without establishing a permissible exposure limit. NIOSH considers 2-acetylaminofluorene to be a potential occupational carcinogen. NIOSH usually recommends that occupational exposures to carcinogens be limited to the lowest feasible concentration. 

Unlike many other industrial operations, the batch nature of paint manufacturing necessitates a flexibility of worker and equipment. Such flexibility means that workers Cannot always be adequately protected through the use of engineering and administrative controls. Therefore, some degree of personal protective equipment is needed. 

However, the paint manufacturer, through measurement of airborne levels of the specific material, has determined that the material is controlled well below recommended or required airborne levels. Thus some regulated airborne levels are in compliance, or judged of a low hazard potential and there is no need for the use of a dust respirator. Therefore, the appropriate protective equipment would be gloves, safety glasses and synthetic apron. This corresponds with a personal protective designation of "C". A manufacturer would then put C" on the element. This is known as the "derived personal protective equipment." NPCA would like to remind paint manufacturers that the needs of different work sites within a plant will vary. Personal protection equipment assignments should be determined by the specific needs of a plant or work site rather than the establishment of one company wide standard. 

Are adequate and appropriate controls for chemical hazards identified through the hazard analysis Are adequate controls identified for all chemical hazards Are engineered controls preferred over administrative controls Are administrative controls preferred over personal protective equipment Are passive controls preferred over active controls ... 

DOE O 440.1A, sec. 4(j)(4). 29CFR1910.120(g)(l) 29CFR1910.134(a) 29CFR1910.1450(i) 4.1.1.3 Hazard controls shall be selected using the following hierarchy (1) Elimination of the hazard through practices such as chemical substitution or process modification (2) Engineering controls (3) Work practices and administrative controls and (4) Personal protective equipment... 

Procedures for safe work which are understood and followed, as a result of training, positive reinforcement, and, if necessary, enforcement through a clearly communicated disciplinary system Provision of personal protective equipment and Administrative controls, such as reducing the duration of exposure. 

Your employer must tell you if there is a significant hazard from diesel exhaust fumes at your jobsite. It must also attempt to control exposures through the use of engineering controls and administrative procedures if exposure levels exceed OSHA hmits. If those control measmes do not reduce exposures to below the allowable limits, then yom employer must provide appropriate personal protective equipment, such as respirators. 

If workers must enter the contaminated or hazardous process area, they may need protective clothing and breathing equipment. If workers must enter the hazardous area frequently, a control room may not be the best solution. A problem is making sure workers put on personal protective equipment each time they enter the hazardous area. They may need to go through decontamination before reentering the control room. 

Many ways to control hazards have been used over the years but usually these can be broken down into five primary approaches. The preferred ways to do this are through engineering controls, awareness devices, predetermined safe work practices, and administrative controls. When these controls are not feasible or do not provide sufficient protection, an alternative or supplementary method of protection is to provide workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) and the know-how to use it properly. 

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