The Work Environment

Another regulatory agency that works closely with the chemical processing industry is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Three groups were created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 OSH A, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 

It is important to discuss the work environment that a process technician will be asked to perform in. Each chemical plant or refinery is a city within a city that has its own political structure and living environment. This includes the equipment, systems, processes, and people that are unique to the industry. 

The chemical processing industry operates with a variety of work shifts that include 8- andl 2-hour rotating shifts. Some smaller facilities shut down over the weekend or even at night however, the most common work schedule is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Process technicians work in an all-weather work environment that is, they must complete work assignments during a variety of weather conditions. 

The lifeblood of modern society is found in petroleum products. Cars, planes, trains, ships, and farm equipment all require petroleum products to operate. Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons that vary in molecular structure and weight. Modern manufacturers separate these components through the distillation process. 

In 1859, Edwin L. Drake began drilling for oil near Titusville, Pennsylvania. Almost immediately, Drake s well produced oil, and this success encouraged other oil drillers to set down wells. In 1860, the first refinery was built by William Abbott and William Barnsdall at Oil Creek. Their batch operation produced gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, and bottom residuum. 

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We are sure that with this system we have developed a powerful tool to eliminate the shortcomings of manual inspection as discussed in the beginning of the article. We are also sure that this automatised test is not suitable in all applications. However, where there are many details to be tested and where these can be handled automatically, we think AMPl may be a competetive alternative which improves both the quality of inspection and the working environment. 

Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances in the Work Environment Adopted by ACGIH for 1985—86," American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1985. 

For chemical faciUties in the United States, hazard analysis is not an option if inventories of hazardous chemicals are maintained in amounts greater than the threshold quantities specified by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation 1910.119. Many faciUties are finding that hazard analysis has many benefits. The process or procedure often works better, the quaUty of the product is improved, the process experiences less down time, and the employees feel more comfortable in the work environment after a hazard analysis has been completed. 

The TLV is set at 0.1 ppm (hydraziae) 0.2 ppm (MMH) and 0.5 ppm (UDMH). The TLV is weU below the olfactory limit of 3—5 ppm (hydraziae). The latter does aot provide adequate warning when exposure exceeds the TLV therefore, monitoring the working environment by suitable means and providing adequate ventilation is necessary. 

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Threshold Eimit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents in the Work Environment with Intended Changes for 1993 —1994, ACGIH, 1991, P.O. Box 1937, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45201. 

Health and Safety. Petroleum and oxygenate formulas are either flammable or combustible. Flammables must be used in facUities that meet requirements for ha2ardous locations. Soak tanks and other equipment used in the removing process must meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for use with flammable Hquids. Adequate ventilation that meets the exposure level for the major ingredient must be attained. The work environment can be monitored by active air sampling and analysis of charcoal tubes. 

Threshold Timit Values for Chemical Substance in the Work Environment Adopted bjACGIHfor 1983—1984, American Conference of Governmental Hygienists, 1983. 

International Symposium on Man-made Mineral Fibers ia the Working Environment," Copenhagen, Denmark, Oct. 28—29, 1986, Occup. Hjg. 31, 4B (1987). 

A gas chromatographic determination of benzotrichloride and related compounds ia the work environment, after adsorption on a polymeric adsorbant and desorption with CCl has been reported (61). Trace amounts of benzyl chloride, benzal chloride, and benzotrichloride ia environmental samples can be analyzed by Method 8120 of EPA ManualSW-846 with modifications (62). 

Ethyl alcohol is a flammable Hquid requiring a red label by the DOT and Coast Guard shipping classifications its flash point is 14°C (Tag, closed cup). Vapor concentrations between 3.3 and 19.0% by volume in air are explosive. Liquid ethyl alcohol can react vigorously with oxidi2ing materials. Ethyl alcohol has found wide appHcation in industry, and experience shows that it is not a serious industrial poison (273—275). If proper ventilation of the work environment is maintained, there is Httle likelihood that inhalation of the vapor will be ha2ardous. 

In general, the risk of human error ean he redueed hy properly designing the equipment, proeedures, and the work environment and hy proper staffing, training, and implementation of management eontrols. 

Proper design of equipment, procedures and the work environment can greatly reduce the probability of human error. Designing and maintaining operating procedures is a challenge for batch systems because of the multiplicity of procedures for each piece of equipment, and the variety of operations within... 

Bulk Samples Bulk samples must be submitted for all silica analyses. They have two purposes (1) For laboratory use only, to confirm the presence of quartz or cristobalite in respirable samples, or to assess the presence of other substances that may interfer in the analysis of respirable samples. (2) To determine the approximate percentage of quartz (or cristobalite) in the bulk sample. A bulk sample submitted "for laboratory use only" must be representative of the airborne free silica content of the work environment sampled otherwise it will be of no value. The order of preference for an evaluation is ... 

Injury and occupational illness severity. Those jobs that have involved serious incidents. There may be a basic problem in the work environment or in the job performance itself... 

Determination and assessment of the risks of hazardous chemical agents requires knowledge of, among other things, the nature of the agents, the type and duration of the exposure, the gravity of risk, and the criteria chosen for the OEL. The purpose is to make quantitative measurements of the work environment in order to compare the exposure with the limit value by means of an independent scientific assessment using the best available scientific methodol-... 

Nowadays many companies have adopted a policy of continuous improvement of working conditions. Therefore, it is desirable to create target levels for those who want to pursue more efficient control by applying the best available control technologies. There are also endeavors to create optimal working conditions in order to improve the performance and the innovativeness of a staff, and hence enhance productivity. A series of laboratory and case studies show that employee productivity is higher when the work environment is appropriate for the tasks being done.- Such efforts are typical in the advanced sector of industry. One can say that there is a transition from blue-collar to white-collar work. ... 

Knowledge of the process or operation and contaminant sources is essential before ventilation systems can be selected and designed. Contaminant sources affecting the working environment may be external, associated with the elements of HVAC systems, or internal. 

Burgess, W. A., M. J. Ellenbecker, and R. D. Treitman. 1989. Ventilation for Control of the Work Environment. John Wiley. Sons, New York. 

The company must decide the air quality target values for breathing zones in the work environment after discussion with industrial hygienists and ventilation engineers. 

Using formalized risk assessment techniques for industrial ventilation projects may complicate the issue more than necessary. The work environment and its exposure conditions are the focus. However, when evaluating new technology, including waste management, the risk assessment approach may be valuable. 

Zone, trapped air Any area in the working environment in which the air movement is inadequate to remove the pollutants generated within the space. 

The working environment may need to be controlled, not for the benefit of the staff but to achieve the required characteristics. To achieve high performance from electronic components, particle and chemical contamination has to be minimized during fabrication and assembly. For these and many other reasons, the production environment may need to be controlled. If these conditions apply you should ... 

One aspect often overlooked in carrying out audits is the working environment. The working environment becomes important when it can affect the product - such as cleanliness in the microelectronics and coatings industries. 

The scope of the working environment should not be limited to manufacturing areas but include the working environment in the marketing, design, purchasing, quality assur-... 

Healtli issues, most importantly, conttuninants in tlie workplace, have become OSHA s primary concern. Healtli haztu-ds are comple.v and difficult to define. Because of this, OSHA has been slow to implement healtli standards. To be complete, each standard requires medical surveillance, record keeping, monitoring, and physical reviews. On the other side of the ledger, safety hazards are aspects of the work environment tliat are e. pected to cause deatli or serious physical harm immediately or before tlie imminence of such danger can be eliminated. 

Is the work environment monitored, as required under the COSHH Regulations, to ensure that there is no hazard from, for example, toxic contaminants ... 

In recent years the realisation of the danger to health from the presence of unreacted formaldehyde monomer in the working environment has led to the development of resins having very low free formaldehyde content, less than 0.5% instead of the usual 2-3%. This produces resins that are safer and less unpleasant to work with, though the solvent blend itself, xylene and butanol, has a very pronounced odour. 

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