Notices to Readers
NIOSH Alerts on Workplace Hazards:Exposure to Chlorofluorocarbon
113 and Electrocution of Workers Using Portable Metal Ladders
Near Overhead Power Lines
CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) recently published two new Alerts* on workplace hazards
that cause death and serious injury to workers. The topics of the
Alerts are prevention of death from excessive exposure to
chlorofluorocarbon 113 (CFC-113) (1) and prevention of
electrocutions of workers using portable metal ladders near
overhead power lines (2).
Request for Assistance in Preventing Death from Excessive
Exposure to Chlorofluorocarbon 113 (CFC-113) (1). Workers exposed
to CFC-113 or other chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in confined spaces
or areas with insufficient ventilation are at risk of death from
cardiac arrhythmia or asphyxiation. The chemical name for CFC-113
is 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane, but it is also known by
trade names** such as Freon 113, Genetron 113, Halocarbon 113, or
Refrigerant 113. CFCs are most commonly used as refrigerants,
propellants, degreasers, fire extinguishers, deicers, agents for
cleaning electronic equipment, and agents for preparing frozen
tissue for histopathologic examination. According to the 1977
National Occupational Hazard Survey by NIOSH, an estimated
300,000 workers are potentially exposed to CFC-113.
This Alert describes 12 worker deaths since 1983 that resulted
from exposure to CFC-113 in confined spaces or areas with
insufficient ventilation. All deaths were attributed to cardiac
arrhythmia, asphyxiation, or both. The 12 workers were apparently
unaware that CFC-113 might generate vapor concentrations
sufficient to cause death.
The Alert provides six recommendations for controlling CFC-113
and other CFCs in the workplace: hazard awareness, training,
engineering controls, hazards in confined spaces, medical
considerations, and personal protection equipment. Editors of
appropriate trade journals, members of health and safety
organizations, and others responsible for the safety and health
of workers who use CFC-113 or other CFCs are requested to bring
these recommendations to the attention of those who use these
products and those who supervise the use of these products.
Adherence to the recommendations should reduce the risk to these
workers.
Request for Assistance in Preventing Electrocutions of Workers
Using Portable Metal Ladders Near Overhead Power Lines (2).
Contact between portable metal ladders and overhead power lines
causes serious and often fatal injuries to workers in the United
States. During 1980-1985, 4% of all work-related electrocutions
resulted from metal ladders contacting overhead power lines. This
Alert describes six deaths that occurred because portable
aluminum ladders, which are electrical conductors, contacted
energized overhead power lines. If nonconductive ladders had been
used, or if safe working clearances had been maintained, these
deaths might have been prevented.
Portable metal ladders are widely used in many industries, and
specific Occupational Safety and Health Administration
regulations govern their use. These regulations should be
implemented and enforced by every employer, manager, supervisor,
and worker in operations that use portable metal ladders. Trade
journal editors, safety and health officials, and other persons
(especially those in the construction trades) are requested to
bring the recommendations in this Alert to the attention of
contractors and workers.
Reported by: Div of Standards Development and Technology
Transfer, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
CDC.
References
NIOSH. NIOSH alert: request for assistance in preventing death
from excessive exposure to chlorofluorocarbon 113 (CFC-113).
Cincinnati, Ohio: US Department of Heath and Human Services,
Public Health Service, CDC, 1989; DHHS publication no.
(NIOSH)89-109.
NIOSH. NIOSH alert: request for assistance in preventing
electrocutions of workers using portable metal ladders near
overhead power lines. Cincinnati, Ohio: US Department of Heath
and Human Services, Public Health Service, CDC, 1989; DHHS
publication no. (NIOSH)89-110.
*Single copies are available without charge from the Information
Dissemination Section, DSDTT, National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health, CDC, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio
45226; telephone (513) 533-8287.
**Use of trade names is for identification only and does not
imply endorsement by the Public Health Service or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.
Disclaimer
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**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to mmwrq@cdc.gov.
