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Do you think a health hazard exists in your
workplace? Do any of the following stories resemble situations at your
workplace?
- A factory worker was feeling numbness and tingling in her fingers.
She learned that three coworkers had the same problem, and two had headaches
while at work but not over the weekend. Some workers said the air at
work smelled bad. Their supervisor noticed the smell but didn’t
think it was anything to worry about.
 A
manager noticed that employees in one work area had more skin rashes
in the past year than the year before. He wanted to know why, but didn’t
know what to do.
- A work crew was putting cement tiles on a roof. They were working
outside, but the air seemed dusty. The saws used to cut the tiles were
noisy. Someone told them that this work was dangerous and they should
have it checked out.
At no cost to employers or employees, or their representatives, the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) program may be able to help with problems like these. This site lets you know about the program and how to ask for NIOSH help. It also has links to reports from thousands of HHEs done by NIOSH.
Environmental and Biological Assessment of Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure Among Casino Dealers
Las Vegas, Nevada
Health Hazard Evaluations: HETA 2005-0076 (Bally's and Paris) and HETA 2005-0201 (Caesars Palace)
Why was NIOSH investigating?
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received confidential requests for health hazard evaluations at Bally’s, Paris, and Caesars Palace casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. The requests concerned prolonged exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. NIOSH investigators measured environmental tobacco smoke exposure and surveyed casino employees about health symptoms. They conducted site visits in July 2005, August 2005, and January 2006. Specifically, NIOSH interviewed non-poker casino dealers about symptoms that may have been related to environmental tobacco smoke, and collected air samples and urine samples to see if components of environmental tobacco smoke were absorbed into their bodies. NIOSH surveyed non-poker casino dealers and casino office staff about their work, medical problems and symptoms.
What did NIOSH find and recommend?
Evidence of workplace exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was demonstrated by a measurable increase of a biological marker (NNAL), which is a known lung carcinogen, over a work shift in non-poker casino dealers. NIOSH also found components of environmental tobacco smoke in the air of the three casinos, and in the urine of non-poker dealers, showing that these components were absorbed into their bodies. Non-poker casino dealers reported higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms than administrative and engineering workers who were not exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at work, but these differences were not statistically significant. The casinos should institute a casino-wide no smoking policy, offer a smoking cessation program for their employees, and assure that ventilation systems are working properly.
The final report is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2005-0201-3080.pdf.
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Learn More About the HHE Program
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Page last modified: May 6, 2009
Page last reviewed: February 12, 2009
Content Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
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