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Walkthrough Survey of Hitco, in Gardena, California.

Dement-JM; Bierbaum-PJ

NIOSH 1975 Aug:13 pages

00106229

Worker exposure to glass fibers was surveyed at HITCO (SIC-3231) in Gardena, California on July 19, 1973. About 750 persons were employed in three shifts. Medical facilties provided first aid and emergency treatment. During the day shift, a nurse was on duty. Workers were given pre-employment examinations but no chest X-rays or pulmonary function tests were included. Product inspectors were given periodic eye examinations. The factory had a safety engineer, a safety program, and a personal protection program. Four personal air samples were collected on membrane filters for determining exposures to glass fibers by an optical count. Concentrations ranged from 2.1 to 24.4 fibers per milliliter. The authors conclude that a glass fiber health hazard existed. They recommend that exposure be kept to an absolute minimum; the use of engineering controls; appropriate work practices including local exhaust ventilation; provision for respiratory protection and initiation of medical surveillance programs for workers exposed to glass fibers.

NIOSH-Author; NIOSH-Survey; Field-Study; Glass-products; Region-9; Workplace-studies; Health-services; Occupational-health-programs; Air-sampling; Airborne-fibers; Industrial-hygiene; Control-methods; Air-contamination; IWS-35-23;

19750830

1975

PB81-225336

A03

IWS-35-23

DFSCI;

3231;

NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio, Environmental Investigations Branch, Division of Field Studies and Clinical Investigations, Cincinnati, Ohio, 13 pages, 14 references

CA; OH;