Plant Observation Report and Evaluation, Union Camp Corporation, Pulp and Paper Mills.

Anonymous

NIOSH 1980 May:39 pages

00179878

A visit was made to the Union Camp Corporation pulp and paper mill to familiarize the investigative team with the operation of a modern bleached kraft process integrated facility. The system was highly automated, and, although the facility employs 400 people, very few were seen except at monitoring and control rooms. With the exception of a few workers who were stationed around some of the papermaking machines, exposure for most workers appeared to result from the need for process adjustment or maintenance. The mill used about 9,000 tons of wood per day to produce over 1,800 tons of paper per day. Chemicals employed in the bleaching process included chlorine (7782505), sodium-hydroxide (1310732), chlorine-dioxide (10049044), and sodium-hypochlorite (7681529). Hazards also existed in the wood handling yard with truck and rail car operations, crane and barge operations, feeding of logs into barking drums, and the presence of overhead conveyors. Noise levels were estimated at up to 120 decibels-A. Respirators were not worn by personnel in the wood chipping and digester charging areas and some of the dust generated may be of respirable size. Heat stress appeared possible in the room with the papermaking machinery even though outside weather was moderate. Safety meetings were held regularly and fire protection was provided throughout the facility.

NIOSH-Contract; Contract-210-79-0091; Noise-exposure; Pulp-industry; Paper-manufacturing-industry; Paper-mills; Paper-milling; Heat-exposure; Dust-inhalation; Wood-dusts;

7782-50-5; 1310-73-2; 10049-04-4; 7681-52-9;

19800530

Contract;

1980

PB88-221304

A04

Contract-210-79-0091

Franklin Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland, NIOSH Contract No. 210-79-0091, 39 pages

MD;