ANALYZE THE HAZARDS

09 Jun ANALYZE THE HAZARDS

Unit VIII Project

Read the background and scenario descriptions in Sections I and II of the instructions. Prepare a paper addressing each

of the subsections of Section III. Make sure you read each section completely and carefully before preparing your paper.

I.

Background

Acme International has a small manufacturing shop that includes two welding stations and a separate paint room. Two

welders produce small components for automobiles using stainless steel and MIG welding. After grinding has been

performed in the welding bays, the parts are painted in the paint room. The only ventilation present is a ceiling fan in each

room that is used for general dilution ventilation.

Note: Because of specifications from their cli

ent, substitution is not a viable control method for either the welding or

painting operations.

An industrial hygienist (IH) recently conducted air monitoring at the facility. In the welding bays, the IH conducted initial

monitoring with a personal sample

collected on each welder and analyzed for hexavalent chromium (Cr

+6

). The results

showed that time weighted average (TWA) exposures were 6.2 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m

3

) and 6.6 μg/m

3

. The

OSHA TWA PEL is 5 μg/m

3

with an action level of 2.5 μg/m

3

.

MOS 5201, Safety Engineering

3

The paint area uses primer and paint containing benzene, ethyl benzene, toluene, and xylene. Workers in the area also

use acetone on rags to clean surfaces. One employee was sampled for the entire work shift. A second employee was

sampled for 15 minutes (S

TEL sample) while cleaning with the acetone and for 15 minutes (STEL sample) while mixing

the primer and paint. The table below summarizes the results of the sampling, along with the applicable permissible

exposure limits (PELs) established by OSHA and the

guidelines (threshold limit values or TLVs) published by the

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (AGGIH).

Table 1

Analyte

Sample

Type

Analytical

Results

OSHA PEL

ACGIH TLV

TWA

STEL

TWA

STEL

Benzene

TWA

STEL

12 ppm

25 ppm

1 ppm

5 ppm

0.5 ppm

2.5 ppm

Ethyl Benzene

TWA

STEL

20 ppm

35 ppm

100 ppm

NE

20 ppm

NE

Toluene

TWA

STEL

15 ppm

30 ppm

200 ppm

500 ppm

(10 min.)

20 ppm

NE

Xylene

TWA

STEL

24 ppm

36 ppm

100 ppm

NE

100 ppm

150 ppm

Acetone

TWA

STEL

14 ppm

124 ppm

1000 ppm

NE

200 ppm

500 ppm

ppm = parts per million

NE = None Established

II.

The Scenario

You have been hired by Acme International to evaluate the work areas, recommend controls, design the controls, and

install the controls.

III.

Assignment

1.

Analyze the hazards

in both areas of the facility using one of the methods described in Chapter 3 of the

textbook. You should identify at least two hazards in each area (welding and painting).

2.

Perform a risk assessment on at least two hazards in each area using the 4X4 matrix

in Table 17

–

3 of the

textbook.

3.

Prioritize the need for controls for the hazards you selected based on the results of the risk assessment.

4.

Using the hierarchy of engineering controls listed on page 420 of the textbook, recommend a control

method for each hazard that you believe would be the most effective in reducing risk to an acceptable level.

Use the 4X4 matrix to show the reduction in risk for each hazard.

Note: At least one control method must be

a local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system.

5.

For the LEV, specify the hood configuration, a recommended capture velocity, and a recommendation for

treatment of the exhaust stream. Explain why you made the choices and support your decisions with at least one reference other than the text.

6.

Discuss how Prevention through Design could be used to reduce the risks associated with these operations

if you were hired to design a new facility performing these same activities from scratch.

Prepare your paper in a properly formatted APA document, including a title page, a brief abstract section, the body of the

paper, and a reference page. The body of your paper must be a minimum of four pages in length and double

–

spaced (title

page, abstract, and reference page do not count toward the four

–

page minimum). You must use your textbook and at least

one other source.