To protect the worker's wellbeing, there is need to develop effective and efficient strategies for hazard control. Notably, the control strategies are barely cost efficient especially in the short run. Measuring workplace exposure is vital in evaluating the possible health risks and potential measures that can be taken to reduce the impact. In developing efficient hygiene strategies, it is necessary to carry out data collection to gather all relevant information to determine the level of exposure (Topping, 2002). Both area and personal monitoring should be conducted in coming up with a valid mitigation strategy. The goal of this case study is to develop an industrial hygiene sampling strategy for a furniture refinishing company.
Contaminants in sample
Methylated chloride: This is a colorless and volatile liquid with a chloroform-like odor used in various industries as paint remover, metal cleaning, and paint screening. Employees are exposed through inhalation and skin contact. According to OSHA, when people are exposed to this chemical over a short-term duration, they suffer from mental confusion, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Long-term exposure leads to irritation of respiratory tract.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Xylenes: this chemical is mainly used as a solvent in industrial works. Xylenes are released into the air as emissions from industries. Exposure to this substance can be through ingestion, inhalation and skin and eye contact. The main effect Xylene is vomiting, nausea, dizziness and headache. Another contaminant is 2-Butoxyethanol an organic solvent which is clear and colorless. It is used in a variety of products such as paints, herbicides and solvents. The exposure limit set by Occupational Safety and Health Administration is for the solvent is 50 parts per million parts of air (50ppm). Human exposure to high concentration of this chemical leads to headache, eyes and nose irritation and vomiting. Notably, if orally consumed, it leads to low blood pressure, breathing problems, acidity in the body and even coma if taken in large amounts. Continued exposure to the chemical causes liver and kidney problems. Lastly, the last contaminant to analyze should be Ethyl benzenea chemical used as a solvent in industrial works. Exposure to ethylbenzene causes respiratory problems such as chest constriction, dizziness, and eyes and throat irritation (Ramachandran, 2008).
Sampling methods
Various sampling methods can be used while developing an effective industrial hygiene strategy. Among sampling methods used are air, water, and surface dust sampling techniques. In air sampling, samples of airborne particles are collected using membrane filters for forensic investigations. Water sampling involves the collection of water samples using plastic bottles from which particulate suspensions are characterized. Lastly, surface dust sampling is used to determine the chemical composition of the particles. Methods used include scrapping, tapping and scooping. Once the particles are collected, microscopy equipment is used to carry out the analysis (Ramachandran, 2008).
In conducting an effective work place investigation, two main monitoring equipments are used. Firstly, occupational health and safety monitoring equipment is used to asses, evaluate and characterize working sites as well as indoor environments by measuring humidity and temperature. Secondly, respiratory fit equipment is used to qualitatively and quantitatively test the integrity of respiratory tract. It is of paramount importance to note that, industrial hygiene strategy development demands one to know the facts (Heederik, Henneberger and Redlich, 2012).
Besides health hazard analysis, it is also essential to carry out environmental hazard analysis. This entails the analysis of the environmental impacts of the chemicals used in furniture refinishing company. For instance, 2-Butoxyethanol is highly biodegradable in water implying that it may have severe effects on marine organisms. Moreover, the release of these chemicals into the atmosphere leads to air pollution. Therefore, in an industrial analysis, it is vital to undertake a detailed analysis of the environmental impacts (Kromhout, 2002).
Personal monitoring is an exercise carried out by employers to determine the level at which employees are exposed to hazardous materials. The process is quantitative and measures hazard through sampling (Nieuwenhuijsen, 2015). The furniture refinishing company has a total of 13 workers (five workers in paint and stripping, four in sanding and four in staining and varnishing sectors). Therefore, in carrying out personal monitoring in this company, purposive sampling technique can be used to select individuals from the three sectors. To get a representative sample, simple sampling technique can be used to get samples from the three areas. However, since the number of workers is small, all the thirteen employees should be included in the sample. In carrying out the sampling, hygienist can either use screening or compliance sampling. The main difference between the two is that, compliance sampling allows for a selection of sample without necessarily removing any element from sample space. Most importantly, the technique is cost-effective. On the other hand, screening sampling is used for large populations. This procedure may not be cost-effective. Therefore, it is recommendable to use compliance sampling since the aim of the company is to be cost-effective.
References
Heederik, D., Henneberger, P. K., & Redlich, C. A. (2012). Primary prevention: exposure reduction, skin exposure, and respiratory protection. European Respiratory Review , 21 (124), 112-124.
Kromhout, H. (2002). Design of measurement strategies for workplace exposures. Occupational and environmental medicine , 59 (5), 349-354
Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J. (Ed.). (2015). Exposure assessment in environmental epidemiology . Oxford University Press, USA.
Ramachandran, G. (2008). Toward better exposure assessment strategies—the new NIOSH initiative. Annals of occupational hygiene , 52 (5), 297-301.
Topping, M. (2002). Design of measurement strategies for workplace exposures. Occupational and environmental medicine , 59 (11), 788-789.
