For this assignment, you will take the data you calculated in Units II through VI and prepare a final report. Your report will be addressed to Mr. John Smith, the plant manager for Acme Automotive Parts (AAP). Your report must include the following sections:

Introduction – This section should summarize the operations at the plant and why the industrial hygiene sampling is being performed.
Hazard Assessment – This section should identify the health hazards that you identified for each area at the facility.
Sampling Plan – This section will summarize the sampling that you performed. Include the types of samples you collected and the NIOSH or OSHA sampling/analytical methods you used.
Sample Results – This section will include the results from the sampling that you calculated. You can present the results in a tabular form or an equivalent method as long as the results are clearly displayed. Your results should include samples’ locations, names of employees who were sampled (make the names up), sample times (start, finish, and total times), volumes, and results in the proper units.
Evaluation of Sample Results – In this section, you should compare the sample results to existing occupational exposure limits (OELs). You can use OSHA permissible exposure limits (PELs) or other guidelines—just make sure to explain why you chose the OELs you used. You should also state whether the resulting risks are acceptable or unacceptable and the requirements for control methods.
Recommendations – Here you will summarize the control methods you recommend that the plant implement. Include all engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE) you believe are necessary. Do not forget to include recommendations for PPE during the time it will take to implement the other controls. For respiratory protection, you must specify the level of protection (type respirator) and the types of any cartridges that would be required. Do not forget to list any written programs that you believe the plant will need.
Future Needs – Complete your report by including any recommendations for additional IH sampling you believe are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the controls that you recommended.
Your final report must be a minimum of three pages in length, not including title and reference pages. You must use at least two references. The textbook may be used as one reference. All citations and in-text citations must be formatted according to APA standards.

ANSWER

Summarization of Operations

Gary Harris

Columbia Southern University

MOS 6301 Advanced Industrial Hygiene

Dr. William Pate

09/15/2020

To,

Mr. John Smith, Plant Manager

Introduction

The primary role and activities conducted in the Acme Automotive Parts Plants (AAP) were investigating the plant’s compliance with the OSHA standards. This was accomplished through thorough site evaluation of the plant and specific areas such as the welding station, metal works, and the paint booth. The aim was to identify potential sources of workplace hazard including materials, working conditions, operations taken and processes integrated that would make workers be susceptibility to safety and health hazards from chemical, biological, and physical exposure (Fuller, 2015).

Hazard Assessment

During the hazard assessment, three chemicals were identified in two different AAP plant areas. Using the Safety Data Sheets (SDS), information on hazardous chemicals in a plant that enables effective assessment was provided. Critical information implemented includes chemical properties, physical, health, and milieu hazards, protective measures to use, and safety precautions necessary to handle, store, and transport chemicals (OSHA, 2020). Hence, using the assessment data to identify employee health risks, the identified areas were the hand-welding, metal works, and the paint booth. The identified chemical hazards being copper fumes from the hand-welding station, metalworking fluids from the metal works, and toluene from the paint booth. Table 1 illustrates the chemical hazards identified in each area and location in the AAP plant.

Table 1: Identified Health Hazards

Sampling Plan

The sampling plan as per the SDS was conducted for the three identified health hazards: Copper Fumes, Toluene, and Metal Working Fluids. When sampling and analyzing copper fumes, NMAM, a manual for NIOSH, provided a compelling collection of sampling and analytical methods. The measurement technique integrated is the Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma, Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) (Ashley, Paula, & O’Connor, 2017). The collection of copper fumes samples was done into two processes, namely, personal and over the area sampling. Personal sampling was used by collecting breathing air samples in the targeted area to acquire an air sample necessary to understand and measure the exposure levels. Over the area, sampling was done on the whole sample area, investigating subdivided regions to measure the environment’s exposure concentration. According to NIOSH and OSHA, the Occupational Exposure Limits (OEL) for Copper fumes is 0.1 mg/m3 over an 8-hour time weight average (TWA). The sampling time and flow rate recommended is 1 to 4 L/min, an air volume of 480L, and only 2-10 blanks can be used per set (Ashley, Paula, & O’Connor, 2017).

In Toluene’s sampling, the NIOSH 3800 Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM) 5th edition for Toluene is used. The sample collection method for Toluene in the paint booth is over the area sampling method. Once collected, one blank sample for each air and wipe sample is taken with high-quality handling of blank filter samples. The OEL of Toluene is 200ppm over an 8-hour weight average (TWA); the sampling technique used is Headspace/Gas Chromatography, FID, and the flow rate of 50ml/min, with an exposure of ≤ 240 minutes (Ashley, Paula, & O’Connor, 2017). Exposure risks associated with metalworking fluids, including aerosols, are severe, causing life-threatening illnesses. While using the NIOSH 5524 Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM) 5th edition for Metalworking fluids (MWF), the sampling technique used is the Gravimetric. A sampler of Filter +Cyclone, a personal sampling pump (1.6 to 2 L/min) sample collection method in the operation area only, and a flow rate of 1.6 L/min and air volume of 768L. The OEL is 0.5mg/m3.

Sample Results

Table 2: Sample Results

The table above illustrates sample results taking into account the OSHA (PELs), NIOSH (RELs), and ACGIH (TVLs) and concentration values. One of the six OSHA (PELs) is missing while six NIOSH (RELs) read N/A, meaning they are not relevant.

Table 3: Sampling Results

Evaluation of Sample Results

When comparing the results, as illustrated above, table 4 below identifies the acceptable (PASS) and unacceptable risks (FAIL). The chosen OELs (PELs) were used in this comparison as they present the standard law ought to be used and applied.

Recommendations

The most appropriate and recommended engineering controls are implementing the general dilution ventilation system for the reduction of concentrations of any air contaminants, and a fan forcing adequate clean/fresh air for the dilution of concentrated air contaminant areas. For the paint booth and hand welding, installing a filtration system, which is an LEV and a duct system respectively, will enable capturing the contaminated air and fumes from the welding activities forcing it outside. Moreover, a hood recommendable for the paint booth would be a flanged opening and a flanged slot opening for hand welding areas (Yates, 2020). More importantly, regular protocols, routine maintenance, and employee training should be incorporated for increased effectiveness. Hence, a trained worker on hydraulic press can be granted regular maintenance access with minor protocols, including lubrication and belt alignment. While implementing these recommendations, workers should be provided with PPEs such as guarding hearing devices (muffs or earplugs), bodysuits, respirators, and eye protectors, as these are the commonly affected or passages of consumed dangerous fumes and chemicals.

Future Needs

The top management with increased involvement should support the effectiveness of these recommendations fully. All investigation reports should be stored and used for reference or a fact-finding source for fault and risk discovery in the plant. In addition to the providence of the PPEs, a respiratory protection program should be developed and adopted. Training and medical evaluations such as fitness testing, assessments of chemical exposures, and chemical storage should be conducted. The table below summarizes additional IH sampling recommended.

Table 4: IH Sampling Recommendations

References

Ashley, K., Paula, & O’Connor, F. (2017, December 11). NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM), 5th Edition. Retrieved from NMAM: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nmam/pdfs/NMAM_5thEd_EBook.pdf

Fuller, T. P. (2015). Essentials of industrial hygiene. Itasca, IL: National Safety Council.

OSHA. (2020). Hazard Communication Standard: Safety Data Sheets. Retrieved from OSHA: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3514.html

Yates, W. D. (2020). Safety Professional’s Reference & Study Guide (3rd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.