OSH Unit 7 Activity

1 Acme Auto Parts Facility Safety Report Christian Hallock Columbia Southern University OSH 6302 Dr. Boothe March 19, 2023

2 Acme Auto Parts Facility Safety Report ATTN: John Smith, Plant Manager The Acme Auto Parts (AAP) facility provides supplies and materials for various automotive manufacturers. A recent inspection was conducted to ascertain the level of exposures to various chemicals and noise exposure to staff in various locations throughout the facility. Chemical exposures were focused on the paint booths and welding areas. Noise exposure review was conducted in the shipping and receiving areas, hydraulic press, metal working line, robotic welding, hand welding, paint booth, QA/QC office, and final inspection areas. This letter is intended to provide you with the data that was collected, how it was collected and processed, and recommendation to help the facility limit or eliminate exposures that the staff may encounter. Please note that all exposure levels were compared to the regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH). Hazard Assessment Within the shipping and receiving areas, there is a potential hazard to the musculoskeletal and audible areas of the body. The repetitive activities and heavy lifting over time can cause potential injuries to the back and other areas of the body. Loud noise production in this area can also attribute to various instances of acute or chronic hearing damage. Hydraulic press area presents potential hazards to the musculoskeletal and audible areas of the body. The press may attribute to accidental crush injuries if not operated and maintained to manufacturer's specifications. Without proper noise reduction, the noise created by the press can also attribute to acute and chronic hearing damage.

4 process of sampling was chosen to obtain the best information regarding worker exposures during shifts. Noise data was collected using noise dosimeters, and the findings were then compiled and reviewed at the laboratory. Sampling results from the hand welding, paint booth, metal working line and noise exposures yielded the following results. Hazard Analytical Result Volume (Time) Manganese Fume Derek Norton Hand Welding 5 µg 30 L (15-minute) Copper Fume Nick Boyer Hand Welding 140 µg 960 L (8-hour) Lead Fume Nathan Huhn Hand Welding 40 µg 960 L (8-hour) 1,2,4 trimethylbenzene Ashley Hallock Paint Booth 5 µg 48 L (8-hour) Toluene Tom Brady Paint Booth 125 µg 48 L (8-hour) Xylene Julien Edelman Paint Booth 20 µg 48 L (8-hour) Metal Working Fluids Patrick Mahommes Metal working line 500 µg 720 L (8-hour)

5 Location Shift Length Result Shipping/Receiving TJ Watt 8 hours 78.3 dBA (Lavg) Hydraulic Press Lebron James 12 hours 93.0 dBA (Lavg) Metal Working Line Larry Johnson 12 hours 84 dBA (Lavg) Robotic Welding Spudd Webb 12 hours 80.5 dBA (Lavg) Hand Welding Ken Griffey Jr. 12 hours 81.3 dBA (Lavg) Paint Booth Don Lemon 12 hours 79.5 dBA (Lavg) QA/QC Laboratory Lance Bass 8 hours 70.0 dBA (Lavg) Final Inspection Joe Shmoe 8 hours 73.5 dBA (Lavg) The lowest acceptable limit was the chosen standard to follow. This standard would ensure that the occupational exposure limits (OELs) set by OSHA would be met. OSHA is recognized as the only governing body to have legal rights and powers of enforcement, and this is why the standards set by OSHA were chosen. Note that data from the National Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists and NIOSH OELs are also provided. The highlighted data

7 The risk associated with this exposure is high and therefore not an acceptable risk. For this area, noise exposure controls should be implemented to maintain worker hearing safety. Location Shift Length Result 8-Hour Dose (%) Does the exposure exceed OSHA PEL Does the exposure exceed OSHA action level? Shipping/Receiving TJ Watt 8 hours 78.3 dBA (Lavg) 20% No No Hydraulic Press Lebron James 12 hours 93.0 dBA (Lavg) 227.3% Yes Not applicable Metal Working Line Larry Johnson 12 hours 84 dBA (Lavg) 65.25% No Yes Robotic Welding Spud Webb 12 hours 80.5 dBA (Lavg) 40.49% No No Hand Welding Ken Griffey Jr. 12 hours 81.3 dBA (Lavg) 44.85% No No Paint Booth Don Lemon 12 hours 79.5 dBA (Lavg) 34.95% No No QA/QC Laboratory Lance Bass 8 hours 70.0 dBA (Lavg) 6.25% No No Final Inspection Joe Shmoe 8 hours 73.5 dBA (Lavg 10.2% No No

8 Recommendations Due to the risks observed in exposures to chemicals, heating devices, noise generating, etc. within the facility, it is recommended that that the AAP utilized effective exposure controls. These include, but are not limited to, approved Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), appropriate noise reduction ear protection, safety glasses or welding masks, gloves, appropriate breathing protection, and the inclusion of adequate ventilation systems in the paint booth, welding areas and metal working fluid areas. The welding areas should be equipped with a local exhaust ventilation system (LEV) that removes the contaminants from the work area. LEV is recommended for the paint and welding locations since the “system is placed near a contaminant generating source in order to capture it before spreading it into the room space” (Mahaki et al. 2022). In the painting booth areas, the downward draft system would be recommended, which moves air in from the ceiling and then pulled by the LEV through the floor and out to be filtered. These systems are highly effective in removing overspray and other contamination (Global Finishing Solutions, 2022). This ventilation should be supported also with appropriate respirator. According to Harmon (2017) OSHA   1910.94(c)(6)(iii)(a)   states that respirators are required when the operator is downstream of the object being sprayed. Since the nature of the job will require the operator to be downstream at times, the respirator should be worn. With the implementation of these control measures, additional training will be required to ensure all staff is up to date on the equipment. All PPE should have monthly and annual checks, which also includes respirator fit tests. A training program should be implemented by the

10 References Harmon, P. (2017, February 3).   Common Paint Booth Safety Violations. Pittsburgh Spray . https://pittsburghsprayequip.com/blogs/pittsburgh-spray-equipment-company/ 15640#:~:text=However%20OSHA%201910.94%20%28c%29%20%286%29%20%28iii %29%20%28a%29%20states Mahaki, M., Mattsson, M., Salmanzadeh, M., Hayati, A. (July 12, 2022). Experimental and numerical simulations of human movement effect on the capture efficiency of a local exhaust ventilation system. Journal of Building Engineering . https://discovery-ebsco-com.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/c/iuzu2i/details/ fedsj5evzn?limiters=FT%3AN%2CRV%3AN%2CFC%3AN%2CFC1%3AN %2CFT1%3AY&q=local%20exhaust%20ventilation MEL Safety Institute. (n.d.).  Hearing Protection -Understanding OSHA’s Action Level and PEL . https://njmel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Hearing-Action-Level-PEL-MSI- Briefing.pdf