1. Employees in the paint department of an automotive parts production facility

Question

1. Employees in the paint department of an automotive parts production facility use styrene to clean residue off the parts as they come off the paint line. The OSHA PEL for styrene is 100 ppm as an 8-hour TWA exposure. Personal air samples show that during peak production times, exposures range from 150 ppm to 200 ppm for an 8-hour shift. The parts cleaning is performed in a small room with one door. Using OSHA's Hierarchy of Controls, write one paragraph for the hazard scenario above that summarizes your approach to reducing the risks associated with the hazard. Indicate which type of hazard control you will use, and describe exactly how it will be used to control the hazard. Your response must be at least 200 words in length.

Explanation / Answer

The most effective method to reduce exposure to styrene would be to replace it with a less hazardous substance to clean the residue off the pans. Ten-Butyldimethylsily (TBS) ether is a suitable substitute for styrene. It is more effective than styrene with fewer handling restrictions. TBS has a lower vapor pressure, which reduces emissions and a higher Rash point, which reduces the fire hazard. Even if substitution is possible for the work being done t engineering controls should still be implemented. General mechanical ventilation should be installed to reduce the concentration of airborne contaminants. Since the parts cleaning is being performed in a small room then general ventilation should be adequate. If installing a new ventilation system is not possible or affordable then work practice controls should be implemented. Workers in the paint department should rotate in and out of the area and more frequent breaks should be taken in order to limit their total exposure to an apex below OSHA's personal exposure limit. If work practices can't be changed then personal protective equipment should be used. The employer should provide respirators to the employees working in the paint department. The employees should be trained on the proper use of the respirators and management should strictly enforce their use.

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