Client Description: Aerospace Manufacturing Facility
Multiple industrial hygiene surveys were performed at the plant in order to assess exposure potentials. Chromate-containing paint was used in all cases and all data were referenced against the “People’s Republic of China, Occupational Exposure Limit s for Hazardous Agents in the Workplace , Part 1: Chemical Hazardous Agents” and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) recommended guidelines. Initial results confirmed that employees were overexposed to hexavalent chromium (without consideration of the appropriate respiratory protection that was in use at the times of the initial surveys).
HygieneTech recommended changes in the work practices of workers and in the maintenance and use of the engineering controls. HygieneTech also recommended that following those work practice and maintenance modifications, an additional exposure potential assessment survey be performed and, of course, until that time, continued use of air-supplied respiratory protection by all personnel performing chromate-based paints would be required. Subsequent surveys produced personal monitoring data that showed some improvement in the hexavalent chromium exposure levels, however, those reductions were not sufficient to downgrade respiratory protection requirements. Additional recommendations designed to reduce exposure potentials were provided by HygieneTech.