Auto parts store cited for exposing workers to asbestos and mold

The auto parts store failed to protect worker health and
safety, OSHA says.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A worker alleging the existence of asbestos, mold and hygiene hazards led to an inspection of an Advance Auto Parts store in Kansas City, where the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found one repeated and 10 serious safety and health violations with fines of $60,000.

"Exposure to asbestos is a dangerous workplace issue that can cause loss of lung function and cancer, among other serious health effects. When Advance Auto uses an older building with presumed asbestos-containing material, such as floor tiles, it has a responsibility to conduct periodic air monitoring and must post warning signs for workers," said Barbara Theriot, OSHA's area director in Kansas City.

"The company also has a responsibility to maintain the building in a sanitary and safe manner. OSHA found persistent flooding, which caused mold growth and created lower-level slip and fall hazards. This is unacceptable."

OSHA inspectors tested bulk samples of furnace room floor tiles and found they contained 3 percent chrysotile, a form of asbestos. Sample air monitoring did not detect asbestos fibers circulating in the heating and air conditioning system.

However, particles could become airborne from deteriorating tiles and persistent flooding, a consistent issue throughout the building.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber used in some building materials before its health dangers were discovered. Asbestos fibers are invisible and can be inhaled into the lungs unknowingly. Inhaled fibers can then become embedded in the lungs.

Inspectors also found electrical safety violations and blocked exit routes at the store, resulting in the 10 serious violations. An OSHA violation is serious if death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard an employer knew or should have known exists.

OSHA also noted a repeated violation for failing to provide inspectors with injury and illness logs.

Based in Roanoke, Virginia, Advance Auto Parts was previously cited for this violation in a Delaware, Ohio, store in 2010 and a Lakeland, Florida, store in 2011.

OSHA issues repeated violations if an employer was cited previously for the same or a similar violation within the last five years.

Advance Auto Parts has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit OSHA online.

Source: OSHA

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Mechanics exposed to chemical hazards

OSHA cites Illinois garage for 5 repeat safety violations

Auto body shop workers may be exposed to dangerous
chemicals and other hazards, experts say.

A complaint investigation found that Transport Tech LLC failed to provide employees with an effective training program, including information on appropriate handling and safe use of hazardous chemicals at its Hillside repair facility.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the company for five repeat safety violations, carrying proposed penalties of $66,400.

"Workers have the right to know what chemicals they are exposed to and how to protect themselves against exposure, which can have severe health effects," said Angeline Loftus, OSHA's area director at the Chicago North office in Des Plaines.

"Employers have a responsibility to provide accurate information about the hazards their workers face each day, and Transport Tech failed to do that."

OSHA initiated an inspection on March 28, 2014, after it received a complaint alleging hazards at the shop, which provides repair services for trucks operated by the national carrier Central Transport LLC.

Transport Tech failed to put identification and warning labels on containers filled with hazardous chemicals.

The company also failed to have an eyewash station readily accessible and provide portable fire extinguisher training, as required.

In addition, floors at the facility were not kept clean and dry to prevent slips and falls. The company was cited for similar violations in 2011 at the same facility.

OSHA issues repeat violations if an employer previously was cited for the same or a similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.

Transport Tech, based in Warren, Michigan, has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742).

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance.

Source: OSHA

Concerned about chemical exposure at the workplace? Longtime exposure to odors, gases, fumes and chemicals may affect employee well-being and productivity, resulting in poor health. 

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Find out more about Electrocorp's air cleaners for auto body shops and garages, or contact Electrocorp directly to find the right air cleaner for your workplace.

New refrigerant in cars may be toxic

Refrigerant in cars: Refreshingly cool, potentially toxic

Combustion of the cooling agent releases
toxic fumes, researchers have shown.

The refrigerant R1234yf is being considered for use in air conditioning systems in cars. Chemists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich now show that, in the event of a fire, it releases the highly poisonous carbonyl fluoride, and urge that its safety be reassessed.

According to EU guidelines, the new compound R1234yf should in future be used as the refrigerant in air-conditioning systems for automobiles.

But the compound is inflammable, and LMU chemists have now shown that combustion of the cooling agent leads to the formation of the highly toxic carbonyl fluoride.

"It has been known for some time now that combustion of R1234yf results in production of the toxic hydrogen fluoride. Our analysis has now shown that 20% of the gases produced by combustion of the compound consist of the even more poisonous chemical carbonyl fluoride," says Andreas Kornath, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at LMU Munich.

He and his co-workers have just published the results of their investigation in the journal Zeitschrift für Naturforschung.

Carbonyl fluoride is structurally related to phosgene (which contains chlorine in place of fluorine), which was used as a chemical weapon during the First World War.

The simplest fluoride, hydrogen fluoride (or hydrofluoric acid, HF) is also highly corrosive and so toxic that burns about as big as the palm of one's hand can be lethal. The agent binds avidly to calcium in body fluids, and this can result in heart failure unless an antidote is rapidly administered.

Carbonyl fluoride is even more dangerous, because it penetrates the skin more easily, and causes severe irritation of the eyes, the skin and the airways. If inhaled, it can damage the alveoli in the lungs, allowing it to reach the circulation and shut down vital functions.

According to guidelines issued by the European Union, automobile manufacturers are legally obligated to use an environmentally friendly refrigerant in the air-conditioning systems installed in their cars.

Use of the previously approved refrigerant R134a in new models has been forbidden in the EU since 2011, as the agent had been shown to contribute to the global warming in the atmosphere.

However, its recommended replacement R1234yf has already been the subject of much heated debate in Germany.

Studies carried out by various institutions and by German auto manufacturers had pointed to the compound's flammability, and shown that, in the event of accidents in which vehicles catch fire, combustion of R1234yf leads to the release of hydrogen fluoride.

"The risk analyses carried out by the manufacturers of the refrigerant so far have not taken carbonyl fluoride into account. In light of our results, we advise that the risks associated with R1234yf should be urgently reassessed," Kornath adds.

Source: EurekAlert! by AAAS 

Concerned about toxic chemicals and fumes at your workplace? Electrocorp's industrial and commercial air cleaners are equipped with many pounds of activated carbon as well as HEPA air filters to provide cleaner and healthier air. Have a look at our air cleaners for auto body shops and garages, or contact Electrocorp for more information.

Dangerous chemicals abound when working with cars

Auto body shops and garages often expose workers to toxic chemicals

Working with cars -
an occupational risk?

For those who love cars, repairing them sounds like a great job -- but the occupational health risks can be substantial.

For one former mechanic turned musical activist, more than three decades of working in the auto repair business have opened his eyes to the dangers of chemicals.

Randy Bigness blames his cancer on his long-time exposure to chemicals such as benzene, a common ingredient in fuel, oils and other petroleum-based products.

He also developed chemical sensitivities and allergic reactions to substances such as dust.

The former mechanic has dedicated his life to music and to raising awareness about chemical dangers in his industry, talking to auto shop workers everywhere he goes.

Slow to recognize health effects

Working in his auto repair shop, Bigness thought he was simply tired and says he didn’t realize his immune system was compromised. Only after multiple health issues that wouldn’t respond to antibiotics and an extreme sinus infection did he allow the possibility of a more serious problem.

Tests revealed he suffered from chronic myelogeneous leukemia (CML), a cancer caused by a genetic mutation acquired later in life.

The former mechanic says he worked with benzene all the time when he had to clean parts, breathing in the fumes and getting splashed with the solvent. Benzene is one of the most widely used solvents in the United States.

According to OSHA, benzene is a carcinogen. "With exposures from less than five years to more than 30 years, individuals have developed, and died from, leukemia," the OSHA website states.

"Long-term exposure may affect bone marrow and blood production. Short-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause drowsiness, dizziness, unconsciousness, and death."

Are you, or someone you know, a car enthusiast? Tell us what you think about these health hazards.

Source: Popono Record

Activated carbon air cleaners for benzene fumes

The AirRhino can accommodate
a 100 lb. activated carbon filter
to remove VOCs such as benzene.

Benzene vapors as well as diesel and fuel emissions and other volatile organic compounds found in auto repair shops and garages can be mitigated effectively with the right air filters.

Along with adequate ventilation and other protective measures, Electrocorp’s air cleaners for auto repair shops and garages offers deep-bed activated carbon filters to provide cleaner and healthier air.

The activated carbon removes those gaseous pollutants, odors and fumes in the ambient air that can affect the workers over time.

Contact Electrocorp for more information.

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High-risk workplace a reality for mechanics and auto body shop workers

Motor oils and solvents pose serious air quality
risks for auto mechanics and shop workers.

Auto workers step into a potentially dangerous work zone every day and have to deal with a wide range of risks and hazards in garages and auto body shops.

One of the most dangerous aspects of the job involves working with materials that emit harmful fumes, mist or fine dust and contribute to poor indoor air quality.

When working with these types of products, employees should be wearing a respirator and using it properly.

In some cases, a formal risk assessment may be necessary to guarantee safe working conditions.

It’s also critical to have care and control when operating machinery or equipment to avoid accidents.

Loud noises and high decibel levels increase the workers’ risk of hearing loss.

Here are some other tips for car mechanics and auto body shop workers:

• Be aware of the risks and hazards and the environment in general. Knowledge is key in prevention and safety.
• Report hazards immediately to your supervisor
• Take part in or ask for monthly safety meetings
• Wear the appropriate personal protective equipment at all times, no exceptions.

Source: WorkSafeBC (WorkSafe Magazine July/August 2012)

Air cleaners for garages and auto body shops

Polluted indoor air in garages and auto body shops is an occupational health hazard that needs to be addressed.

Electrocorp has developed industrial-strength air cleaners for garages and auto body shops to tackle all those harmful chemicals, fumes, odors, volatile organic compounds, mists and fine particles that can affect the health and well-being of workers.

Multistage filtration system: The air cleaners contain deep beds of activated carbon, one of the most efficient (and affordable) filtration methods for gaseous pollutants, as well as medical-grade HEPA or micro-HEPA filters for particles and dust.

The air cleaners come in portable sizes, or they may be attached to the ceiling or the wall.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and options.
 

Emissions and fumes in auto repair shops and garages

Auto body shop workers may be exposed to toxic
fumes and chemicals, experts warn.

Working with cars can be quite dangerous – workers have to handle numerous hazardous materials, and the ambient air may be laden with volatile organic compounds and fumes.

Recently, three people died at a car wash station in China, when a worker tried to clean a chemical tanker and was overcome by noxious fumes.

Of course, the exhaust fumes and engine emissions have traditionally been the biggest source of pollution in auto repair shops and garages.

Engine emissions used to be untreated and unfiltered and spewed hydrocarbons into the air.

A hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons – along with NOx and sunlight – contribute to the formation of tropospheric ozone and greenhouse gases.

Diesel exhaust has only recently been added to the standards requiring complex catalytic systems using zeolite and ammonia to neutralize emissions. Incidentally, the World Health Organization's cancer agency just reclassified diesel fumes as carcinogenic.

Nowadays, cars and trucks have emissions cleanup systems that scrub engine exhaust of pollutants, but the search is still on for even cleaner systems to comply with ever-tightening engine emissions laws.

Source: Chemical and Engineering News

Air cleaners for auto repair shops and garages

Apart from basic protective equipment and proper handling, an industrial air cleaning system with activated carbon and HEPA can help remove harmful pollutants and chemicals in car handling environments.

Electrocorp has developed portable or mountable air cleaners for auto body shops and garages, which feature some of the largest adsorbent surface areas, the most relevant filtration media and most customizable options.

Air cleaners such as the Air Rhino, I-6500 Series and Dirty Dog can handle the volatile organic compounds, toxic fumes and emissions that commonly mar the indoor air quality in auto repair shops and garages.

For more information and details, contact an Electrocorp representative today.

Health and safety concerns in the auto repair industry

Auto body shop and garage workers can be exposed to
chemicals, vehicle exhaust, asbestos and other pollutants.

The automotive repair and maintenance industry employs more than 1.3 million U.S. workers and it involves a number of serious health risks.

That is why the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is working with partners to promote research and improve workplace practices.

Most of the auto repair and maintenance businesses are small, with fewer than 20 people, but they all face the same kind of health and safety issues:

• Exposure to chemicals and vehicle exhaust
• Exposure to biological materials and asbestos
• Injuries like sprains, cuts and bruises
• Slips, trips and falls
• Fatalities from falling objects, transportation events, fires and explosions
• And more

Even small businesses can take inexpensive steps toward a safer workplace.

First, business owners and managers need to recognize the risks and become aware of the most pressing concerns.

Then they can take the following actions:

1. Identify chemical, fire, noise, safety and environmental hazards and train workers on them
2. Switch to water-based cleaners and safer products where possible
3. Inspect tools and equipment regularly
4. Ask workers to report hazards and symptoms right away
5. Keep dust wet at all time and avoid cleaning with compressed air when repairing brakes and clutches to protect against cancer and lung disease from asbestos
6. Wear protective gloves and other protective equipment when working with solvents and other hazardous materials
7. Clean up spills promptly

Source: Risk & Insurance  

Improve indoor air quality in auto repair shops

The AirRhino combines activated carbon and HEPA filters
for superior chemical and particle filtration.

Auto repair and maintenance workers are routinely exposed to solvents, oil, gasoline fumes and other respiratory hazards, which can stay in the air long after the initial use.

One way to help clean the air is to use an industrial-strength air cleaner with a large activated carbon filter and a HEPA filter to remove airborne chemicals, gases, fumes, odors as well as tiny particles, dust and fibers.

Electrocorp’s air cleaners for auto body shops and garages can tackle large amounts of indoor air pollutants and help keep the air clean and healthy.

One of the most recommended air cleaners for this industry is the AirRhino, a versatile air cleaner that can be hung on the ceiling or stand on the ground and that features up to 100 lb. activated carbon filter and/or superior dust and particle filtration.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and options.
 

Styrene warning: Who is at risk?

A government report classified styrene
as a possible human carcinogen.

A recent US government report has warned that exposure to styrene heightens the risk of cancer, but questions remain about who might be at risk.

Styrene, a chemical compound derived from crude oil, was subject of a health warning from the Department of Health and Human Services' National Toxicology Program (NTP), which said that styrene is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen".

NTP scientists said last month that they believe styrene metabolizes when it comes in contact with the human body, bonding with oxygen to form styrene oxide, a chemical that has the ability to alter DNA and cause cancer.

What is styrene?

The chemical is also known as vinyl benzene and is a derivative of benzene. It is a colorless oily liquid that evaporates easily.

With approximately 15 billion pounds of the chemical produced annually, styrene can be found in many commonly used products, including

• Plastic, e.g. plastic utensils, food containers
• Toys
• Packaging
• Rubber
• Insulation
• Fiberglass
• Pipes
• Automobile and boat parts
• Carpet backing
• Cigarette filters

Workers in certain professions might be more at risk because of their occupational exposure to styrene. These include auto mechanics and workers in boat repair shops who cut a lot of fiberglass, slather epoxy resin and handle rubber hoses, but it all depends on the length and amount of exposure.

Styrene producers are blasting the report as premature and lacking proof, pointing to a decision last month by European Union health regulators, who said they did not believe styrene poses a cancer risk in humans.

Source: Reuters

Worried about airborne chemicals?

Electrocorp has designed a range of air filtration systems for homes and offices as well as auto body shops and garages (and boat repair shops), chemical processing plants and many others industrial applications.

Electrocorp's high-performance industrial air purifiers provide versatile and effective solutions for even the most complex Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) problems. Contact one of our IAQ experts for more information and customizable solutions.
  

Shop towels another health risk for auto body shop and garage workers

Working in an auto body shop or garage
is associated with many inhalation risks.

Mechanics and other auto body shop and garage workers are exposed to a variety of harmful substances such as the ones contained in brake fluids, detergents, lubricants, degreasers, paints, metal cleaners, diesel fumes, fuel, solvents and many other fluids.

Exposure to the heavy metals and airborne chemicals in auto body shops and garages can lead to long-term and short-term health effects.

Now a study described in a recent Huffington Post article names yet another occupational health and safety risk for mechanics and auto body workers:  Cleaned and laundered shop towels.

 
Study found lead, other toxins on shop towels 

A new study sponsored by Kimberly-Clark Professional, one of the largest makers of disposable towels in the US, suggests that workers using laundered towels are in fact exposing themselves to high levels of lead, cadmium and other heavy metals.

However, providers of laundered towels -- and even some independent toxicology experts -- viewed those claims with skepticism, the article adds.

According to the authors of the report, exposure to the metals, oil and grease that don't get removed in the wash can occur both directly and indirectly: a worker may graze their lips with a towel while wiping off sweat, or touch their fingers to their mouth after using a towel to remove grime from a hand or tool. (The average person subconsciously touches his or her face an estimated 16 times an hour.)


Metal exposure exceeds recommended guidelines

The study found that the average worker who uses 12 towels a day may be exposed to seven metals -- antimony, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead, and molybdenum -- at levels that exceed health-based exposure guidelines.

Lead exposure, which has been linked to nervous system damage, may be of particular concern. Gradient's analysis found that the typical 12-towel-a-day worker may ingest up to 3,600 times more lead than is recommended by the EPA.

Industrial workers that don't use toxic materials themselves may be particularly unaware of the potential risk of contamination.

Shop towels from a food or beverage manufacturer, for example, could have been laundered in the same facility as those soiled by automotive and heavy equipment companies.

According to the article, most auto shops now use reusable towels and that trend is unlikely to change until there is a more evidence and independent research.

 
Experts suggest the following to minimize the risks:

• Choose a launderer that doesn't recycle rags across multiple industries
• Change the practice in order to minimize contacts with towels, such as adopting hand washing and decontamination protocols before going on break or before going home
• Make sure the laundering method is the right one for the industry
• Choose towels towels made of materials that would be less likely to trap particles, such as ones with flat surfaces rather than loops like a bath towel

Source: Huffington Post 


Portable air cleaning solutions for garages and auto body shops

Find out more about the hazards of working in a garage.

Electrocorp offers air cleaners for auto body shops and garages to provide enhanced protection against harmful chemicals, particles and odors in the auto body shop environment. Find out more about Electrocorp's AirRhino air filtration system.

Contact one of Electrocorp's air quality experts to for more information: 1-866-667-0297.