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. 

Electrocorp offers industrial and commercial air cleaners that can remove these and other air pollutants, providing cleaner and more breathable air. 

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.

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.