Respiratory hazards could cost company almost $100,000 in fines

Worker health and safety is a
must for any business, OSHA says.

Whether you work with metals, wood or plastics, you have a right to breathe healthy air and employers have a responsibility to protect workers from dangerous exposures.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Northern Steel Castings Inc. for two safety and four health violations at its Wisconsin Rapids carbon steel foundry, including for overexposing workers to crystalline silica, a known respiratory hazard. Proposed fines total $95,480.

Crystalline silica is found in soil, sand, granite and other minerals. Workers can be exposed to it when they chip, cute, drill or grind objects that contain silica.

Health effects: Breathing crystalline silica dust can cause silicosis, an incurable condition that reduces the ability of lungs to take in oxygen.

The company was cited for a willful safety violation as well as other health violations.

Read the entire press release.

Industrial air cleaners to help keep workers safe

Electrocorp offers specialized air cleaners with many pounds of activated carbon for odor and chemical control and/or HEPA and bag filters for superior particle and dust control.

Contact Electrocorp to find out which air cleaner is most recommended for your industry and IAQ concern.
  

Dust problem costs companies $1 M in fines

HEPA filters can remove particles
and dust as well as pathogens.

After an OSHA inspection showed willful, serious, repeat and other violations, a trailer manufacturing company and subsidiary have been cited with proposed penalties of almost $1 million.

The inspectors found that workers were exposed to unguarded machinery, fall hazards and large amounts of potentially hazardous dust.

This was not the first time the companies had been cited for hazards like these. Previous abatement fixes were abandoned to accommodate production, according to OSHA.

OSHA took the opportunity to remind employers that they have a responsibility to keep their workers safe and healthy.

Source: BLR

The health effects of dust

Dust describes small particles in the air that can be inhaled through the nose and mouth.

If the dust is small enough it can penetrate deep into the lungs. Exposure to dust has been linked to cancers of the lungs, throat and nose, lung conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema, asthma, allergies and even heart disease, among others.

If the dust is allowed to build up, it can also be an explosive hazard.

Air filters remove airborne dust

An industrial air cleaner with HEPA filtration, pre-filters, bag filters and/or micro-HEPA can remove up to 99.97% of airborne particle at 0.3 microns and keep the air clean.

Some of the filters are also cleanable or washable.

Find out more about Electrocorp’s air cleaners for woodshops, art restoration and many other commercial applications, or contact us directly.