Walk-through survey report: styrene and noise exposures during fiber reinforced plastic boat manufacturing at U.S. Marine Incorporated, Arlington, Washington.
Valladares RM; Blade LM
Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, EPHB 306-11b, 2005 Aug; :1-11
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). NIOSH was established in 1970 by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, at the same time that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in the Department of Labor (DOL). The OSH Act mandated NIOSH to conduct research and education programs separate from the standard-setting and enforcement functions conducted by OSHA. An important area of NIOSH research involves controlling occupational exposure to potential chemical and physical hazards. On June 9, 2005, researchers from the Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch (EPHB) of the Division of Applied Research and Technology (DART) conducted a walk-through survey at a U.S. Marine facility in Arlington, Washington. The primary purpose of this walk-through was to learn more about the fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) boat industry and to assess the suitability of this facility for an in-depth survey. The main goals for the walk-through survey involved evaluating the occupational exposures of styrene vapor in air and observing the effectiveness of engineering exposure-control measures during FRP boat manufacturing operations. A secondary objective was to perform a preliminary assessment of the noise exposures occurring during these operations. The U.S. Marine plant in Arlington, Washington, manufactures Meridian Yachts mainly using the open mold process. The closed molding process is used for building small hatch covers. U.S. Marine Corporation has 2600 total employees nationwide. The Arlington facility employs approximately 1050 people and runs three different shops: manufacturing, research and development, and administration. Their time and efforts are spent between manufacturing and research and development (engineering and documentation for all boat lines sold by U.S. Marine).
Boat-manufacturing-industry; Engineering-controls; Styrenes; Fibrous-dusts; Fibrous-glass; Noise-analysis; Exposure-assessment; Region-10; Reinforced-plastics; Plastics
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Applied Research and Technology, Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch, Mail Stop R-5, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
Field Studies; Control Technology
NTIS Accession No.
Research Tools and Approaches: Control Technology and Personal Protective Equipment
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health