Jennifer L. Topmiller

Control of Wood Dust from Rotational Hand-Held Sanders

Abstract An association between nasal cancer and other health effects and occupations involving exposure to wood dust has been clearly established in the literature. Therefore, it was deemed necessary to conduct research to develop new improved methods to control this dust. This article reports on the research that has been conducted by investigations at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on rotational hand-held Sanders. A new control system was developed to be used in conjunction with existing controls that are used on these sanders, which consist of an aspirator and a perforated sanding disc pad. The new control system includes additional suction applied to the sander body and a specially designed, slotted sanding disc pad to relieve the increased pressing of the sander to the sanded surface imposed by the increased vacuum. The newly designed sanding disc pad also captures wood dust from the sanded surface directly at the pad periphery. In the laboratory, the new control s...

Control of Wood Dust from Automated Routers

Abstract An association between nasal cancer and occupations involving exposure to wood dust has been clearly established in the literature. Therefore, it was deemed necessary to conduct research to develop new and improved methods for controlling this dust. This article reports on the research that has been conducted by scientists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on automated routers. A computer-controlled jet stripper system was developed to reduce the wood dust emissions from automated, multidirectional routers. The system consists of a set of 24 jets, combined into 8 operational units which are uniformly located around the entire inside periphery of the brush holder above the worktable. The jets are supplied with pressurized air and are activated by pneumatic valves as needed. The system is also effective in controlling the wood dust from conventional, one-dimensional routers, especially when routing is performed under the upper surface of the workpiece and provided...

Ergonomics: An Assessment of Occupational Safety and Health Hazards in Selected Small Businesses Manufacturing Wood Pallets—Part 1. Noise and Physical Hazards

1National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Education and Information Division, Cincinnati, Ohio 2National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Applied Research and Technology, Cincinnati, Ohio R esearchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigated occupational safety and health concerns in the small business wood pallet manufacturing industry. The investigation consisted of interviews with employees and managers and walkthrough tours of seven wood pallet manufacturing companies while taking measurements at several of them. The purpose of the project was to assess and characterize occupational safety and health hazards in the industry and to offer suggestions as to how exposure to the hazards might be mitigated. Noise level measurements and ergonomic observations were made at each facility. This column describes the assessments and suggestions to minimize ergonomic and noise exposures from the occupational risk factors at the facilities. (A companion paper will address the respiratory hazards evaluated during the investigation: i.e., Part 2—airborne particulate and chemical hazards.) The main findings are as follows:

Development of Evaluation Procedures for Local Exhaust Ventilation for United States Postal Service Mail-Processing Equipment

Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have conducted several evaluations of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems for the United States Postal Service (USPS) since autumn 2001 when (a) terrorist(s) employed the mail system for acts of bioterrorism. As a part of the USPS 2002 Emergency Preparedness Plan, the development and installation of LEV onto USPS mail-processing equipment can reduce future exposures to operators from potentially hazardous contaminants, such as anthrax, which might be emitted during the processing of mail. This article describes how NIOSH field testing led to the development of recommended testing procedures for evaluations of LEV capture efficiency for mail-processing equipment, including tracer gas measurements, smoke release observations, air velocity measurements, and decay-rate testing under access hoods.

Nano-metal oxides: Exposure and engineering control assessment

ABSTRACT In January 2007, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a field study to evaluate process specific emissions during the production of ENMs. This study was performed using the nanoparticle emission assessment technique (NEAT). During this study, it was determined that ENMs were released during production and cleaning of the process reactor. Airborne concentrations of silver, nickel, and iron were found both in the employees personal breathing zone and area samples during reactor cleaning. At the completion of this initial survey, it was suggested that a flanged attachment be added to the local exhaust ventilation system.  NIOSH re-evaluated the facility in December 2011 to assess worker exposures following an increase in production rates. This study included a fully comprehensive emissions, exposure, and engineering control evaluation of the entire process. This study made use of the nanoparticle exposure assessment technique (NEAT 2.0). Data obtained from filter-based samples and direct reading instruments indicate that reactor cleanout increased the overall particle concentration in the immediate area. However, it does not appear that these concentrations affect areas outside of the production floor. As the distance between the reactor and the sample location increased, the observed particle number concentration decreased, creating a concentration gradient with respect to the reactor. The results of this study confirm that the flanged attachment on the local exhaust ventilation system served to decrease exposure potential.  Given the available toxicological data of the metals evaluated, caution is warranted. One should always keep in mind that occupational exposure levels were not developed specifically for nanoscale particles. With data suggesting that certain nanoparticles may be more toxic than the larger counterparts of the same material; employers should attempt to control emissions of these particles at the source, to limit the potential for exposure.