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Articles:Assessment of Occupational Health for Solid Surfacing Material Manufacture

  • Publication Date:2015-09-25

This study was to assess the occupational exposure and to identify the health hazards for the solid surfacing material workers. We selected three industries as subjects, of which one was the largest with the complete processes, including stone crushing, mixing with epoxy resin/organic solvents, and shaping, and the other two primarily focused on the latter processes. Our team monitored the working environments for particulate matter, asbestos, noise, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (e.g., styrene, acetone), and conducted a survey to understand workers’ health status as well as the association with exposure. The environmental measurements indicate that the largest company had the problem of high levels of particulate matter, and one sample showed a level twice higher than the total dust standard (10mg/m3). The other two had high concentrations of VOCs, one of which reached as three times high as the standard for acetone (750ppm). Noise is a general problem, and some of the measurements were above 85 dBA. The spectrum analysis indicates that the peak values of noise occurred around 4 kHz, which had the most impact on the hearing ability. We collected 45 questionnaires and found that most of the employees did not think of severity of exposure to occupational hazards. The statistical analysis, however, shows that employees with experience of 5 years or above were associated with back and elbow pains and hearing impairment (p < 0.05). In summary, the owners of the manufacture should improve the ventilation system, and guide their laborers to wear proper protection gears to prevent from occupational hazards.

  • Source:ILOSH
  • Last updated:106-07-12
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