Industrial Hygiene in Construction

It’s always fun to hear about new/different situations especially when the contractor handles it properly.

During the start of a demolition on a 1989 structure, the first swing of the hammer produced a pile of vermiculite sand.

After some discussion on “what in the world is this doing inside a wall cavity“. The contractor stopped work, had an asbestos test performed and quarantined the area. The bulk sampling for asbestos came back with the report of “asbestos containing, but less than 1%“. Well, as you know (and as I have mentioned earlier) it may not be safe to treat this product like every other demolition project. In this case, the asbestos was very friable and by opening the wall cavity, it had definitely been disturbed.  The contractor quickly set up some procedures. Here they are:

• Stop work in area. Quarantine area and place warning on doors.
• Train employees & subcontractors onsite to hazard (asbestos).
• Abatement contractor will remove wall & vermiculite
• Abatement contractor will treat the material as if it is asbestos containing
• Once the area is abated. An aggressive clearance test will be performed to assure no airborne levels of asbestos are present.

But why in the world was it in there in the first place? The best guess is it was added as a sound proofing / noise dampening for a air conditioning unit (actually a liebert unit) located on the adjacent wall. No other wall cavities contained the material.

This type of potential exposure usually doesn’t cross my mind. Luckily, the specifications in the construction project (and the obvious towers nearby), alerted us to the hazard.

If employees are working near areas of potential high electromagnetic (EM) activity, you should do something (see below). High EM potential areas are power lines, cellular towers, TV/Radio broadcast sites, etc. We have all heard the dangers of living under high voltage power lines, and this is essentially the same concern: Non-ionizing radiation.

The FCC has a guidance document OET-65 (radio frequency) which has some recommended limits, called maximum permissible exposures (MPE). These limits vary depending on the frequency range and how close/what type of work you are doing nearby. OSHA (1910.97) has some guidance (based upon an old ANSI standard) and the ACGIH also has recommended limits. New research is ongoing due to the increased use, and the future demand, of cell phones. The clearest guidance is from IEEE (C95 radio frequency). They provide recommendations and a sample plan. But, to summarize:

• look for the source (s) of the radiation (sometimes it’s not obvious)
• take measurements (might be difficult, unless you have access to a field intensity meter) Ask the FCC?
• determine risk potential
• make a plan
  • develop controls – time & distance are easiest 
  • consider off-hours/ shut down of towers (in extreme cases)
• train
• consider:
  • cranes, large pieces of equipment that may resonate with a certain frequency
  • heat from stored energy
  • nondescript symptoms, which is usually the first sign of a problem

This is a somewhat new field (no pun). But, remember when power lines, cell towers, and tv/radio stations were installed. – The goal wasn’t to keep these away from people, it was to bring them closer. How close should we get? I’d love to hear if anyone has been dealing with this a lot in construction.

I had the opportunity to attend a construction safety award presentation and listen to various commercial construction companies (GC, and Specialty Contractors) explain why their company deserved an award. Owners, CEOs, Safety Directors, and Employees spoke about their company. Their stories were amazing. Below I have listed some of the ideas that inspired me. They may not, at first glace, appear to be amazing. However, consider when the CEO tells a story that makes him cry, or when a superintendent explains how he is part of a family,…. it makes the words ring different.

Here are my takeaways:

• Safety really starts at the top. It’s not a priority, it’s a core value. Check out the Injury Free Forum (IIF).
  • This is basically a club/meeting for CEOs to gather and talk about how to prevent injuries. It’s ‘almost’ an invite-only type of event. But, if you’re a CEO/President you should think about it. (helps if you live in the NE part of the US)
  • Here are some companies participating, Gilbane, Gilbane video (yep, it’s good), JMJ Associates, Baker Concrete video
• During initial employee orientation;
  • one company has each employee write a letter to their family saying (apologizing) why they are gone/dead. This really emphasizes to each individual why they need to work safe.
  • the CEO gives each new employee his business card and tell them to call him directly if they are asked to do something unsafe.
  • each new employee is assigned a mentor (the time period varies from 2 weeks to 1 month) to watch them work safely.
• Each employee has the right to stop work due to safety. If they do it: the CEO/President writes them a personal thank you note.
• Make each near miss a incident, but do NOT have a lot of paperwork, just simple documentation for future learning.
• Have a innovative idea challenge at your company for good safety ideas.
  • Put a bar code on infrequently used tools. Link to a short video which explains how to use it.
  • Zip tie PPE onto the tools upon checkout.
• Send your “Safety Incident” or “Safety Summary” to their home. Ask them to put it on their fridge. Then, run a contest. Randomly find a name & call that employee to see if they can tell you what the safety topic is. Give a prize. Repeat.
• Look at the design. A large GC mandated that every hole in their project have safety netting installed during the concrete pour. …and they did it!
• An electrical firm uses no knives. None. Think that helps cut down on injuries? (pun intended)

The goal is zero injuries. So, what happens after zero injuries? How about sending your spouse to work…and they come home healthier! It’s not far away for some companies, Health & Wellness programs are already being implemented. For whom are you working? Here’s one of my reasons:

Yes, there can be airborne silica in the concrete when you are chipping up motar & tiles from a concrete base. This week a friend told me about his neighbor. He is a self-employed tile setter. He has worked in the industry for 20+ years. They just discovered he has cancer and will have the upper portion of his lungs removed.

Go here for more information. NPR article on silica rule delay.