OSHA's Occupational Exposure Standard For Hexavalent Chromium Challenges and An Opportunity

摘要

OSHA's new standard (1) for occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium or hex Cr (also called hex chrome, Cr~(+6), or chromium (VI)) presents the users of thermal spray processes with both challenges and an opportunity. The challenges include determining if your operations are in compliance and, if not, implementing and maintaining correctives actions and programs as required by the standard. The opportunity is to insure that you are maintaining a safe workplace and protecting your employees from overexposure to this hazardous substance (and preventing a citation and perhaps a fine as a result of an OSHA audit). Hex Cr occurs in industrially used compounds such as chromates (such as are present in some chrome plating solutions and some anticorrosion paints and coatings) and is produced by some industrial processes, such as thermal spraying (plasma; electric arc; combustion, including HVOF) and welding (arc, laser, oxy-fuel) when chromium is present in the filler metal or feedstock.