National Institue for Occupational Safety and Health Technical Assistance to OSHA, Johns-Manville Corporation, Waukegan Illinois

摘要

This report presents the results of a NIOSH investigation of the Johns-Manville facility in Waukegan, Illinois, in response to a request for Technical Assistance from OSHA made in August 1978. OSHA requested assistance in evaluating employee complaints regarding the Medical Surveillance program. The following topics addressed by the study includes, the company's adherence to the medical monitoring requirements of the OSHA Asbestos Standard, the equipment and procedures used in obtaining pulmonary function and chest x-rays tests meeting current NIOSH recommended guidelines, and the medical surveillance programs ability to detect pulmonary abnormalities at the appropriate time and the proper notification being made once abnormalities are detected. Results of NIOSH's study indicate that as for the annual pulmonary function and chest x-ray tests, 99.7% and 98.5% of the required tests were performed, however, it was found out that pulmonary testing equipment in use did not meet current NIOSH standards. The instructions and coaching techniques used by the nurse were found to be adequate. For detection and notification of pulmonary abnormalities, the normal values for FVC used by the company delays the detection of restrictive disease compared to more recently derived values for normal. Employee notification of abnormal pulmonary function was not routinely at the Johns-Manville facility until the past two years.