Walk-Through Survey Report: Styrene Exposures During Fiber Reinforced Wind Blade Manufacturing at LM Glasfiber, Grand Forks, North Dakota

摘要

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). NIOSH was established in 1970 by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, at the same time that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The OSH Act mandated NIOSH to conduct research and education programs separate from the standard-setting and enforcement functions conducted by OSHA. An important area of NIOSH research involves measures for controlling occupational exposures to potential chemical and physical hazards. In the early 1980s, NIOSH researchers conducted an engineering control technology assessment of styrene exposures in the fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) boat manufacturing industry. The study focused mainly on ventilation systems and work practices used in the open molding production of large FRP boats and yachts. In 2004, NIOSH engineers from the Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch (EPHB) of the Division of Applied Research and Technology (DART) began a follow-up assessment to evaluate worker exposures from new processes that were not necessarily used during the previous NIOSH study. Several of the technologies include processes that use low styrene resins, non-atomizing spray equipment, pressure driven rollers, improved ventilation, and closed molding. In September of 2007, environmental health and safety representatives from LM Glasfiber contacted NIOSH engineers to request participation in the styrene study. LM Glasfiber is a major wind-blade manufacturer that uses styrene-based resins to manufacture large FRP blades for the rapidly growing utility scale wind energy industry. Due to the similarities in the styrene-based resins and their similarities in the process, NIOSH engineers agreed that workers in a wind-blade manufacturing plant might have similar potential for styrene exposures as workers in boat manufacturing. On October 19, 2007, NIOSH/EPHB conducted a walk-through survey at LM Glasfiber, in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The primary purpose of this walk-through was to learn more about the FRP wind-blade manufacturing industry and to assess the suitability of this facility for an in-depth survey.