In-Depth Survey Report: Evaluation of Engineering Controls for the Production of Liquid and Powder Flavoring Chemicals at Kerry Ingredients and Flavours, Inc., Formerly Mastertaste, Inc., Commerce, CA

摘要

Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted an evaluation of engineering controls installed for the control of exposure to chemicals during liquid and powder flavoring production at Mastertaste, Inc. The engineering controls were developed by Mastertaste in conjunction with an industrial ventilation contractor to reduce the potential for employee exposure to harmful flavoring chemicals. The systems evaluated included: (1) a ventilated lid developed to contain chemical vapors from a large mixing tank; (2) a bag dump hood installed on a powder blender; (3) a fume extraction hood used during liquid and powder flavor packaging; and, (4) a ventilated workstation used to contain vapors during small batch mixing activities. Evaluations were based on a variety of tests including air velocity measurements, airflow visualization (smoke tracer), and control on/off testing using real-time monitoring techniques. The experiments showed that the ventilated mixing tank lid contained vapors during mixing and pouring. The results of control on/off tests on the new mixing tank ventilated lid hood showed a reduction of 76% during the actual production of a liquid caramel flavoring.