Walk-Through Survey Report: Styrene and Noise Exposures During Fiber Reinforced Plastic Boat Manufacturing at Grady-White Boats, Inc., Greenville, NC

摘要

On June 30, 2005, researchers from the Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch (EPHB) of the Division of Applied Research and Technology (DART) conducted a walkthrough survey at Grady-White Boats, Inc., in Greenville, North Carolina. The primary purpose of this walk-through was to learn more about the fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) boat manufacturing industry and to assess the suitability of this facility for an indepth survey. The main goals for the walk-through survey included performing a preliminary assessment of the occupational exposures to styrene vapor in air and observing the effectiveness of engineering exposure-control measures during the FRP boat manufacturing operations. A secondary objective was to perform a preliminary assessment of the noise exposures occurring during these operations. The FRP boat manufacturing process mainly used at Grady-White is known as the open molding process. Cold-press pneumatic molding (a form of closed molding) is used to fabricate small hatch covers.