Deadline for Breathing

by Jonathan Rollins

Changes to Occupational Safety and Health Administration respiratory-protection standards were announced Jan. 8; affected newspapers must have revised programs in place by Oct. 5. The revised standard will affect newspapers whose employees wear respirators to protect themselves from air contaminants such as fumes, gases, vapors, sprays and dust.

Under the new standard, a program administrator is required to oversee the respiratory-protection program. The program must include hazard analysis, work-area condition surveillance, a medical surveillance program, selection of respirators based on hazard severity, employee training and more.

One time-consuming requirement is the development of worksite-specific operating procedures. For instance, newspapers now need separate procedures for respirator use in carpentry shops and for spray-painting newspaper racks.

Raley and other St. Pete personnel spent many hours identifying the 80 employees who use respirators. They also evaluated respirator models and sizes. Each specific job is now being analyzed with the help of the affected employees.

Overall, Raley is satisfied with the revised OSHA standard because it provides clear definitions and guidance for respirator selection, fit testing, training and other program elements.

It’s also more flexible than the old standard. For example, newspapers can now allow employees to wear dust masks voluntarily without subjecting them to medical examinations if air-contaminant evaluations don’t indicate a need for respirators. Other relaxed requirements include annual instead of semi-annual fit tests and a provision requiring newspapers to provide a "sufficient number" of respirators instead of five models and sizes.

Raley advises program administrators to compare existing programs with the new standard. He also recommends using OSHA’s document of frequently asked questions as a tool to modify programs.

Raley admits that meeting the new standards will be tricky and tedious. "We've got a long way to go," he says, "and a short time to get there."

Jonathan Rollins is a free-lance writer based in Alexandria, Va. E-mail, jrollins@formmag.com; phone, (703) 836-6232, ext. 153; fax, (703) 549-4966.

by Allen M. Cooley

• Develop hazard determinations and written programs

• Label all containers and bottles containing hazardous ingredients

• Secure Material Safety Data Sheets

• Conduct employee training.

Employees must be trained on the first day of work involving possible exposure to hazardous chemicals. All necessary hazard information, including MSDS data, should be discussed, as should equipment and procedures dealing with workplace dangers.

Employees must be trained on chemical-spill containment and cleanup.

Managing Waste NAA has released its Hazardous Waste Kit, which can be used to to create effective on-site seminars. It contains: The Hazardous Waste Management Guide, the authoritative reference on waste management and pollution prevention at newspapers An instructor’s manual with overhead slides, training suggestions and lesson plans An employee handbook in print and on CD-ROM Key forms and overheads on CD-ROM.

Solvent spills may require additional training due to the fire and exposure hazards. Since solvent vapors can rapidly diffuse in a small room, employees must also be trained about the effects of a spill’s location.

Employees should be trained on how to review MSDS sheets and identify special handling precautions. Personal protective gloves and eye wear may have to be assigned to certain employees who come into contact with solvents—press operators, for example. Employees who work with photoprocessors must be taught safe methods for filling fixer, developer and replenishment tanks. Employees who clean pressroom floors with solvents must be informed of the hazards involved and appropriate personal protective equipment. Employees should also be prohibited from smoking in the pressroom.

OSHA inspectors often cite newspapers for missing container labels, so employees must be taught about the labels' importance. Bottles should be relabeled if the original falls off or if chemicals dissolve the label information.

HCS training requirements cannot be met solely by showing employees the location of MSDS forms, but must include in-depth explanations of all chemical hazards and how employees are expected to use proper control procedures and practices. Although reading the HCS requires time and patience, a typical newspaper can comply by implementing an effective employee-training program.

Allen M. Cooley is an NAA industrial hygienist. E-mail, coola@naa.org; phone, (703) 902-1834.

TechNews Volume 4, Number 5: September/October 1998

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