Introduction/Administrative News
The TRADE Industrial Hygiene/Occupational Safety Special Interest Group (IH/OS SIG) Steering Committee met on January 31, 2006 through a conference call meeting. IH/OS SIG Steering Committee Chair Ralph Hinterman, Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E), facilitated the meeting in which the following Steering Committee members/guests participated:
Deana Colley, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
Tom Cornell, Fluor Hanford Inc.
Ralph Hinterman, ANL-E, IH/OS SIG Steering Committee Chair
Lowell Howard, PNNL
Michael Hurshman, S.M. Stoller
Dr. Daniel Marsick, DOE, EH-52, Office Of Worker Protection Policy and Programs
Deborah McFalls, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
John Peters, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
Rob Nicholas, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Bruce Stockmeier, ANL-E
David Weitzman, DOE, EH-52, Office Of Worker Protection Policy and Programs
Tom Williams, DOE EH-32, Office of Analytical Studies
The following Steering Committee member notified the IH/OS SIG Chair/Coordinator that he could not participate in the meeting:
Bob Kapolka, ORISE, IH/OS SIG Steering Committee Advisory Chair
Deborah McFalls reported that the IH/OS SIG/DOE TSL Index funding has been received from the DOE sponsor, Office of Planning and Administration, EH-7.
Lowell Howard requested that he share his committee position with his co-worker, Deana Colley. Deana has served on the committee in the past as both a member and as a Committee Chair. She was welcomed back to the group by Committee Chair Ralph Hinterman.
Nanoscale Science Research Centers Safety Committee Activities
Bruce Stockmeier, ANL-E, provided information about the Nanaoscale Science Research Centers Safety Committee activities of which he is the Chair. To support the synthesis, processing, fabrication and analysis at the nanoscale, the DOE Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES) is developing, constructing and operating five new Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs):
They will be user facilities available to scientists from inside and outside the DOE community. Bruce was tasked to assist in the planning of the Center for Nanoscale Materials at ANL-E. During this planning process, he became concerned about the possible health efforts of working with nanoscale materials and expressed his concerns to DOE. Bruce was asked by DOE to present at the 2004 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition about these concerns. In his presentation, Bruce stressed that the health efforts from working with nanoscale materials were unknown. As a result of his presentation, the Office of Science BES offered to sponsor calls to include an informal (uncharted) committee of representatives from the five resource centers that would expand informal collaboration on common concerns. The calls have also included representatives from EH, Site Office ES&H personnel, and BES Program Managers. The committee has been meeting since August 2004 and discussing issues such as:
Meeting BES’s expectation of being the flagships with respect to ES&H in nanotechnology
Addressing uncertainty in handling nanaomaterials
Establishing training reciprocity
Establishing a common approach for reviewing experimental work
Establishing a common recommendation for transporting hazardous materials
There have been some collaboration efforts with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The committee has served as an information clearing house. They are currently working on nanoscience ES&H guidelines for the centers.
DOE Policy Statement on Nanoscale Safety (DOE P 456.1) was issued in 2005 to establish a framework for working safely with nanomaterials. (http://www.science.doe.gov/Sub/ Newsroom/ News_Releases/DOE-SC/2006/nano/p4561.pdf). BES has asked each of the center’s directors to formally describe how they will address this new policy. The committee has discussed common approaches to addressing this policy and related issues.
Request for additional information about the committee’s activities should be addressed to Bruce at: bcs@aps.anl.gov.
DOE EH Nanotechnology Activities
As noted in past meetings, Dan Marsick, DOE EH-5, participates on the Nanomaterials Environmental and Health Implications Informal Interagency Working Group. This group, headed by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, meets monthly at the National Science Foundation Headquarters. DOE has representatives on the group from EH and the Office of Science. Dan reported the group has been looking at research on environmental, health, and safety (ES&H). Their base paper on gaps in research in ES&H should be released by the end of this year. They are also keeping track on research in nanotechnology ES&H.
Dan also reported that DOE Official Paul Wambach is active in getting people interested in control banding for nanotechnology. Paul may form a group to address control banding during the upcoming Joint EFCOG/DOE Chemical Management Workshop.
IH/OS SIG Nanotechnology Safety and Health Information Web Page Development
Deborah McFalls reported that the IH/OS SIG’s Web site would be updated and a new section would be added that focuses on nanaotechnology safety and health information. The purpose of the new section would be to promote awareness by collecting and disseminating current safety and health nanotechnology information for workers at DOE sites, promote information sharing between facilities via a Web site, and disseminate DOE policy and news on nanotechnology. There is a need for a central resource for safety and health information on nanotechnology activities, especially within DOE.
ES&H Bulletins (December 2005/January 2006)
Tom Williams, DOE EH-3, reported the follow reports are initiated for the DOE community:
Special Operations Reports- Purpose is to initiate management actions in response to events whose subject matter represents significant DOE safety concerns
Environmental and Health Alerts – Purpose is to initiate immediate action on potentially significant safety issues
Environmental and Health Bulletins – Purpose is to share information and recommend actions on potential safety issues
Safety Advisories – Purpose is to provide Information to the DOE contractors on potentially significant safety or health issues.
Tom provided information about three bulletins that were released in December 2005 and January 2006.
The purpose in releasing the Hazards of Nitrogen Asphyxiation in Confined Spaces bulletin was to alert the DOE community to the potential hazard of nitrogen asphyxiation following the November 6, 2005 fatality of two contractors maintenance workers at the Valero Energy Corporation’s Delaware City, Delaware refinery. The recommended action from this bulletin is that DOE facility managers should ensure that their personnel know how to work safely in the presence of nitrogen, particularly in confined space where they can be quickly overcome.
The purpose in releasing the Boiler Safety Valve Test Failure bulletin was to alert the DOE community to boiler safety valves that did not lift within the range specified by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Section I. PG-72.1, which requires that valves attain full lift at a pressure no greater than 3 percent above their set pressure. The recommended actions from this bulletin are that each DOE site should:
Review procurement documentation to determine if any ASME Section I safety valves were acquired from North American Safety Valves, Inc.
Conduct safety valve testing for any ASME Section I safety valves furnished by North American Safety Valves that do not have a documented site test history.
Any ASME Section I safety valve that fail the above testing should be treated as defective items or materials. The test failure should be reported in the Occurrence Reporting and Processing System (ORPS), and guidance for disposition of the valves should be sought from the local office of Inspector General.
The purpose in releasing the Update – Battery Booster Explosions bulletin was to alert the DOE community to recent explosions involving Solar Truck Pac model ES1224 battery boosters manufactured by Clore Automotive. The recommended action from this bulletin is that sites examine their inventory of battery charging equipment, removing any Solar Truck Pac model ES1224 units from service to check for any indication that the battery seal has been lost. The actual cell caps are covered with a vanity cover: any displacement or distortion in this vanity cover may indicate loss of battery cell seal. Removal and replacement of the vanity cover is not recommended as careful alignment is needed to avoid damaging the battery cell seals. If these indications are found, contact the manufacturer and report this finding in the ORPS.
Tom reported that the following additional bulletins were being released:
Committee Chair Ralph Hinterman reminded committee members that DOE provides a notification service for the aforementioned bulletins and other documents through their EH Document Notification Services at: http://www.eh.doe.gov/dns/ehdns.html. Electronic notification of newly published documents is available to subscribed readers through an E-mail notification.
ES&H Bulletin (November 2005) – Working Safely with Acids
Dan Marsick, DOE EH-52, reported that the Working Safely with Acids bulletin was released in November 2005. The purpose of the bulletin was to provide information on a safety concern that may impact operations at DOE facilities. Specially, the concern is the safe handling of acids. It was noted in the bulletin to:
Never try to neutralize an acid on living tissue
Wash off splashes immediately with plenty of water
Eye wash fixtures or safety showers must be used within 15 seconds after exposures for at least 15 minutes to prevent serious injury
Questions concerning this bulletin should be directed to Dr. Bill McArthur at: bill.mcarthur @eh.doe.gov. The bulletin can be found at url: http://www.eh.doe.gov/paa/bulletins.html.
DOE 851 Ruling and Guidance Document
David Weitzman, DOE EH-52, reported that DOE’s Worker Safety and Health Program Final Rule (10 CFR 851) was signed by the Secretary last week and will be published in the Federal Register on February 9, 2006. The rule can be found at url: http://www.eh.doe.gov/rulemaking. Now that the rule is finalized, DOE will move forward on the implementation guidance document. David expects to meet with subject matter experts next week on the guidance document at HQ.
He anticipates there will be a series of implementation workshops for the rule. One workshop will be focused on the details of the rule and at least one more workshop on the implementation of the rule. David will notify Deborah McFalls about the dates for the workshops when he receives them.
Joint EFCOG/DOE Chemical Management Workshop
Dan Marsick, DOE EH-52, reported that the Chemical Safety Topical Committee is holding its eighth annual Joint Energy Facility Contractors Group/DOE Chemical Management Workshop at the DOE Forrestal Headquarters Auditorium in Washington, D.C., March 14-16, 2006. This year's workshop theme is "Advancing Chemical Safety in the 21st Century." More information about the conference can be found at url: www.eh.doe.gov/chem_safety/ws2006/.
Distribution of Electrical Lessons and Nested-The Nested Safety and Security Committee Process Videos
During the August Steering Committee Conference Call meeting, the committee approved for distribution as SIG products the Electrical Lessons and the Nested-The Nested Safety and Security Committee Process safety videos developed at LANL by Committee Member Rob Nicholas. Rob reported that the two safety videos will be distributed to the IH/OS SIG membership before the end of March in DVD format.
Future Steering Committee Conference Call Meeting
The next Steering Committee Conference Call meeting is scheduled for February 28, 2006, 1:15 – 2:45 EST (conference call number - 301/903-7075).
For additional information, please contact: Deborah McFalls, IH/OS SIG Coordinator
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
P. O. Box 117, MS 10
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117
