Controlling Painters' Exposure to Volatile Organic Solvents in the Automotive Sector of Southern Colombia
| Autor: | Vladimir Ramírez, Belky P. Castaño, Julio A. Cancelado |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Automotive industry
Análisis ocupacional Occupational safety and health Medium exposure Car painters Environmental health Chemical contaminants Safety Risk Reliability and Quality Concentration in environment Chemical Health and Safety business.industry lcsh:Public aspects of medicine Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health lcsh:RA1-1270 Disolventes - Toxicología Solvents - Toxicology Organic solvents Seguridad industrial Control of exposure Management system Original Article Job analysis Industrial safety Business Medium Risk Safety Research |
| Zdroj: | Safety and Health at Work, Vol 10, Iss 3, Pp 355-361 (2019) Safety and Health at Work |
| ISSN: | 2093-7911 |
| Popis: | Background: Painters in the automotive sector are routinely exposed to volatile organic solvents, and the levels vary depending on the occupational health and safety controls enforced at the companies. This study investigates the levels of exposure to organic vapors and the existence of controls in the formal economy sector in southern Colombia. Methods: This is an exploratory study of an observational and descriptive character. An analysis of solvents is conducted via the personal sampling of painters and the analysis of samples using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 1501 method. The amount of solvents analyzed varied according to the budget allocated by the companies. The person in charge of the occupational safety and health management system was interviewed to learn about the exposure controls implemented at the companies. Results: A medium exposure risk for toluene was found in one company. Another presented medium risk for carbon tetrachloride, xylene, ethylbenzene, and n-butanol. The others showed low risk of exposure and that the controls implemented were not sufficient or efficient. Conclusion: These results shed light on the working conditions of these tradespeople. The permissible limits established by Colombian regulations for the evaluated chemical contaminants were not exceeded. However, there were contaminants that exceeded the limits of action. The analysis of findings made it possible to propose improvements in occupational safety and health management systems to allow the optimization of working conditions for painters, prevent the occurrence of occupational diseases, and reduce costs to the country's health system. Keywords: Car painters, Concentration in environment, Control of exposure, Organic solvents |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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