 D. Jeff Burton, PE, CIH, noted author and OH&S contributor, lends a hand on this “Ask the Expert” question.
Q: How do I go about taking measurements for an old, underperforming laboratory fan for specification of a new fan?
A: When specifying a fan, the two basic numbers you need are Q and SP — called the “System Operating Point,” SOP.
There are two ways of determining “SP.” According to AMCA , one is the Fan Total Pressure (FTP) and the other is Fan Static Pressure (FSP).
FTP represents all energy requirements for moving air through the ventilation system. FTP is calculated by adding the absolute values of the average total pressures found at the fan. If the normal sign convention is followed, then a formula for FTP is:
FTP = TPoutlet – TPinlet
substituting for TP gives
FTP = SPout + VPout – SPin – VPin
If VPout equals VPin, i.e., if the average inlet and outlet velocities are equal, then the VP terms in the above equation cancel, leaving:
FTP = SPoutlet – SPinlet
The fan static pressure (FSP) is defined as the fan total pressure minus the average velocity pressure out of the fan.
FSP = Fan TP – VPout
(The fan static pressure is not defined as the static pressure out minus the static pressure in.)
Substituting the value of FTP into the FSP equation:
FSP = SPout + VPout – SPin – VPin – VPout
The VP (out) terms cancel, leaving
FSP = SPout – SPin – VPin
FSP represents the system losses, i.e., the amount of static pressure converted to useless heat or noise. Continue reading Ask the Expert: Ventilation and Fan Requirements
 OSHA is proposing modifying the Hazard Communication Standard (HAZCOM) with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Over 40 million workers in more than 5 million workplaces are expected to be impacted at a total cost of approximately $97 million per year to implement (costs to decrease to $42 million per year after initial period of familiarization).
HAZCOM currently:
- Requires chemical manufacturers and importers to label containers and prepare MSDS’s
- Requires employers to have a HAZCOM program for workers who have exposures or potential exposures
GHS will:
- Adopts a standardized method of hazard classification leading to an increase in quality and consistency of information provided to employees and employers
- Classifies chemicals by their health and physical hazards
- Specifies hazard communication specifics for labelling and MSDS’s
- Agreement at an international level
Major changes to HAZCOM:
- Specific criteria for classification of health and physical hazards of chemicals and mixtures
- Manufacturers and importers must use standardized labelling methods that include signal word, pictogram, and hazard statement
- MSDS’s will have a specific 16-section format
- Workers must be trained within 2 years of the final rule on the recognition and understanding of the GHS labelling and MSDS system
Benefits of GHS:
In case you missed the fine print (Jack & Jill and Disney Favorites):
 Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts
 Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries has created a worksheet based upon the NIOSH Lifting Equation to determine if a lift operation exceeds the recommended limits. A copy of this worksheet can be found here: (Worksheet: Lifting Limit Exceedance (50)). If you are unfamiliar with the NIOSH Lifting Equation, a good resource is the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation Document.
 
 LI = the relative estimate of the physical stress associated with a manual lifting job
Sources: eLCOSH & NIOSH
The latest CIH exam prep questions have been posted to OHShub.com. You can find these 25 questions covering a wide range of IH topics HERE.
We told you to sharpen those math skills, this entry in the OHShub.com bi-monthly CIH Exam Preparation Questions is all math. Sharpen those pencils, bring out the calculator, grab a cup of coffee and get going!
Please note: OHShub.com has made the questions and solutions much easier to read. Check out our improvements!
Please leave your results in the poll in the left sidebar. Thanks & Good Luck!!!
 The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have issued an interim guidance document on the best approach to identifying problem (a.k.a. Chinese) drywall. The document states that the guidance is based primarily on the presence of metal corrosion in homes.
Prerequisite (must meet both criteria) to warrant further consideration:
Visual inspection must show:
- Blackening of copper electrical wiring and/or air conditioning evaporator coils, and
- Drywall must have been installed between 2001 and 2008
Additional corroborating evidence (must have at least 2 of the following conditions for drywall installed between 2005-2008 and at least 4 conditions for drywall installed between 2001-2004):
- Corrosive conditions in home, as evident by the formation of copper sulfide on copper metal test strips placed in the home for 14-30 days, or the confirmation of sulfur in the blackening of grounding wires or condensation coils.
- Confirmed markings of Chinese origin for drywall in the home.
- Strontium levels in drywall samples greater than 1200 ppm.
- Elemental sulfur levels in drywall samples exceeding 100 ppm.
- Elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide and/or carbon disulfide emitted from drywall samples tested using ASTM Standard Method D5504-08.
- Corrosion of copper metal to form copper sulfide when copper is placed in test chambers with drywall samples collected from the home.
A copy of the document can be found HERE
 OSHA is proposing to revise its Recordkeeping regulation (29 CFR part 1904) to restore a column to the OSHA 300 Log that employers would use to record work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). The 2001 Recordkeeping final regulation included an MSD column, but the requirement was deleted before it became effective. The proposed rule would require employers to place a check mark in the MSD column, instead of the column they mark now, if the case is an MSD and meets the general recording requirements of the Recordkeeping rule. The rule also proposes, for this recordkeeping purpose only, a definition of MSD that is identical to the one contained in the 2001 final Recordkeeping rule. In addition, OSHA proposes an entry for the total number of MSDs on the OSHA 300A form, the form that employers use to annually summarize their work-related injuries and illnesses (see 29 CFR 1904.32).
In 2003 OSHA deleted the MSD provisions (column and definition) from the 2001 Recordkeeping rule. However, after further consideration and analysis, the Agency believes that information generated from the MSD column will improve the accuracy and completeness of national occupational injury and illness statistics; will provide valuable and industry specific information to assist OSHA in effectively targeting its inspection, outreach, guidance and enforcement efforts to address workplace MSDs; and will provide useful establishment-level information that will help both employers and employees readily identify the incidence of MSDs.
OSHA stresses that the purpose of this rulemaking is solely to improve data gathering regarding work-related MSDs. The proposed rule does not require employers to take any action other than to check the MSD column on the OSHA 300 log if a work-related MSD case occurs that meets the general recording requirements of the Recordkeeping regulation. Unlike OSHA standards, the proposed rule does not require employers to implement controls to prevent and control employee exposure to an identified occupational hazard.
Source: OSHA.gov
The latest CIH exam prep questions have been posted to OHShub.com. You can find these 36 questions covering a wide range of IH topics HERE.
This entry is math free! Better sharpen those math skills for February!
Please note: OHShub.com has made the questions and solutions much easier to read. Check out our improvements!
Please leave your results in the poll in the left sidebar. Thanks & Good Luck!!!
 The University of North Carolina, Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center, is offering an almost free (only $6) webinar on “The Changing Face of Indoor Air Quality.” The webinar will be conducted Wednesday, February 3, 2010 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm ET. Guest speaker will be Dr. Wayne Thomann, Director Occupational and Environmental Safety at Duke Univesity/Medical Center in Duraham, North Carolina.
Click HERE to access the seminar (2/3/2010 @ 13:00 ET). Log in as a guest. Type in your first and last name and click the “Enter” button. The OSHERC meeting space will open. There will be an interactive question and answer session.
CE & CM Credits are available. Cost is only $6.00. Contact Susan Randolph for information on where to send the check and CE/CM credits.
Continue reading (Almost) Free Webinar: The Changing Face of Indoor Air Quality
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts
 The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has started a new weekly podcast that will cover safety, worker health, industrial hygiene news, and general information relevant to the AIHA membership. The podcast will be hosted by AIHA’s Melissa Hurley and Craig Sorrell.
Episode 1 of the Safe & Sound podcast is entitled “Ergonomics” and features Sheree Gibson, PE, CIH, who is a member of the AIHA Ergonomics Committee.
Topics in the podcast include:
- What are MSD’s (musculoskeletal disorders)
- What are the causes of MSD’s
- How to limit MSD’s
- The future of ergonomic standards
- AIHA’s position statement on ergonomics
- and much more…
You can listen to the AIHA podcast at the AIHA website.
Note: The podcast can also be downloaded to your portable music player by left clicking on the above link.
Source: AIHA
|
|
