Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Page 2 Annual Cotton Dust Training Company Complies With Dust Regulations Editor’s Note: Clinton Mills reviews the pro vision of the cotton dust standard annually with all employees. Please read this careful ly. Your supen/isor will answer any question you may have. In recent years, industry and government have become increasingly concerned about occupational exposure to various kinds of dust. The current cotton dust standard defines cotton dust as any dust present in the air during the handling or processing of cotton, including ground-up leaves, stems, bract, soil and other organic substances. What we are concerned with, however, is that dust which is respirable or small enough to enter the lungs since it is trapped by the nasal passages. It was not until the early 1970s that scien tists confirmed the existence of a link be tween cotton dust and respiratory problems among some textile employees. While little is known about the active substance or sub stances that may cause byssinosis, most sci entists believe that tiny particles of the leaf like trash from the cotton plant contain the harmful agents. It is known that the cotton fiber itself is not harmful. The majority of employees exposed to cot ton dust do not show any reaction at all. While the exact number is unknown, studies conducted since the 1970s show that less than 5 percent of those tested react abnor mally to cotton dust exposure. These same tests show that almost all persons who react are smokers. This is an important point to remember if you smoke, since it is well documented that smoking Service Anniversaries 5 Years Stephen E. Floyd Bailey Gloria Pressley No. 2 Cheryl Sentell Data Processing James D. Barton ..Engineering William E. Campbell No. 1 James D. Wyatt No. 2 Aaron Thompson No. 1 Willie T. Brown Lydia Ronald Swindler No. 1 LarryCauble Bailey Mickey Tucker Bailey Sara Briggs Lydia Willie J. Grant, Jr 15 Years Elizabeth B. Price Betty J.Sumeral No. 2 Linda Davis No. 1 Bennie Wilson No. 2 Audrey Estes Dorothy L. Simpson No. 2 James W. Long No. 2 Bryan E-Tumblin No. 2 Margaret Seay No. 2 Michael Entrekin No. 1 Richard Lewis No. 2 Harold Doolittle No. 2 Margaret Wyatt Bailey William L. Osborne ...Maintenance Thomas L. Wilson Bailey Venessa Leamon Lydia Calvin Miller Brian Pace Paul Cromer Lydia Dexter Darbins s Lydia Frances Parkman Ray Pyles Willie R. Greene Bailey Cathy Nance Bailey Ralph Sanders III No. 2 20 Years Van H. Lee No. 2 Deborah Steele No. 2 Theodore Rice No. 1 Robert A. Brewer No. 2 MaryE. Patterson Cindy Orr No. 2 Johnny C. Carter No. 2 John B. Smith Lou Watts No. 2 Anthony Gaines Bonnie Reed Sylvia Pulley Thomasina Hunter Fred Dickerson Alice F. Nelson Mildred Ramey MaryF. Curenton No. 2 Barry Templeton John E. Williams Angie Foggie Johnlusti Edna Sprouse Bailey AndyJ. McClean 30 Years Derita K. Dean Patrick Argenziane Ida C. Tapp No. 1 Alice F. Bennett Geneva Peggy Gilmer No. 2 Margarita T. Weeks Geneva Henry Finley No. 2 Leonard Cato Betty J. Tyson 10 Years 35 Years RuthT. Moore Office Dorothy K. Lanford No. 2 Betty J. Hill No. 1 Walter L. Heaton No. 2 Barbara S. Scott No. 1 John H. Campbell Willie C. Pitts Joan Brewington 40 Years Marcus Kinard Lydia James L. Price ...Maintenance Cecil T. Smith No. 2 Marshall Vaughan, Jr ...Maintenance Phillip Johnson No. 2 45 Years S.B. Hames No. 2 Joseph A. Wilkie A.M. Shumate makes any respiratory problem more severe. To provide for uniform methods of measuring and controlling employee expo sure, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has standards for textiles that process cotton. Clinton Mills complies with these requirements. A copy of the standard which went into effect March 27, 1980, is available for re ference at any time by employees. The standard provides for specific mea sures to be taken in seven areas as follows: EXPOSURE MONITORING TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF DUST EXPOSURE IN EACH PROCESSING AREA OF THE PUNT — Dust levels are monitored by an instru ment known as a vertical elutriator. This instrument collectsand measures respirable cotton dust over a six hour period to deter mine eight hour, time weighted exposure. Measurements of dust levels throughout the plant are taken as required. Employees are advised of the dust levels to which they are exposed. ENGINEERING CONTROLS TO COLLECT THE DUST BEFORE IT CAN ESCAPE INTO THE WORK AREA — The purpose of the engineering controls is to collect the dust at the point where it is generated and then filter the dust out of the air, so that the air returned to the work area is clean and dust-free. WORK PRACTICES — Work practices to insure that generation of dust is minimized when handling cotton are well established. A written work practices manual is main tained outlining specific work rules and pro cedures applicable to your individual work areas. These are simply a set of common sense rules which will minimize your expo sure to cotton dust. Here are a few of these rules: 1. Compressed air cleaning of machinery will be prohibited where alternative means are feasible. 2. Where compressed air cleaning is the only alternative, respirators are to be worn by those employees performing the "blow down.” All other employees not involved in the cleaning operation will be required to leave the work area. 3. Cleaning of floors or clothing with com pressed air is also prohibited. 4. Floor sweeping will be done with brooms or plows in a way that minimizes stirring up dust that may be settled on the floor. 5. When cleaning lint traps, waste should be kept as far away from the face as possible. 6. Where feasible, vacuum collecting of waste may be done to avoid excessive hand ling of lint. 7. Another key part of work practices in volves routine maintenance to assure that all dust collection and ventilation systems are in proper working order. RESPIRATORS — Respirators are to be used in areas where it is not possible to reduce the dust level below permissible levels and during blow down operations. Persons required to wear respirators will be given a choice of type, and will be proper ly instructed in their use by their supervisor. If you have any problems wearing a respir ator, consult your supervisor. He will work with you on an individual basis to overcome the problem. TRAINING — Employee Education and Training to pro vide employees with information about the standard and what is being done to reduce exposure to cotton dust is repeated annually. MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE TO IDENTIFY THOSE PERSONS WHO REACT TO COT TON DUST AND PROVIDE CORRECTIVE MEASURES WHERE NECESSARY - Medical surveillance, or lung function testing, will be provided for all employees exposed to cotton dust. This is done by Clin ton's technicians in co-operation with ELB/ Monitor. The purpose of these tests is to identify those persons who react to cotton * dust, so that protective measures can be taken. The tests are conducted at the begin ning of the work week, depending on your shift schedule. Employees are asked to blow into a machine called a spirometer to deter mine lung capacity, and how much air they can exhale in one second. This test is done before you go on your shift. After a minimum of four hours, you will be tested again. Re sults of the first test will be measured against standards to see how you compare to an average person of your age, height and sex. The purpose of the second test is to detect any change in your lung function dur ing the shift. The breathing test will be repe ated at least annually. You will be advised if we detect any change in your respiratory function and we may require you to have a more detailed examination by a doctor. QUESTIONNAIRES — A medical questionnaire will be com pleted for each employee exposed to cotton dust. This questionnaire, along with our pul monary function tests, will aid in detecting any abnormal breathing or respiratory prob lems. You have the privilege of seeing your medical or test records at any time, but they will be otherwise confidential, except for au thorized persons who have responsibility for administering the program. 1 1 WE MAKE CLOTH THE AMERICAN WAT CLINTON MILLS