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plastic product manufacturing
Potential for Worker Exposure
Rubber products such as automobile tires, automotive and appliance
moldings, rubber bands, rubber gloves, and prophylactics are an
important part of modern life. However, production of these items
involves subjecting heterogeneous mixtures of hundreds of chemicals
to heat, pressure, and catalytic action during a variety of manufacturing
processes. As a result, the work environment may be contaminated
with dusts, gases, vapors, fumes, and chemical byproducts (e.g.,
Nnitrosamines). Workers may be exposed to these hazards through
inhalation and skin absorption during rubber processing and product
manufacturing. Physical hazards such as noise, repetitive motion,
and lifting may also be present. Health scientists have been challenged
to define these exposures and work conditions when investigating
the health of rubber products workers.
The rubber products manufacturing industry employs a considerable
number of workers. For example, in 1989, approximately 54,600
U.S. workers were employed in tire and inner tube production,
and 132,500 workers were employed in the manufacture of nontire
rubber products (Standard Industrial Classifications [SICs] 3021,
3052, 3053, 3061, and 3069; note that SICs 3021 and 3052 include
plastic products and cannot be subdivided [see Table 1]) [U.S.
Department of Commerce 1991].
Current Exposure Limits
Although the products and byproducts of tire and nontire rubber
manufacturing contain hundreds of chemicals, only a small proportion
of them are covered by applicable Federal occupational health
standards [29 CFR* 1910].
 Please Contact Us to discuss your plastic product manufacturing
needs. You design it, we build it.
plastic
product manufacturing
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