ENGINEERING CONTROLS AS AN INTERVENTION TO REDUCE WORKER EXPOSURE

The implementation of controls to reduce worker exposure should be con sidered the ultimate goal of any successful industrial hygiene program , The industrial hygiene literature has consistently described a hiera rchy of controls, consisting first of the engineering controls (substi tution, isolation, ventilation), and followed by administrative contro ls (personal protective equipment, worker education, scheduling, etc.) . Recently, exhaust ventilation has been the most popular form of engi neering control technology for controlling exposure to airborne contam inants, The use of ventilation to control exposures is not without its problems, however and many of these problems potentially are more sev ere in smaller companies. This paper proposes a new emphasis on the fi rst control in the hierarchy, substitution. Historically, substitution has meant the substitution of a hazardous chemical or process by one that is less so. This definition is too restrictive; because of this, it is proposed instead to use the term process change, defined as the we of any process modifications that serve to reduce worker exposure. The advantages and disadvantages of the process change approach are di scussed and are illustrated with case studies. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, In c.