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Occupational Health Risks and Safety Measures in Glass Manufacturing

This article discusses the occupational health risks associated with optical radiation exposure in glass manufacturing and provides safety measures to protect employees. It covers the statutory framework, EU requirements, production techniques, risk assessment, and health effects.

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Occupational Health Risks and Safety Measures in Glass Manufacturing

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  1. Introduction  Already end of the 18th century it was described, glass blowers often going blind. A long time thermal exposure (IR – radiation) was responsible for the opacity of lens – the „cataract“ (1925 acceptance as an occupational disease).  A pension for this occupational disease was payed ultimately 1992. Preventive measures stashed away this disease pattern.  To protect against optical radiation, today there are special safety glasses available which protect against increased IR- or UV-radiation arising at furnaces, flame polishing machines, burners for laboratory glass manufacturing.  New cognitions about the exposure of UV-radiation at glass manufacturing are available today. Possible sources for UV-radiation are all hot flames in the direct working-range of employees.  UV-radiation is mainly emitted by strong burners with big flames. The real problem of UV-radiation is the exposure to skin. To calculate the exposure by UV- radiation several measurements at different work places were carried out.

  2. Overview  Statutory framework  Requirements of the EU directive about optical radiation  Production techniques with the potential of increased UV-radiation  Risk potential of optical radiation for employees  Work places and exposition  Results of UV-radiation measurements  Conclusions and safety measures

  3. The statutory framework  In Germany, the Berufsgenossenschaften (BGs), are a federation of 26 sector based institutions in charge of workers´ compensation and associated preventive activities at the workplace. BGs are the social insurance organisations for occupational accidents and diseases.  The work of the Berufsgenossenschaften in Germany is also in line with the European „Healthy Workplace Initiative“  The EU directive 2006/25/EC about minimum requirements for protection of safety and health of employees…concerning physical exposures (artificial optical radiation) is one of four guidelines concerning the risk management and safety measures of physical impacts.  The statutory framework in Germany are the labour protections laws. The task of the BGs is to realize occupational health and safety in respect of certain exposures. BGI (Information) 5006: Exposition limit values for artificial optical radiation

  4. wavelength l in nm 100 280 315 380 780 1400 3000 1 000 000 UVC UVB UVA VIS IRA IRB IRC EU-directive 2006/25/EC; Optical radiation „each electromagnetical radiation with wavelength between 100 nm to 1 mm“

  5. Requirements of the EU-directive 2006/25/EC  Determination of the exposition  Risk assessment of the work place  To make arrangements • - Alternative working methods • - Technical measures • - Personal protective equipment • - Instruction • - Medical examination

  6. Health effects and damages caused by IR- and UV radiation • Eyes:  Photokeratitis  Konjunctivitis (pink eye)  Cataract (opacitiy of lens – irreversible thermal damaging of eyes of glassmakers (accepted occupational disease: BK-Nr. 2401) • Skin:  Erythem (actinodermatitis)  Elastosis (crincled and leather skin)  Skin cancer

  7. Biological effectivity of UV-radiation

  8. EU- and national limit-values for UV- and IR-radiation

  9. Measurement categories for UV-and IR-radiation Effective radiant flux density or irradiance (german: Bestrahlungsstärke) (radiation efficiency per unit of area)  Eeff (W/m2) irradiance Effective irradiation (german: Bestrahlung) Heff (J/m2) dose of radiation, irradiance x time

  10. Metrological principles Example: 1. Effective radiant flux density or irradiance: Eeff (W/m2) Measurement of Eeff is 200 W/m2 (IR), exposure time: 2 h (= 7200 sec.) 200 W/m2 x 7200 sec. = 1.440.000 J/m2 measured value complies with shift limit value of 3.000.000 J/m2 2. Vice versa, it´s easy to calculate how long does it last until the shift limit value is exceeded Measurement of Eeff is 200 W/m2 (IR), shift limit value is 3.000.000 J/m2 X sec = 3.000.000 J/m2 / 200 W/m2 X= 4 h 10 min

  11. Production techniques with burners for glass manufacturing Table burners are the most important tools for glassblowers manufacturing laboratory glass, burnertemperatures are in the range between 1200 and 1400°C (natural gas/air). The distance to radiation source is 10 to 30 cm (hands) and up to 50 cm (face). Erythem (redness of skin) is widespread! Hand burners Especially used of glass makers/blowers who manufacture quartz glass. It is a fusing process like welding of metals, Current is the application of hydrogen/oxygen with flame temperatures up to 2600°C, for special applications acetylene/oxygen is used, temperatures up to 2900°C. The distance to radiation source is 80 cm and more. Employees wear gloves, but forearms and face are normally not protected, but they wear safety glasses Burners at a lathe for glass These burners consist of several single burners operated with natural gas or hydrogen, big machines are enclosed because of heat and noise Flame polishing in tableware & crystal production The surface of glassware was often subsequently sealed by polishing burners to remove optical defects. Often used is natural gas, propane or hydrogen with air or oxygen. The employee is often in the band of radiation because of adjustments of the burners

  12. UV-radiation a glassmaker work place for laboratory apparatus Ambient conditions: strong flame, quartz glass 0.5 m distance Results: Eeff = 31.4 mW/m², 8 hours exposition: Heff = 904.3 J/m² Shift limit value UV: Heff(gw) = 30 J/m² Heff reach shift limit value after 16 min.

  13. UV-radiation a glassmaker work place for laboratory apparatus Ambient conditions: small flame, quartz glass, 0.5 m distance Results: Eeff = 3.8 mW/m² Heff reach shift limit value after 2 h 11 min.

  14. UV-radiation at a glassmaker work place for laboratory apparatus Ambient conditions: fine finishing with propangas, exposition to forearms, neck and face Employee is wearing safety glasses catagorie 2 (combined protection for UV and IR) and a mask as a protection against sublimated quartz Results: Eeff= 7.3 mW/m2 Heff reach shift limit value after 1 h 9 min

  15. UV-radiation at a machine work place for laboratory apparatus Ambient conditions: fusing of quartz tubes at a lathe, face area Results: Eeff = 27 mW/m² Heff reach shift limit value after 19 min.

  16. UV-adiation at a machine work place for laboratory apparatus Ambient conditions: Measurement with closed door Results: Eeff = 0.56 mW/m2 no exceeding of shift limit value Ambient conditions: Measurement with open door Results: Eeff= 27 mW/m2 Heff reach shift limit value after 19 min

  17. UV-radiation at a flame polishing machine Ambient conditions: flame polishing machine, operators panel Results: Eeff = 0.3 mW/m2 no exceeding of shift limit value Ambient conditions: flame polishing machine, area of burner Results: in 2m distance: Eeff = 4.6 mW/m2 Heff reach shift limit valure after 1 h 37 min in 1m distance: Eeff = 23.4 mW/m2 Heff reach shift limit value after 22 min

  18. UV-radiation at a flame polishing machine for press glass Ambient conditions: flame polishing, big flame,1.0 m distance Results: Eeff = 23.4 mW/m² Heff reach shift limit value after 22 min.

  19. UV-radiation at a flame polishing machine Ambient conditions: flame polishing, big flame,1.5 m distance Results: Eeff = at detection limit Heff reach shift limit value after 335 min.

  20. UV-radiation at a flame polishing machine Ambient conditions: flame polishing, big flame,1.5 m distance Results: Eeff = at detection limit Heff reach shift limit value after 540 min.

  21. Interpretation of results - Summary • When heating glass with burners, UV- and IR-radiation is emerging. The amount of UV radiation was underestimated so far. • Face, neck, hands, forearms and eyes can be exposed to optical radiation (UV and IR). • Results of exemplary measurements showed, UV-radiation at glass manufacturing is very high. The exposition limit value (30 J/m2) for a 8 h shift was exceeded in most cases. Therefore a risk analysis of the working areas concerning UV-radiation is required. • Summing up, I would like to stress three items; the intensity of UV-radiation depends mainly on: • the intensity of the flame • the distance to the radiation source  the exposition time • The different work places allows a classification in hand-operated and machine-supported techniques. Because of exceeding limit values in a short time, specific safety measures are required

  22. Safety measures • Choosing safety measures, principally technical and organizational measures have • priority to personal protection equipment  Shielding of radiation sources (technically easy at maschines: shields, curtains)  Shortening the exposition time near the radiation source  Increasing the distance to radiation source  Employees have to wear personal protective equipment (safety glasses: DIN EN 171) or face visor – problem are face, neck, hands and forearms: they are directly exposed to UV radiation – skin protection by suitable clothing; application of sunscreen creames for uncovered skin  Labeling of workplace and instruction of employees

  23. Acknowledgements BG fine mechanics and electrical engineering (Dipl. Ing. M. Brose) BG glass ceramics (Dipl. Biol. H. Böcker) VBG (Dipl. Ing. Völker) Thank you for your attention

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