(1) Scope and application.
(a) This section includes requirements for the control of employee exposure to vinyl chloride (chloroethene), Chemical Abstracts Service Registry No. 75014.
(b) This section applies to the manufacture, reaction, packaging, repackaging, storage, handling or use of vinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride, but does not apply to the handling or use of fabricated products made of polyvinyl chloride.
(c) This section applies to the transportation of vinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride except to the extent that the department of transportation may regulate the hazards covered by this section.
(2) Definitions.
(a) Action level. A concentration of vinyl chloride of 0.5 ppm averaged over an eight-hour work day.
(b) Authorized person. Any person specifically authorized by the employer whose duties require them to enter a regulated area or any person entering such an area as a designated representative of employees for the purpose of exercising an opportunity to observe monitoring and measuring procedures.
(c) Director. The director of department of labor and industries or their designated representative.
(d) Emergency. Any occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, or operation of a relief device which is likely to, or does, result in massive release of vinyl chloride.
(e) Fabricated product. A product made wholly or partly from polyvinyl chloride, and which does not require further processing at temperatures, and for times, sufficient to cause mass melting of the polyvinyl chloride resulting in the release of vinyl chloride.
(f) Hazardous operation. Any operation, procedure, or activity where a release of either vinyl chloride liquid or gas might be expected as a consequence of the operation or because of an accident in the operation, which would result in an employee exposure in excess of the permissible exposure limit.
(g) Polyvinyl chloride. Polyvinyl chloride homopolymer or copolymer before such is converted to a fabricated product.
(h) Vinyl chloride. Vinyl chloride monomer.
(3) Permissible exposure limit.
(a) No employee may be exposed to vinyl chloride at concentrations greater than 1 ppm averaged over any 8-hour period, and
(b) No employee may be exposed to vinyl chloride at concentrations greater than 5 ppm averaged over any period not exceeding 15 minutes.
(c) No employee may be exposed to vinyl chloride by direct contact with liquid vinyl chloride.
(4) Monitoring.
(a) A program of initial monitoring and measurement must be undertaken in each establishment to determine if there is any employee exposed, without regard to the use of respirators, in excess of the action level.
(b) Where a determination conducted under subdivision (a) of this subsection shows any employee exposures without regard to the use of respirators, in excess of the action level, a program for determining exposures for each such employee must be established. Such a program:
(i) Must be repeated at least monthly where any employee is exposed, without regard to the use of respirators, in excess of the permissible exposure limit.
(ii) Must be repeated not less than quarterly where any employee is exposed, without regard to the use of respirators, in excess of the action level.
(iii) May be discontinued for any employee only when at least two consecutive monitoring determinations, made not less than five working days apart, show exposures for that employee at or below the action level.
(c) Whenever there has been a production, process or control change which may result in an increase in the release of vinyl chloride, or the employer has any other reason to suspect that any employee may be exposed in excess of the action level, a determination of employee exposure under subdivision (a) of this subsection must be performed.
(d) The method of monitoring and measurement must have an accuracy (with a confidence level of 95 percent) of not less than plus or minus fifty percent from 0.25 through 0.5 ppm, plus or minus thirty-five percent from over 0.5 ppm through 1.0 ppm, plus or minus twenty-five percent over 1.0 ppm, (methods meeting these accuracy requirements are available from the director).
(e) Employees or their designated representatives must be afforded reasonable opportunity to observe the monitoring and measuring required by this subsection.
(5) Regulated area.
(a) A regulated area must be established where:
(i) Vinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride is manufactured, reacted, repackaged, stored, handled or used; and
(ii) Vinyl chloride concentrations are in excess of the permissible exposure limit.
(b) Access to regulated areas must be limited to authorized persons.
(6) Methods of compliance. Employee exposures to vinyl chloride must be controlled to at or below the permissible exposure limit provided in subsection (3) of this section by engineering, work practice, and personal protective controls as follows:
(a) Feasible engineering and work practice controls must immediately be used to reduce exposures to at or below the permissible exposure limit.
(b) Wherever feasible engineering and work practice controls which can be instituted immediately are not sufficient to reduce exposures to at or below the permissible exposure limit, they must nonetheless be used to reduce exposures to the lowest practicable level, and must be supplemented by respiratory protection in accordance with subsection (7) of this section. A program must be established and implemented to reduce exposures to at or below the permissible exposure limit, or to the greatest extent feasible, solely by means of engineering and work practice controls, as soon as feasible.
(c) Written plans for such a program must be developed and furnished upon request for examination and copying to the director. Such plans must be updated at least every six months.
(7) Respiratory protection.
(a) General. For employees who use respirators required by this section, the employer must provide each employee an appropriate respirator that complies with the requirements of this section.
(b) Respirator program. The employer must develop, implement, and maintain a respiratory protection program as required in chapter
296-842 WAC, Respirators, which covers each employee required by this chapter to use a respirator. Exception: The requirements in WAC
296-842-13005 that address change out of vapor or gas respirator cartridges or canisters.
(c) Respirator selection. The employer must:
(i) Select and provide to employees appropriate respirators as specified in this section and WAC
296-842-13005 in the respirator rule.
(ii) Provide organic vapor cartridges that have a service life of at least one hour when employees use air-purifying respirators in vinyl chloride concentrations up to 10 parts per million (ppm).
(iii) Make sure the following respirators, when selected, are equipped with a canister with a service life of at least four hours when used in vinyl chloride concentrations up to 25 ppm:
(A) Helmet, hood, or full-facepiece PAPRs; or
(B) Gas masks with a front- or back-mounted canister.
(d) Where air-purifying respirators are used:
(i) Air-purifying canisters or cartridges must be replaced prior to the expiration of their service life or the end of the shift in which they are first used, whichever occurs first, and
(ii) A continuous monitoring and alarm system must be provided when concentrations of vinyl chloride could reasonably exceed the allowable concentrations for the devices in use. Such system must be used to alert employees when vinyl chloride concentrations exceed the allowable concentrations for the devices in use, and
(iii) Respirators specified for higher concentrations may be used for lower concentration.
(8) Hazardous operations.
(a) Employees engaged in hazardous operations, including entry of vessels to clean polyvinyl chloride residue from vessel walls, must be provided and required to wear and use;
(i) Respiratory protection in accordance with subsections (3) and (7) of this section; and
(ii) Protective garments to prevent skin contact with liquid vinyl chloride or with polyvinyl chloride residue from vessel walls. The protective garments must be selected for the operation and its possible exposure conditions.
(b) Protective garments must be provided clean and dry for each use.
(c) Emergency situations. A written operational plan for emergency situations must be developed for each facility storing, handling, or otherwise using vinyl chloride as a liquid or compressed gas. Appropriate portions of the plan must be implemented in the event of an emergency. The plan must specifically provide that:
(i) Employees engaged in hazardous operations or correcting situations of existing hazardous releases must be equipped as required in (a) and (b) of this subsection;
(ii) Other employees not so equipped must evacuate the area and not return until conditions are controlled by the methods required in subsection (6) of this section and the emergency is abated.
(9) Training. Each employee engaged in vinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride operations must be provided training in a program relating to the hazards of vinyl chloride and precautions for its safe use.
(a) The program must include:
(i) The nature of the health hazard from chronic exposure to vinyl chloride including specifically the carcinogenic hazard;
(ii) The specific nature of operations which could result in exposure to vinyl chloride in excess of the permissible limit and necessary protective steps;
(iii) The purpose for, proper use, and limitations of respiratory protective devices;
(iv) The fire hazard and acute toxicity of vinyl chloride, and the necessary protective steps;
(v) The purpose for and a description of the monitoring program;
(vi) The purpose for and a description of, the medical surveillance program;
(vii) Emergency procedures:
(A) Specific information to aid the employee in recognition of conditions which may result in the release of vinyl chloride; and
(B) A review of this standard at the employee's first training and indoctrination program, and annually thereafter.
(b) All materials relating to the program must be provided upon request to the director.
(10) Medical surveillance. A program of medical surveillance must be instituted for each employee exposed, without regard to the use of respirators, to vinyl chloride in excess of the action level. The program must provide each such employee with an opportunity for examinations and tests in accordance with this subsection. All medical examinations and procedures must be performed by or under the supervision of a licensed physician and must be provided without cost to the employee.
(a) At the time of initial assignment, or upon institution of medical surveillance;
(i) A general physical examination must be performed with specific attention to detecting enlargement of liver, spleen or kidneys, or dysfunction in these organs, and for abnormalities in skin, connective tissues and the pulmonary system (see Appendix A).
(ii) A medical history must be taken, including the following topics:
(A) Alcohol intake,
(B) Past history of hepatitis,
(C) Work history and past exposure to potential hepatotoxic agents, including drugs and chemicals,
(D) Past history of blood transfusions, and
(E) Past history of hospitalizations.
(iii) A serum specimen must be obtained and determinations made of:
(A) Total bilirubin,
(B) Alkaline phosphatase,
(C) Serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (SGOT),
(D) Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), and
(E) Gamma glustamyl transpeptidase.
(b) Examinations provided in accordance with this subdivision must be performed at least:
(i) Every six months for each employee who has been employed in vinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride manufacturing for ten years or longer; and
(ii) Annually for all other employees.
(c) Each employee exposed to an emergency must be afforded appropriate medical surveillance.
(d) A statement of each employee's suitability for continued exposure to vinyl chloride including use of protective equipment and respirators, must be obtained from the examining physician promptly after any examination. A copy of the physician's statement must be provided each employee.
(e) If any employee's health would be materially impaired by continued exposure, such employee must be withdrawn from possible contact with vinyl chloride.
(f) Laboratory analyses for all biological specimens included in medical examinations must be performed in laboratories licensed under 42 C.F.R. Part 74.
(g) If the examining physician determines that alternative medical examinations to those required by (a) of this subsection will provide at least equal assurance of detecting medical conditions pertinent to the exposure to vinyl chloride, the employer may accept such alternative examinations as meeting the requirements of (a) of this subsection, if the employer obtains a statement from the examining physician setting forth the alternative examinations and the rationale for substitution. This statement must be available upon request for examination and copying to authorized representatives of the director.
(11) Communication of hazards.
(a) Hazard communication – General.
(b) Chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors and employers must comply with all requirements of the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), WAC
296-901-140 for vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride.
(c) In classifying the hazards of vinyl chloride at least the following hazards are to be addressed: Cancer; central nervous system effects; liver effects; blood effects; and flammability.
(d) Employers must include vinyl chloride in the hazard communication program established to comply with the HCS, WAC
296-901-140. Employers must ensure that each employee has access to labels on containers of vinyl chloride and to safety data sheets, and is trained in accordance with the requirements of HCS and subsection (9) of this section.
(12) Signs.
(a) The employers must post entrances to regulated areas with legible signs bearing the legend:
DANGER
VINYL CHLORIDE
MAY CAUSE CANCER
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY
(b) The employer must post signs at areas containing hazardous operations or where emergencies currently exist. The signs must be legible and bear the legend:
DANGER
VINYL CHLORIDE
MAY CAUSE CANCER
WEAR RESPIRATORY PROTECTION AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IN THIS AREA
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY
(13) Labels.
(a) In addition to the other requirements in this section, the employer must ensure that labels for containers of polyvinyl chloride resin waste from reactors or other waste contaminated with vinyl chloride are legible and include the following information:
CONTAMINATED WITH VINYL CHLORIDE MAY CAUSE CANCER
(b) No statement shall appear on or near any required sign, label, or instruction which contradicts or detracts from the effect of any required warning, information, or instruction.
(14) Records.
(a) All records maintained in accordance with this section must include the name and Social Security number of each employee where relevant.
(b) Records of required monitoring and measuring and medical records must be provided upon request to employees, designated representatives, and the director in accordance with chapter
296-802 WAC. These records must be provided upon request to the director. Authorized personnel rosters must also be provided upon request to the director.
(i) Monitoring and measuring records must:
(A) State the date of such monitoring and measuring and the concentrations determined and identify the instruments and methods used;
(B) Include any additional information necessary to determine individual employee exposures where such exposures are determined by means other than individual monitoring of employees; and
(C) Be maintained for not less than 30 years.
(ii) Medical records must be maintained for the duration of the employment of each employee plus 20 years, or 30 years, whichever is longer.
(c) The employer must comply with any additional requirements set forth in chapter
296-802 WAC.
(d) Employees or their designated representatives must be provided access to examine and copy records of required monitoring and measuring.
(e) Former employees must be provided access to examine and copy required monitoring and measuring records reflecting their own exposures.
(f) Upon written request of any employee, a copy of the medical record of that employee must be furnished to any physician designated by the employee.
(15) Reports.
(a) Not later than 1 month after the establishment of a regulated area, the following information must be reported to the director. Any changes to such information must be reported within fifteen days.
(i) The address and location of each establishment which has one or more regulated areas; and
(ii) The number of employees in each regulated area during normal operations, including maintenance.
(b) Emergencies and the facts obtainable at that time, must be reported within twenty-four hours to the director. Upon request of the director, the employer must submit additional information in writing relevant to the nature and extent of employee exposures and measures taken to prevent future emergencies of similar nature.
(c) Within ten working days following any monitoring and measuring which discloses that any employee has been exposed, without regard to the use of respirators, in excess of the permissible exposure limit, each such employee must be notified in writing of the results of the exposure measurement and the steps being taken to reduce the exposure to within the permissible exposure limit.
(16) Appendix A supplementary medical information.
When required tests under subsection (10)(a) of this section show abnormalities, the tests should be repeated as soon as practicable, preferably within three to four weeks. If tests remain abnormal, consideration should be given to withdrawal of the employee from contact with vinyl chloride, while a more comprehensive examination is made.
Additional tests which may be useful:
(a) For kidney dysfunction: Urine examination for albumin, red blood cells, and exfoliative abnormal cells.
(b) Pulmonary system: Forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume at one second, and chest roentgenogram (posterior-anterior, 14 x 17 inches).
(c) Additional serum tests: Lactic acid dehydrogenase, lactic acid dehydrogenase isoenzyme, protein determination, and protein electrophoresis.
(d) For a more comprehensive examination on repeated abnormal serum tests: Hepatitis B antigen, and liver scanning.