Cornerstone conducted personal exposure monitoring (for hexavalent chromium) in a laser cutting and welding operation. The client had indicated their expectations were that we would identify minimal exposure. With diligent industrial hygiene work and observations of actual operations, it was revealed that employees were working much closer to the laser operations particularly while cutting smaller parts. Results indicated an overexposure. Recommendations for increased ventilation and process changes were accepted and implemented; however, subsequent re-testing revealed that exposures were still too high. Further control measures, including PPE and equipment changes, were made to decrease exposure below the standard limits.
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Industry
Manufacturing
Services
  • Personal Exposure Assessment (Air)
  • Consulting on Personal Protective Equipment and OSHA Hierarchy of Controls

Results/Lessons Learned

This case reiterated that workers will sometimes develop their own methods for addressing an issue without a full understanding of exposure, which can negatively impact safety. In this case, the involvement of a qualified, third-party professional resulted in the observation of non-standard operations, which revealed significant safety issues.