You Have Rights to Monitor Air Quality

Story by Mike Rosenbaum and Andy Comai

UAW members work in a variety of facilities--from auto plants to office buildings, health care sites to universities. But the employees at these different workplaces all have one need in common: clean air.

This concern isn’t limited to factories. UAW clerical and professional workers employed in office buildings near New York’s World Trade Center site complained about a variety of problems after Sept. 11, ranging from sore throats and burning eyes to asthma reactions.

Dr. Dennis O’Brien, an industrial hygienist (IH) with the UAW Health and Safety Department, tested the air in those Manhattan offices. The on-the-spot results showing low dust levels provided some comfort to the workers. Recommendations were then made on how to keep dust levels down.

The Health and Safety Department at UAW-GM runs an IH tech program that’s jointly funded by the union and the company. At a typical GM facility, an IH tech establishes an air sampling plan, identifies areas where workers may be exposed to contaminants, monitors air quality and responds to complaints.

“If a hazard is found,” explains UAW Local 594 member Jim Clifton, a longtime IH tech at GM, “the air sampling results can be used to identify where control measures need to be implemented, or what degree of respiratory protection is needed.”

At smaller worksites, chemical monitors can give instant results without the need to send samples to an outside lab. Local 174’s Brenda Spencer works in a plant where foam seats are made, using hazardous chemicals called isocyanates.

“We are very concerned about air quality in the plant,” Spencer explains. “The joint health and safety committee has agreed to monitor isocyanate air levels. Our workers can see the monitors near their work stations. But if they see or smell anything suspicious, they can call the health and safety representative who will come out immediately with a hand-held monitor and do additional sampling. This happens at least once a day, and sometimes more often if there’s a process upset. It really helps our members. It increases their level of trust because there is a fellow union member taking the sample, not an outside contractor or manager.”

Even if your contract doesn’t specifically allow the union to monitor air quality, you still possess important safety rights.

The law requires that air samples be taken and levels of contamination be determined before a worker is sent into a confined space or to clean up a spill. Systems that monitor oxygen and carbon monoxide, and test for the presence of explosive atmospheres, are required. Also, if specific chemicals are present in a confined space or spill area, the air must be sampled to determine what level of respiratory protection should be used.

The air sampling method selected should be appropriate to whatever hazard is present. Ask:

• If the American Board of Industrial Hygiene certifies the person collecting the sample.
• Is the person familiar with the processes used in your facility?
• Is there a union representative accompanying the hygienist who can explain your health concerns and the processes?
• Does the American Industrial Hygiene Association certify the laboratory performing the analysis?

Workers have the right to obtain the results of air samples taken at their work places, along with any subsequent reports. An industrial hygienist should review the results and make recommendations on how contaminant levels can be reduced.

The union can help make these recommendations a reality by pressing for safer chemical substitutes, cleaner processes, better ventilation enclosures or maintenance. The union should also inform its members about the results. It’s important for your safety committee to obtain all air sample results and reports for review.

Don’t trust your health to just anyone.