EPRI Occupational Health and Safety Research Program s/EEI Fall 2010/EPRI...Chemistry, Low-Level...

EPRI Occupational Health and Safety Research Program

Michael J. Miller

Director, Environment

Electric Power Research Institute

EEI Occupational Safety and Health Conference

Orlando, Florida

September 27, 2010

2© 2010 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

• Founded in 1973

• Collaborative R&D focused on electricity

industry issues

• Serving over 450 participants in over 42

countries

• U.S. members represent over 90% of

U.S. electricity generated

• Independent, non-profit center for public

interest energy and environmental

research

Electric Power Research Institute


Investor-Owned

64%

International

16%

Municipal

6%

Cooperative

4%

Independent Power

Producer

4%

Federal/State

6%

December 31, 2008

EPRI Membership Funding


Air Quality

Global Climate Change

Land and Groundwater

Occupational Health and

Safety

T&D Environmental Issues

Water and Ecosystems

Renewables

Sustainability

Environment

Transmission Lines and

Substations

Grid Operations and Planning

Distribution

Energy Utilization

Cross Cutting Technologies

Power Delivery & Utilization

Advanced Nuclear

Technology

Chemistry, Low-Level Waste

and Radiation Management

Equipment Reliability

Fuel Reliability

Instrumentation and Control

Material Degradation/Aging

Nondestructive Evaluation

and Material Characterization

Risk and Safety

Management

Used Fuel and High-Level

Waste Management

Nuclear Power

Advanced Coal Plants,

Carbon Capture and Storage

Combustion Turbines

Environmental Controls

Generation Planning

Major Component Reliability

Operations and Maintenance

Generation

Research Portfolio Spans the Entire Electricity Sector


EPRI OH&S Program

Mission

Provide tools that enable our members to maintain a healthy workforce and safe work environment

Scope

Occupational Injury Surveillance

Ergonomics Research

Occupational Exposure and Health

Employees are the most important assets of any company


Research Planning and Participation

• Business Area Council – Semiannual Meetings

– Safety professionals from participating companies

– Research planning and application of results

• Scientific Advisory Committee – Annual Meetings

– Academia

– Industry Experts

– EEI

• EPRI staff consolidate feedback and develop/implement the research program


Occupational Health and Safety Database


EPRI Occupational Health and Safety Database

Objectives

• Monitor injury trends

– Standardize data

– Quantify lost time & cost

– Identify predictors

– Strong analytical capability

– Long-term & industry-wide perspective

Current Status

• Data from 17 utilities

– ~1,500,000 person-years

– ~52,000 recordable and lost-time injuries

– 1995-2008

Analytical File

Injury Personnel

Injury

ReportsClaims

Personnel

Files


Database Use & Confidentiality Management

Components

– Continual Recruitment

– Annual Update of Database

– Annual Report

– Tailored Collaboration Projects

– Focused Special Analyses

Confidentiality

– Appropriate use of data

– Access to other researchers

– Reporting of events

– Identifiers removed

– Summary data set (not individually reported)


Years during which participating companies contributed data, 1995–2008


Distribution of Injuries by Occupation, 1995-2008


Injury Rate Trends Over Time by Occupation

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

Inju

ry R

ate

per 1

00 E

mpl

oyee

-Yea

rs

Year

Line Workers Mechanics Meter Readers Welders


Patterns of Injuries by Gender, 1995-2008


Medical Claims Costs, 1995-2008


Overall Injury Rates by Work Location


Special Activities and Projects

• Reliability measures and injury data

• Leading indicators (predictive of injury)

• Neck injuries among electric utility workers

• Evaluation of ergonomics intervention

• Injury rate during storm duty

• Injury rate by day of week

• Vehicle-related injury analysis


Potential for Collaboration

EEI and EPRI Injury Databases

• Complementary, not competing

– Serve different purposes

• Different design

– Both have strengths and limitations

– EEI broader coverage

– EPRI more analytical capability

• Goal: Mutually beneficial collaboration


Ergonomics


EPRI Ergonomics Program

Overview

• Ergonomics is the science of evaluating and designing work environments and products around the strengths and limitations of the human user

• EPRI Study Design:

– Laboratory testing (tools)

– Work simulation and testing

• Marquette University

• We Energies

– Site visits to other companies


EPRI Report

#1005199

November 2001

EPRI Report

#1005430

March 2004

EPRI Report

#1005574

March 2005

Ergonomics Handbooks – Distribution


Substations Ergonomics

• Five site visits, 2008-2010

• Ergonomic recommendations

– Maintenance

– Operations

– Engineering, Design

• New chapter in updated 2010 Distribution Handbook


Racking Breakers: Current Work Practice


Racking Breakers: Modified Racking Tool


Ergonomics Handbooks – Generation

EPRI Report

#1015631

November 2008

EPRI Report

#1014942

March 2008

EPRI Report

#1014042

January 2009


Ergonomics Instructional DVD


Ergonomics for Wind Farms

Background

• Wind farm projects and number of employees growing

Objectives

• Identify risk factors associated with construction and O & M

• Target key factors

• Minimize risk of injury


Ergonomic Design of Fleet Vehicles

Background

• $10-$100M annual cost per company

– Purchase & upfit

• Motor vehicles are major contributors to occupational injuries

• Problems

– Users not involved at purchase/retrofit

– Insufficient process for selection and purchase

– Lack of ergonomics guidelines for fleet vehicle designs

Poor ergonomics can be costly


Ergonomic Design of Fleet Vehicles

Objectives

• Ergonomic design specification

• Systematic process to select, purchase and maintain fleet vehicles

• Two handbooks

– Ergonomic design of vehicles

– Process guideline

Timeline

• Handbooks in 2011 and 2012

Poor ergonomics can be costly


Fleet Vehicle Ergonomics

• Define users’ needs

– Anthropometry

– Mobile computer study

– Ingress and egress

• Define needs of utility

– Minimize overall cost

– Standardize

– Affect process development

• Establish guidelines for design and process

– Decision models

– Critical dimensions (cab, storage, maintenance, information tech)


Issues Affecting Posture

Room for Stomach Room for Knees

Room for Feet

Storage

Laptop PCs and MDTs


Mobile Computer Laboratory Study

• To reduce injuries,

– Which laptop mounts to purchase?

– Where to position laptop wrt driver?

• Laboratory set-up at Marquette U

– Full-Size Chevy 1500 Silverado cab in lab

– 4 to 5 complete laptop PC mounts from Gamber-Johnson

• Gamber-Johnson has over 50% market share

• Methods

– Evaluate mounts on task by task basis using biomechanical measurements


Vegetation Management Ergonomics


Occupational Exposure and Health


Welding Fume Studies

Background

• 2006 OSHA Hex Chrome Exposure Standard

– Engineering exposure controls by 2010

– Requires exposure determination

• Measurements or use of “objective data”

Project Objective

• Assemble usable and useful “objective data”

• Appropriate documentation

• Categories by all relevant characteristics

– E.g., welding or cutting, chrome content of base metal and welding consumable, worker orientation, job description, ventilation, arc time, voltage

• Final Report Dec 2009 (PID 1019015)


GMAW (7%) Arc Gouge (10%)

SMAW (63%) GTAW (16%) FCAW (2%)

Types of Welding and Distribution of Personal Air Breathing Samples

LEV

H

M

L

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

H

M

L

% A

bo

ve P

EL

(5

ug

/m3 )

SMAW Combined Indoor and Outdoor, Consumable v. Ventilation v. % Above PEL


Welding Fumes Study—2010 and 2011 Plans

2010 and Beyond

• Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) assessment

– Ineffective if not used properly

– Perceived obstacles for use of LEV

• Potentially interferes with shield environment

• Poor quality welds

– Future work will address these issues, resulting in:

• Technical report

• Training video of proper LEV use

• Multiple metal exposure database

– Will accrue data on exposures and modifying factors for other metals (e.g., manganese, beryllium)

– Expansion of hex chrome work


Utility-wide Exposure Database

Project Objectives

• Leverages industrial hygiene sampling data of individual companies

• Prepares industry for potential future regulations

• Identifies data gaps in exposure monitoring

• Aids in hazard identification/exposure characterization

• Extends from pre-existing work e.g. Chromium (VI)

– Welding fumes multi-metals

– Include other physical, chemical, biological agents

Timeline

• Start in 2010


Future EPRI Research: Heat

Background

• Increase in unsafe acts

• New Cal OSHA proposed standards

Project Objectives

• Develop exposure estimation for typical utility work

• Link exposures to outcomes

– Existing databases injury/illness/productivity/quality

– Field study

Product

• Report

• Incorporate in to Exposure Database


Future EPRI Research: Noise

Background

• Hearing loss is preventable

• Accounts for 3% of total injuries

• Potential for hearing loss among individuals not participating in hearing conservation program

– Between 85-90 dB

Project Objectives

• Assess time vs. level

• Identify early indicators of noise-induced hearing loss

• Develop intervention strategies


Thank you!

Contact Information

Gabor Mezei, MD, Ph.D.

Program Manager

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

3420 Hillview Avenue

Palo Alto, CA 94304

www.epri.com

Phone: (650) 855-8908

[email protected]

EPRI Occupational Health and Safety Research Program s/EEI Fall 2010/EPRI...Chemistry, Low-Level...

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