ASBESTOS EXPOSURE

ASBESTOS EXPOSURE

Asbestos is a silicate mineral, a fibrous, naturallyoccurring material of varying chemical compositions.Asbestos is used in well over 3,000 products includingbuilding materials and goods.

Severe lung disease can be caused by asbestos, such asasbestosis and/or cancer, through the inhalation ofexcess quantities of the fiber. It usually takesseveral years for symptoms of asbestos diseases tobecome apparent.NOTE: It is the Company's policy toavoid working in areas where employees may be exposedto asbestos at levels above the OSHA established PEL.When that is not possible, this section and SafetyProcedure SP-007 should be followed.)

The current allowable level of asbestos (PEL) in theair established by the Occupational Safety and HealthStandards is .2 fibers per cubic centimeter greaterthan 5 microns in length in an 8 hour tirne-weightedaverage. A short term (excursion) limit of 1.0 fiberper cubic centimeter of air (I f/cc) as averaged overthirty (30) minutes has also been established.

Control of the exposure to asbestos can take severalroutes. Substitute another product that will do thesame job; use personal protective equipment such asNIOSH-MESA approved respirators; use adequateventilation equipment before the fibers reach thebreathing zone of the workers; practice goodhousekeeping by removing accumulated and settled dustby HEPA vacuum cleaning; and wet the product toprevent expulsion of the dust into the air that theworkers breathe.

To prevent contamination away from the work place,clothes the workers wear should not be laundered athome. The clothing should be handled at the work placewhere workers are required to change to streetclothing and shower facilities are available.

Any employee that is exposed to asbestos fibers inexcess of the above specified limits will be notifiedin writing of the exposure as soon as practical butnot later than five (5) days of the findings.

Each employee exposed to airborne concentrations ofasbestos fiber in excess of the limits specified abovewill be provided with medical examination relative tothis exposure. The initial medical examination will begiven within 30 days of the initial exposure that willinclude as a minimum a chest roentgenogram, a historyto list symptomatology of respiratory disease, and thepulmonary function test to include forced vitalcapacity (FVC) forced expiratory volume at one second(FEV Sub. 1.0). These employees will also be givenannual medical evaluations thereafter.

Records shall be maintained of all medicalexaminations administered to employees. These recordswill be maintained for at least 30 years.