The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) announced on May 18, 1999 a comprehensive, voluntary work practice partnership between industry and government to maximize worker protection. The Health and Safety Partnership Program (HSPP) merges education and training for the manufacture, fabrication and installation of fiber glass, rock wool and slag wool products.
Charles N. Jeffress, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, lauded the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), the National Insulation Association (NIA) and the Insulation Contractors Association of America (ICAA) for developing this program that will help protect over 200,000 employees involved in the manufacture, handling, installation and removal of products containing fiber glass.
Johns Manville is one of the 15 major manufacturers who comprise NAIMA.
The HSPP, three years in the making, establishes a voluntary permissible exposure limit (PEL) for fiber glass exposure, makes comprehensive worksite recommendations for the proper and safe handling of insulation materials, and increases education and training programs for workers. All three organizations agreed to begin immediately implementing the HSPP provisions to achieve full compliance by 2003.
In addition, the HSPP:
- Establishes voluntary exposure limits of 1 fiber per cubic centimeter (f/cc) 8 hour time-weighted average for respirable synthetic vitreous fiber (SVF). Fiber glass is presently regulated as "nuisance dust" under a standard that allows up to about 50 f/cc.
- Increases respiratory protection by agreeing that workers wear NIOSH certified dust respirators when the PEL is exceeded or when performing certain tasks such as blowing insulation into attics and other places or when participating in demolition activities.
- Establishes exposure monitoring by NAIMA which will continue to develop a database of representative exposure limits for manufacturing and end-use applications for SVF.
For JM facilities, compliance with the HSPP simply means maintaining current work practices and current product stewardship policies. OSHA will continue to monitor and track fiber glass exposures to ensure workers in the fiber glass insulation and installation industries are sufficiently protected.
