WD 501‐3 Cross‐shift Airway Responses and Long‐term Decline in FEV1 Among Wood Dust Exposed Workers

WD 501‐1 Estimation of Wood Dust Exposure in Small and Medium‐Sized Companies in Germany J. Schulze, Berufsgenossenschaft Holz und Metall, Bielefeld, Germany. Situation/problem: To estimate the exposure of wood workers in their working areas the Holz‐Berufsgenossens‐ chaft (the German woodworking industry’s institution for statutory accident insurance) is carrying out a wood dust measurement project in small and medium‐sized companies. Resolution: In the current German Technical Regulation for Hazardous Substances (TRGS) 553 “wood dust,“ the former substance‐ and procedure‐specific criteria to permanently safeguard compliance with the OEL were implemented as recommendations. Participating companies have to comply with the latest and best technology according to these recommendations in the TRGS 553. Measurements are carried out according to the European Standard 481 (sampling the inhalable fraction) during a half‐shift period. Results: On average, the exposure of workers in their working areas is about or just below 2mg/m3. It depends on whether they are doing all work form cutting to completion using stationary and hand‐held wood working machinery with relatively short machine running times on one hand, or working for instance with a hand‐held orbital sander for some more hours per shift on the other hand. In the first case wood dust concentrations were just below 2 mg/m3 in the second concentrations raised above 2 mg/m3. Long machine running times for instance at horizontal beam panel saws, computer numerically controlled routers, hand‐held belt or orbital sanders resulted in a rise of wood dust concentration in the working area. Lessons learned: The results indicate that the limit of what technically can be done has already been reached. The final option is the reduction of machine running times by job rotation or the use of personal protective equipment. In summary, it can be stated that at the moment a realistic wood dust concentration (OEL) of 2 mg/m3 for both hard‐ and softwood wood dusts is realizable in Germany.