Evaluating OSHA's ethylene oxide standard: employer exposure-monitoring activities in Massachusetts hospitals from 1985 through 1993 LaMontagne, Anthony D. and Kelsey, Karl T. 1997, Evaluating OSHA's ethylene oxide standard: employer exposure-monitoring activities in Massachusetts hospitals from 1985 through 1993, American journal of public health, vol. 87, no. 7, pp. 1119-1125. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title Evaluating OSHA's ethylene oxide standard: employer exposure-monitoring activities in Massachusetts hospitals from 1985 through 1993 Author(s) LaMontagne, Anthony D. orcid.org/0000-0002-5811-5906 Kelsey, Karl T. Journal name American journal of public health Volume number 87 Issue number 7 Start page 1119 End page 1125 Total pages 6 Publisher American Public Health Association Place of publication Bethesda, Md. Publication date 1997 ISSN 0090-0036 Summary This study characterized exposure-monitoring activities and findings under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) 1984 ethylene oxide (EtO) standard. In-depth mail and telephone surveys were followed by on-site interviews at all EtO-using hospitals in Massachusetts (n = 92, 96% participation rate). By 1993, most hospitals had performed personal exposure monitoring for OSHA's 8-hour action level (95%) and the excursion limit (87%), although most did not meet the 1985 implementation deadline. In 1993, 66% of hospitals reported the installation of EtO alarms to fulfill the standard's "alert" requirement. Alarm installation also lagged behind the 1985 deadline and peaked following a series of EtO citations by OSHA. From 1990 through 1992, 23% of hospitals reported having exceeded the action level once or more; 24% reported having exceeded the excursion limit; and 33% reported that workers were accidentally exposed to EtO in the absence of personal monitoring. Almost a decade after passage of the EtO standard, exposure-monitoring requirements were widely, but not completely, implemented. Work-shift exposures had markedly decreased since the mid-1980s, but overexposures continued to occur widely. OSHA enforcement appears to have stimulated implementation. Language eng Field of Research 119999 Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified Socio Economic Objective 970111 Expanding Knowledge in the Medical and Health Sciences HERDC Research category C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30065777 Document type: Journal Article Collection: School of Health and Social Development Related Links Link Description Connect to published version (restricted access) Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Tue, 16 Sep 2014, 14:31:42 EST Fri, 19 Sep 2014, 11:08:21 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 0 times in TR Web of Science Cited 8 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 302 Abstract Views, 1 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Tue, 16 Sep 2014, 14:31:42 EST

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