Industrial Hygiene Walk-Through Report of Pfizer, Inc., Victorville Plant, Victorville, California

摘要

As part of a preliminary study of the talc mining and milling industries (SIC-1499), a walk-through survey of the Victorville, California facility of the Pfizer Corporation was conducted to gather data for characterizing talc (14807966) composition in the United States. This mill has been in operation since the 1920s and currently custom grinds talcs and clays from six or seven different underground and open pit mines for use in ceramics, paints, plastics, and paper. There were 40 employees at the site on one of the three 8 hour shifts, 7 days a week. Stockpiled talc after being reduced in size in the primary crusher was fed into one of two Raymond Roller Mills where it was bagged or shipped in bulk by train or truck. If a finer product was desired the feed was also passed through a pebble mill before bagging. Most of the products were blends of talc. The primary hazards were excessive dust and noise exposure. The personnel records at the site included Social Security numbers, work histories, and lost time due to accidents from the beginning of 1961. The report recommends the institution of an audiometric hearing program, cleaning up of talc spills, and use of ventilation to reduce dust levels.