Abstract:
Objective To provide technical basis for the prevention of occupational diseases through evaluating the effect of dust ventilation facilities in an automobile manufacturing enterprise frame welding segment.
Methods Dust concentrations of welding fumes before and after ventilation were recorded from 14 welders by personal sampling for 6 hours and from 28 monitoring sites in the workshop by area sampling for 15 min. All data were analyzed using statistical software.
Results For the 14 welders, the difference in the time weighted average concentrations of welding fumes before and after using the dust ventilation facilities was not statistically significant (t=0.107, P=0.916 4), nor the difference in the exceeding rates (χ2=0.85, P=0.356 6). For the 28 monitoring sites, the difference in the short-time concentrations of welding fumes before and after using the dust ventilation facilities was not statistically significant (t=1.286, P=0.209 4), nor the difference in the exceeding rates (χ2=0.75, P=0.386 5).
Conclusion The dust ventilation facilities in the frame welding workshop fail to show expected effects. The enterprise should improve dust removal efficiency and protect the health of workers.