Inspection Detail

Inspection: 100031947 - C.F. Hoeckel Company

Inspection Information - Office: Denver Area Office

Investigation Summary

For 30 years, Employee #1 was a pen-ruler for a custom print shop. During this time, he used AZO dyes and aniline-based dyes for the line inks that produce multi-colored, lined, and margined paper for county ledgers and other specialty orders. The two hard wood pen ruling machines were built around the early 1900s and had no other identifying labels. Employee #1 used benzene, alcohol, and other solvents to perform cleaning operations and to ensure proper pen flow. He did not use gloves and often used a spray mist cleaner that contained benzene. In the area where Employee #1 worked there was no local exhaust ventilation and he was never trained on the hazards of benzene. A drum containing benzene that had been on the premises for years had no hazard warning and no monitoring had been conducted to determine employee exposure. Employee #1 was diagnosed as having aplastic anemia on January 27, 1988. He died on April 11, 1988. The autopsy indicated that benzene exposure was related to his death.

Keywords: BENZENE, VENTILATION, PPE, GLOVE, OVEREXPOSURE, UNTRAINED, WARNING SIGN