Posted: 6/14/2013 7:53:23 PM EDT
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Hey all,
Regular reader here, but as you can see by my post count I mostly just read others topics. Anyway here is the deal. I work for a very small machine shop, we do prototype work mostly with a small list of regular customers. A few weeks ago we started a part for a customer that is made of Berylium. I had never seen the stuff before and I wasn't going to be the one running the mill it was in, so I didn't think anything of it. Fast forward to a day ago, they finish the parts and swap the coolant in the mill because it is now contaminated with Be. So at this point I'm a little curios, so I look up the NIOSH and OSHA  
Then the supervisor tells me to help wipe the machine down from top to bottom then setup another part on that mill. I let him know that I wasn't real keen on having anything to do with that thing until it was properly cleaned.  He blows me off, tells me its not that toxic.
End of the shift he tells me I'm not working my overtime shift on Friday. Today, Friday I stop in to borrow the shop truck for an errand and everyone is there. WTF I'm venting here but really pissed about thier disregard for safety. This job pays well for the area, but it's not worth dying for! |
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The dust has to be pretty fine to be able to invest it far enough into the lungs to cause toxic problems.
The chips from a mill are way too large to be an issue. Plus the coolant does a good job at washing down and keeping any fine dust to a min. If they were grinding it or blasting it I would have an issue, milling not so much. I've worked around the stuff a fair amount. Most of the OMG were going to die is over hyped.... Though in the right conditions it is fucking nasty stuff. |
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According to the MSDS Beryllium isn't particularly toxic. There is a chronic condition but it seems to affect only those who regularly handle the powdered form of the metal.
Really, I think you'll be OK. |
| No grinding, but we are wet sandind for deburring. The features on these parts are small pockets and the tooling is all .062 endmills so the chips are fairly small. We are going to be doing more of this stuff and they probably wont even lay down some guidelines for the less experianced guys. |
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http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/beryllium/
pretty much what your safety manager is going to reference (if you have one) |
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Quoted:
No grinding, but we are wet sandind for deburring. The features on these parts are small pockets and the tooling is all .062 endmills so the chips are fairly small. We are going to be doing more of this stuff and they probably wont even lay down some guidelines for the less experianced guys. Wet sanding is safe. Hell, the MSDS recommends wet cleanup! If it's not airborne it's not a problem. |
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Quoted:
They have a box of latex gloves, but i'm the only one in the shop with a respirator. I am also the fab guy and do all the welding. I would say given the process you are talking about, that exposure to beryllium fine powder is probably not an issue. I would have worn a respirator and gloves anyway to limit my exposure if I was told to clean the machine. Your employer really needs to consider the matter carefully and make sure that whatever process they are using doesn't introduce a fine dust that could be inhaled. |
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Quoted:
Hey all, Regular reader here, but as you can see by my post count I mostly just read others topics. Anyway here is the deal. I work for a very small machine shop, we do prototype work mostly with a small list of regular customers. A few weeks ago we started a part for a customer that is made of Berylium. I had never seen the stuff before and I wasn't going to be the one running the mill it was in, so I didn't think anything of it. Fast forward to a day ago, they finish the parts and swap the coolant in the mill because it is now contaminated with Be. So at this point I'm a little curios, so I look up the NIOSH and OSHA
Then the supervisor tells me to help wipe the machine down from top to bottom then setup another part on that mill. I let him know that I wasn't real keen on having anything to do with that thing until it was properly cleaned. He blows me off, tells me its not that toxic.
End of the shift he tells me I'm not working my overtime shift on Friday. Today, Friday I stop in to borrow the shop truck for an errand and everyone is there. WTF I'm venting here but really pissed about thier disregard for safety. This job pays well for the area, but it's not worth dying for! You might wind up needing a new job, but that is far better than needing new lungs.
http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/oshahow2file.htm |
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Beryllium isn't "toxic" as long as you are careful. Don't inhale the dust, and if you get powder on your skin, wash it off.
I work with beryllium a bit since I sell it as an element sample, and it requires crushing it with a hammer. I'm probably not as careful as I should be with it. |
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I'm probably over reacting, all the blowing off of the parts and the cheap shopvac that is setup for wet pickup that they used to clean the sump out with probaly did a fine job. Not to mention they discovered that the TSC sustem didn't have a filter in it.
I will probably just let this pass but I know that these people won't be looking out for me. |
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There were/are a number of Dept of Energy workers that were exposed to Be making nuclear warheads and some of them went insane from Be exposure. I think that this was mostly in Oak Ridge TN. I think that some people are more susceptible to Be than others. Sarcoidosis is another concern when dealing with it.
You definitely need to protect yourself. |
