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ANNEX L - CHAPTER 4

Human Safety Guidelines for the Use of

Microbial Control Agents in Meat and Poultry Abattoirs

¹ TLV-TWA is the time weighted average concentration for a conventional 8 hour workday and a 40 hour work week.

² TLV-STEL is defined as a fifteen minute TWA exposure which will not be exceeded at any time during the workday even if the 8 hour TWA is within the TLV-TWA.

³ The definition of heavy, moderate and light work pertaining to the ozone standards is not included here as it is quite complex. In general, heavy work is considered rare in the industry and would be found, for example, in a metal refinery (lifting of heavy charges in a hot and humid environment) and light work is usually limited to work performed in a sitting position. Therefore, a safe approach would be to choose a TLV of 0.08 ppm.

TLV’s included in this document are the 2000 TLV’s. For CFIA employees , who are under federal jurisdiction, the last version of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH’s) TLV Booklet should be used.

When aerosol tests are performed in the establishments where microbial control agents are used, such tests must yield results that are within a 10% precision from standard tests approved by the ACGIH or the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). For the above noted microbial control agents, such standards exist for chlorine and TSP. For ozone, direct monitoring devices need to be used. A variety of testing instruments are available on the market. For chlorine dioxide, the Gastek tube method or the OSHA method 202 may be used.

It should be noted that TLV-TWA standards are not environmental tests but apply to aerosol tests performed in the respiratory zone of the exposed worker over 8 hours (the test may need to be performed on more than one worker). The respiratory zone is defined by a half-sphere of a 30 cm radius for which the centre is the worker’s mouth. The TLV-STEL is to be considered only when exposure is above the TLV-TWA. Exposure above the TLV-TWA shall never last more than 15 minutes and shall not occur more than 4 times per day with at least 60 minutes between each exposure at that level.

It is important to note that the standards presented in this document are federal standards and that provincial standards may also apply to the use of these products. The Operator of a federally registered establishment is advised to consult the Work Compensation Board in his/her province.

For more information contact:

Mr. François de Mers
Industrial Hygiene Engineer
Human Resources Development Canada
Labour Program
Occupational Safety and Health and Fire Prevention Division
Technical Services Unit
Place du Portage, Phase II, 10^th Floor
165 Hôtel de Ville Street
Hull, Québec K1A 0J2
Tel: (819) 953-8657
Fax: (819) 997-6795
E-mail: francois.demers@hrdc-drhc.gc.ca