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4038581 
Technical Report 
Walk-Through Survey Report: Control Technology Support for SENSOR at General Foundry Company, Flagtown, New Jersey, CT-171-16a 
O'Brien, DM; Froehlich, PA; Hall, RM 
1989 
NIOSH/00191016 
NIOSH 
CT-171-16a 
171-16 
A walk through survey was conducted at the General Foundry Company (SIC-3321), Flagtown, New Jersey for the purpose of evaluating control methods used to reduce worker risk of silicosis and to assist in developing similar programs for other similar factories. This facility was a family owned and operated business employing 20 to 22 hourly and eight salaried persons, one shift, 6 days a week. The facility was a job shop producing ferrous castings. Purchased scrap and graphite were stored inside the foundry adjacent to the furnace area. Two induction furnaces melted the scrap. Molds were produced in both green sand and furan no bake molding systems. After shakeout and cooling, castings were cleaned by steel shot in either a swing table or tumble blast abrasive cleaning cabinet. Potential hazards included exposure to crystalline silica (14808607), metals, decomposition products, carbon-monoxide (630080), alcohols, formaldehyde (50000), hydrogen-cyanide (74908), phenol (108952) and sulfur compounds. Engineering control methods included the substitution of front end loader sand handling with a large foundry grade vacuum system exhausting through appropriate filters to the outdoors. The use of ventilation to effect control was virtually impossible. For silica, olivine could be substituted in this foundry and this would reduce the incidence of silicosis. The authors recommend measures to improve local exhaust ventilation and general ventilation, and the use of good work practices.