Personal Injury Law

Iowa Workers' Compensation - PERC - Part IX - Drycleaning Waterproofing

By Steve Lombardi

Waterproofing - Clients will know if the drycleaner where they work offers this service, if they perform waterproofing and how they do it. This same type of process used to be used in automotive repair shops to clean carburetors, causing nervous disorders to exposed workers.

Some drycleaning shops do not offer a waterproofing service. Additionally, many shops that do perform waterproofing do not use the dip-tank method. Of those that do offer this service, operator exposures are high because the operator is working over an open tank of PERC combined with small quantities of other chemicals used to waterproof clothing. The clothing is usually dipped into the PERC solution, raised, and allowed to drain. It is then hand carried to a drycleaning machine. There may be no local ventilation during this task. Of those tested by NIOSH the highest average exposures (approximately 150 ppm) occurred when the clothing was put into the drycleaning machine. The greatest integrated exposure to PERC occurred when the clothing was scrubbed at the waterproofing barrel. Because this activity took longer than any other single task (approximately 140 seconds), the average exposure was relatively high (approximately 100 ppm).

This is a high risk exposure job. Obviously you have to know what personal protective equipment is used, whether maintained and if properly fitted. Look at the equipment, examine it, and don't assume it all works as expected or intended.

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on February 10, 2008 (boomark / email).