[Blue light hazards associated with crystal glassware production].

OBJECTIVES: In factories for glassware production, workers are exposed to intense visible light emitted from hot objects such as furnaces and molten glass. High exposure to short-wavelength visible light, called blue light, can cause photoretinopathy. The objective of this study was to quantify the blue-light hazards associated with glassware production. METHODS: Spectral radiances of walls and heating elements inside furnaces were measured, as well as those of molten glass placed inside furnaces in a factory producing crystal glass crafts. The factory had two reheating furnaces, three melting furnaces, and a furnace for preheating blowpipes. The effective radiances of the inner furnace walls, the heating elements, and the molten glass were calculated from the measured spectral radiances and compared with the threshold limit value (TLV) in accordance with ACGIH guidelines. The temperature of each light source was determined by comparing the measured spectral radiance with that of a black body. RESULTS: The measured effective radiances were in the range of 0.00498-0.708 mW/cm(2)sr and increased steeply with increasing light source temperatures in the range of 1,075-1,516 °C. The effective radiance of each light source was nearly equal to the effective radiance of the black body at the same temperature. CONCLUSIONS: The effective radiances of walls, heating elements, and molten glass inside the furnaces are lower than one tenth of the TLV for exposure durations longer than 10(4) s per day. Thus, it is not hazardous to view these light sources. However, the effective radiance at a higher light source temperature of approximately 1,800 °C will exceed the TLV. In this case, hot objects in a workplace for glassware production may present blue light hazards.

[Expertise level of occupational health physician, implementation of occupational safety and health management system (OSHMS) and occupational safety and health activity level in Japan in the companies listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange first section].

By enforcement of the revised Japanese Industrial Safety and Health Law on April, 2006, the implementation of OSHMS seems to be expanding and encouraged. In OSHMS of Japan, however, the occupational health aspects have not been put into operated, while only occupational safety aspects have been prioritized. To clarify the issues to deploy OSHMS with occupational health aspects, we conducted a mail survey of 1,581 companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Market First Section in December, 2004. The effective responses were 267 (16.9%). The number of companies which had installed OSHMS, those that planned to install OSHMS and those had no plan for OSHMS were 62 (23.2%), 82 (30.7%) and 123 (46.1%), respectively. Only 12 companies include the complete OH activities in the installed OSHMS. A significant relationship was observed among expertise of OH physicians, actual role and responsibility of OH physicians, installation of OSHMS and OH services quality level. To deploy OSHMS well-balanced for health and safety aspects in present Japan, it was suggested that the education regarding OH operation in OSHMS was necessary to the person in charge of OSHMS in each company, and the participation by OH physicians to operate OSHMS, especially OH physicians with expertise, was essential.