(274h) Minimizing Potential Exposure to Nanomaterials in the Workplace through Process Design

This presentation will discuss various design (or re-design) options and engineering controls that can be implemented at industrial facilities to minimize the potential occupational exposures to nanomaterials. The basis for the work is contained within the NIOSH Prevention through Design program (PtD). The most effective means of preventing and controlling occupational injuries, illness, and fatalities is to ?design out? hazards and hazardous exposures from the workplace. There is a long history of designing for safety for the general public and to a lesser degree for workers. NIOSH has launched a comprehensive national strategy to implement a Prevention through Design (PtD) Initiative. The growing nanomaterials ?industry' presents an opportunity for occupational health and safety and chemical process design engineers to collaborate in a proactive and prospective manner to use PtD principles to help eliminate any potential worker and environmental exposures during the synthesis, manufacture, or use of engineered nanomaterials.