The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

30 The Health Bulletin June, 1951Engineering ServiceThe present emergency has imposedupon industry of North Carolina theburden of increasing production of materialsrequired in a program of nationaldefense. This has resulted in expansionof already existing productionfacilities and the establishment of newones. Associated with this expansion hasbeen the introduction of new processes,new materials, and personnel. These alwayscontribute to the problems of industrialhealth. These problems are beingstudied, in so far as resources ofthis Section permit. Many plants haveshown their interest in these problemsby calling on engineers of this Sectionfor assistance towards evaluating andcontrolling hazards which might impairthe worker's health. A staff of threeengineers was engaged in this work untilDecember 1950, when one memberwas recalled to military service. Due tolimited number of people with industrialhygiene engineering training andexperience, possibility of replacementappears remote.In July, the State Board of Healthcooperated with North Carolina Councilof Civil Defense by sending an industrialhygiene engineer to a five-weekscourse on radiological warfare, sponsoredby the Atomic Energy Commission,and held at Illinois Institute ofTechnology, Chicago.Following a plan to decentralize engineeringactivities of this Section, twomembers of the staff moved their headquartersto Charlotte where the City ofCharlotte furnished required office space.One engineer remained in Raleigh untilhis recall to military service. The plan,designed to better serve industry, isproving its value in having the advantageof an office more centrally locatedwith respect to the industrialized Piedmontsection of the state.A statistical summary of industrialhygiene engineering activities during theperiod covered by this report is presented.Industrial Hygiene EngineeringActivities for 1950I. FieldA. Plants visits 2701. Routine inspection 862. Special IndustrialHygiene surveys 126a. Samples atmosphericContaminants collected 283(1) Dust 243(2) Other 403. Number workers involved 5,7494. Field determinations 142I. LaboratoryA. Analyses 2041. Dust 182a. Particle count 137b. Particle size .c. Petrographic 92. Other contaminants 16III. MiscellaneousA. Reports 1261. Routine inspections 162. Special IndustrialHygiene surveys 1103. Monthly 124. Annual __ 1PUBLIC HEALTH STATISTICS—C. R.Council, ChiefThe Public Health Statistics Sectionhad its beginning with the reorganizationof the State Board of Health in-February 1950. The primary purpose inestablishing such a section was to centralize,in so far as practical, all statisticalactivities relating to the state publichealth program. As of the close ofthe year 1950, all or part of the PublicHealth Statistics Section performedstatistical activities for the followingsections:Maternal and Child HealthTuberculosis ControlCancerHeart DiseaseVenereal Disease ControlMental HealthAcute Communicable DiseaseAccident PreventionControl