The employer was unaware of the significance of any trace fumes in the welding process. Accuride Precision Ball Bearing Slides are intended to be screw mounted rather than welded in place. Accordingly, the manufacturer does not supply Material Safety Data Sheets as the slides are not deemed a hazardous chemical when used as intended. He was told that the strips did not contain zinc. The supervisor was unable as were the employees to consult any MSDS materials.
Motor homes are spray painted in a paint booth area.
Paint is mixed right at the work site and poured directly into the containers on the spray guns and applied. Pigments and solvents are purchased by the employer from manufacturers in 50-gallon drums. The principal substances involved, xylene, ethyl glycol and butyl acetate, are highly flammable and tend to evaporate rapidly. These solvents were kept in a refrigerator near the paint booth to slow down the evaporative process. Several paint crew workers would move back and forth from their painting and mixing duties to these interim storage containers on a regular basis during the work day.