The power of local action in occupational health: the adoption of local exhaust ventilation in the Chicago tuckpointing trade

Abstract

Background: Silica is a pervasive and potentially deadly occupational hazard in construction. The occupational risk posed by silica has long been known, but efforts to use engineering controls to minimize dust generation in tuckpointing operations, a masonry restoration specialty, have been slow.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to explore how local innovation in occupational safety and health may emerge, absent the establishment of national standards.

Method:This study uses a case study to explore the adoption of local exhaust ventilation in tuckpointing operations in the Chicago area. Sources of data for this research include interviews with a diverse range of key informants and the review of archival material.

Results: This case study found local unions, municipal regulators, contractors, and major public users of construction services played a central role in the events and milestones that led to the early adoption of local exhaust ventilation in Chicago. The adoption of local exhaust ventilation technology in Chicago demonstrates the potential for local actors to fill an important void when rulemaking in vital areas of occupational of health impedes effective national regulation.

Keywords:

• Silica
• Construction
• Occupational health
• Tuckpointing
• Local exhaust ventilation

Acknowledgments

We appreciate the assistance of the many contributors to our research, including the contractors who provided crucial insights into the reasons why local contractors did or did not institute controls during the roughly 20-year period we studied.

Charles Shields, formerly an OSHA area director, assistant regional administrator and Training Institute Director prior to retiring, provided us with a detailed timeline of OSHA’s and NIOSH’s work during the period of study, as well as documents that reflected the changes in construction practices and also served as a liaison to other OSHA personnel who were able to provide additional information.

Mike Hunt, who served as the Pointing, Caulking and Cleaning (PCC) Coordinator for the Bricklayers Administrative District Council #1 of Illinois prior to retiring, met with us over several years, referred us to contractors and discussed in detail his experiences and understanding of the Chicago tuck pointing industry including when he first saw the emergence of dust controls in his trade. He also introduced us to workers who participated in surveys and discussion groups giving us insight into the practices of contractors that went beyond that of those we interviewed. He, Safety Director of the International Masonry Institute, who worked closely with the researchers over many years and came out of the tuckpointing trade, assisted in facilitating these discussions. Jerry Scarano, Vice President of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers, introduced us to union leadership at the local level that opened the doors necessary to find the people with the experience and knowledge of tuck pointing to complete our research.

Tom Villanova, former President of the Chicago and Cook County Building and Construction Trades Council, provided us with a broad overview of the construction industry in Chicago as well as how the political landscape has changed over the past several decades. He also introduced us to other important union officials in the city and identified individuals in government who might be key research informants.

We acknowledge Sherri Wilson who contributed to the preparation of our manuscript and assisted in the logistical arrangements involved in our site visits to meet with case-study informants. This research was funded by CPWR – the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) through cooperative agreement OH009762 from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CPWR or NIOSH.

Notes

ⁱ Personal communication with C. Shields, July 15, 2013. These numbers were derived by identifying silica samples taken only between those dates, in Region V, Federal Inspections, Substance Code 9010, SIC codes 1500 thru 1799.