§ 1910.1029 Coke oven emissions.

(a) Scope and application. This section applies to the control of employee exposure to coke oven emissions, except that this section shall not apply to working conditions with regard to which other Federal agencies exercise statutory authority to prescribe or enforce standards affecting occupational safety and health.

(b) Definitions. For the purpose of this section:

Authorized person means any person specifically authorized by the employer whose duties require the person to enter a regulated area, or any person entering such an area as a designated representative of employees for the purpose of exercising the opportunity to observe monitoring and measuring procedures under paragraph (n) of this section.

Beehive oven means a coke oven in which the products of carbonization other than coke are not recovered, but are released into the ambient air.

Coke oven means a retort in which coke is produced by the destructive distillation or carbonization of coal.

Coke oven battery means a structure containing a number of slot-type coke ovens.

Coke oven emissions means the benzene-soluble fraction of total particulate matter present during the destructive distillation or carbonization of coal for the production of coke.

Director means the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, or his or her designee.

Emergency means any occurance such as, but not limited to, equipment failure which is likely to, or does, result in any massive release of coke oven emissions.

Existing coke oven battery means a battery in operation or under construction on January 20, 1977, and which is not a rehabilitated coke oven battery.

Rehabilitated coke oven battery means a battery which is rebuilt, overhauled, renovated, or restored such as from the pad up, after January 20, 1977.

Secretary means the Secretary of Labor, U.S. Department of Labor, or his or her designee.

Stage charging means a procedure by which a predetermined volume of coal in each larry car hopper is introduced into an oven such that no more than two hoppers are discharging simultaneously.

Sequential charging means a procedure, usually automatically timed, by which a predetermined volume of coal in each larry car hopper is introduced into an oven such that no more than two hoppers commence or finish discharging simultaneously although, at some point, all hoppers are discharging simultaneously.

Pipeline charging means any apparatus used to introduce coal into an oven which uses a pipe or duct permanently mounted onto an oven and through which coal is charged.

Green plush means coke which when removed from the oven results in emissions due to the presence of unvolatilized coal.

(c) Permissible exposure limit. The employer shall assure that no employee in the regulated area is exposed to coke oven emissions at concentrations greater than 150 micrograms per cubic meter of air (150 µg/m ), averaged over any 8-hour period.

(d) Regulated areas. (1) The employer shall establish regulated areas and shall limit access to them to authorized persons.

(2) The employer shall establish the following as regulated areas:

(i) The coke oven battery including topside and its machinery, pushside and its machinery, coke side and its machinery, and the battery ends; the wharf; and the screening station;

(ii) The beehive oven and its machinery.

(e) Exposure monitoring and measurement—(1) Monitoring program. (i) Each employer who has a place of employment where coke oven emissions are present shall monitor employees employed in the regulated area to measure their exposure to coke oven emissions.

(ii) The employer shall obtain measurements which are representative of each employee's exposure to coke oven emissions over an eight-hour period. All measurements shall determine exposure without regard to the use of respiratory protection.

(iii) The employer shall collect fullshift (for at least seven continuous hours) personal samples, including at least one sample during each shift for each battery and each job classification within the regulated areas including at least the following job classifications:

(a) Lidman;

(b) Tar chaser;

(c) Larry car operator;

(d) Luterman;

(e) Machine operator, coke side;

(f) Benchman, coke side;

(g) Benchman, pusher side;

(h) Heater;

(i) Quenching car operator;

(j) Pusher machine operator;

(k) Screening station operator;

(l) Wharfman;

(m) Oven patcher;

(n) Oven repairman;

(o) Spellman; and

(p) Maintenance personnel.

(iv) The employer shall repeat the monitoring and measurements required by this paragraph (e)(1) at least every three months.

(2) Redetermination. Whenever there has been a production, process, or control change which may result in new or additional exposure to coke oven emissions, or whenever the employer has any other reason to suspect an increase in employee exposure, the employer shall repeat the monitoring and measurements required by paragraph (e)(1) of this section for those employees affected by such change or increase.

(3) Employee notification. (i) The employer must, within 15 working days after the receipt of the results of any monitoring performed under this section, notify each affected employee of these results either individually in writing or by posting the results in an appropriate location that is accessible to employees.

(ii) Whenever such results indicate that the representative employee exposure exceeds the permissible exposure limit, the employer shall, in such notification, inform each employee of that fact and of the corrective action being taken to reduce exposure to or below the permissible exposure limit.

(4) Accuracy of measurement. The employer shall use a method of monitoring and measurement which has an accuracy (with a confidence level of 95%) of not less than plus or minus 35% for concentrations of coke oven emissions greater than or equal to 150 µg/m .

(f) Methods of compliance. The employer shall control employee exposure to coke oven emissions by the use of engineering controls, work practices and respiratory protection as follows:

(1) Priority of compliance methods—(i) Existing coke oven batteries. (a) The employer shall institute the engineering and work practice controls listed in paragraphs (f)(2), (f)(3) and (f)(4) of this section in existing coke oven batteries at the earliest possible time, but not later than January 20, 1980, except to the extent that the employer can establish that such controls are not feasible. In determining the earliest possible time for institution of engineering and work practice controls, the requirement, effective August 27, 1971, to implement feasible administrative or engineering controls to reduce exposures to coal tar pitch volatiles, shall be considered. Wherever the engineering and work practice controls which can be instituted are not sufficient to reduce employee exposures to or below the permissible exposure limit, the employer shall nonetheless use them to reduce exposures to the lowest level achievable by these controls and shall supplement them by the use of respiratory protection which complies with the requirements of paragraph (g) of this section.

(b) The engineering and work practice controls required under paragraphs (f)(2), (f)(3) and (f)(4) of this section are minimum requirements generally applicable to all existing coke oven batteries. If, after implementing all controls required by paragraphs (f)(2), (f)(3) and (f)(4) of this section, or after January 20, 1980, whichever is sooner, employee exposures still exceed the permissible exposure limit, employers shall implement any other engineering and work practice controls necessary to reduce exposure to or below the permissible exposure limit except to the extent that the employer can establish that such controls are not feasible. Whenever the engineering and work practice controls which can be instituted are not sufficient to reduce employee exposures to or below the permissible exposure limit, the employer shall nonetheless use them to reduce exposures to the lowest level achievable by these controls and shall supplement them by the use of respiratory protection which complies with the requirements of paragraph (g) of this section.

(ii) New or rehabilitated coke oven batteries. (a) The employer shall institute the best available engineering and work practice controls on all new or rehabilitated coke oven batteries to reduce and maintain employee exposures at or below the permissible exposure limit, except to the extent that the employer can establish that such controls are not feasible. Wherever the engineering and work practice controls which can be instituted are not sufficient to reduce employee exposures to or below the permissible exposure limit, the employer shall nonetheless use them to reduce exposures to the lowest level achievable by these controls and shall supplement them by the use of respiratory protection which complies with the requirements of paragraph (g) of this section.

(b) If, after implementing all the engineering and work practice controls required by paragraph (f)(1)(ii)(a) of this section, employee exposures still exceed the permissible exposure limit, the employer shall implement any other engineering and work practice controls necessary to reduce exposure to or below the permissible exposure limit except to the extent that the employer can establish that such controls are not feasible. Wherever the engineering and work practice controls which can be instituted are not sufficient to reduce employee exposures to or below the permissible exposure limit, the employer shall nonetheless use them to reduce exposures to the lowest level achievable by these controls and shall supplement them by the use of respiratory protection which complies with the requirements of paragraph (g) of this section.

(iii) Beehive ovens. (a) The employer shall institute engineering and work practice controls on all beehive ovens at the earliest possible time to reduce and maintain employee exposures at or below the permissible exposure limit, except to the extent that the employer can establish that such controls are not feasible. In determining the earliest possible time for institution of engineering and work practice controls, the requirement, effective August 27, 1971, to implement feasible administrative or engineering controls to reduce exposures to coal tar pitch volatiles, shall be considered. Wherever the engineering and work practice controls which can be instituted are not sufficient to reduce employee exposures to or below the permissible exposure limit, the employer shall nonetheless use them to reduce exposures to the lowest level achievable by these controls and shall supplement them by the use of respiratory protection which complies with the requirements of paragraph (g) of this section.