Details - Public Health Image Library(PHIL)

ID#:

9619

Caption:

Vat containing an unidentified white substance in an unidentified factory in Indiana. The vat is equipped with a ventilation system. Skimming ladles are next to the vat. A worker wearing protective gloves is in the background of the photo. The photograph highlights the exhaust ventilation system of the operation. In the World War II years, personal protective equipment was the main way to protect workers from hazardous dusts and fumes, because engineering controls, such as ventilation systems, were too expensive to implement. After the war, it was more economically feasible for industries to install such exposure controls. The U.S. Public Health Service Industrial Hygiene Division surveyed industries such as this one around the nation after the war, to learn about and to show others improved and inadequate industrial safety and health practices.