Glass Industry

GLASS, CERAMICS AND

RELATED MATERIALS

glass

brick and tile

synthetic vitreous fibres

refractories

pottery

synthetic gems

ceramic tile

optical fibres.

industrial ceramics

Common Processes and

Hazards

Batch raw material processes

Firing or melting processes
Material handling in production,
fabrication, packaging and
warehousing
Rebuilds and reconstruction
activities

Definition

an inorganic product of fusion that has

cooled to a rigid condition without
crystallizing
When glass is cooled from the hot molten
state, it gradually increases in viscosity
without crystallization over a wide
temperature range, until it assumes its
characteristic hard, brittle form. Cooling
is controlled to prevent crystallization, or
high strain.

Glass, chemically, is actually more like

a liquid, but at room temperature it is
so viscous or 'sticky' it looks and feels
like a solid. At higher temperatures
glass gradually becomes softer and
more like a liquid. It is this latter
property which allows glass to be
poured, blown, pressed and moulded
into such a variety of shapes.

History

Glass technology has evolved for 6,000 years

A most important development in glass
technology was the use of a blow pipe
The first glass was coloured because of the
presence of various impurities such as oxides
of iron and chromium. Virtually colourless
glass was first made some 1,500 years ago.
Today many products of glass are made in
fully automatic processing lines
Although glass is one of the oldest materials,
its properties are unique and not yet fully
understood.

Applications

Chemistry
Pharmacy
Electrical and electronics industries
Optics industries
Construction and lighting industries

Major constituents

Silica sand
Soda ash
Lime stone
Dolomite
Feldspathic materials
Lead oxide
Boric acid
Crushed glass

Minor constituents

The remainder of the batch consists of

several additional ingredients, chosen
from a group of some 15 to 20 materials
commonly referred to as minor
ingredients.
These latter additions are added with a
view to providing some specific function
or quality, such as colour, which is to be
realized during the glass preparation
process.

Common glasses

Soda-lime-silica glass (commercial

glass)
Lead-potash-silica glass
Borosilicate glass

Soda-lime-silica glass

SiO2 (silica) 70%

Na2O (sodium oxide)12%
CaO (calcium oxide) 8%
MgO (magnesium oxide) 3%
Al2O3 (aluminium oxide)
1%
Commercial glass is
colourless
Additional chemicals have to be added
to produce different colours of glass
such as green, blue or brown glass.

Lead-potash-silica glass

It is made by using lead oxide

instead of calcium oxide, and
potassium oxide instead of all or
most of the sodium oxide
High refractive index
Relatively soft surface
High electrical resistivity
Radiation protection (higher lead
oxide contents typically 65%absorb
gamma rays and other forms of
harmful radiation)

Borosilicate glass

silica (70-80%) and

boric oxide (7-13%)
with smaller
amounts of the
alkalis (sodium and
potassium oxides)
and aluminium
oxide.
ovenware and other
heat-resisting ware
(Pyrex)

Types of special glass

include :

Vitreous silica
Aluminosilicate glass
Alkali-barium silicate glass
Technical glass
Glass ceramics
Opical glass
Sealing glass

Glass making

Pot process
Tank process

Pot Process

The manufactured of high quality glass

such as optical and mirror glass &
small quantities of specialty glass
Hazard of hand shoveling & filling of
the pots
Optical and specialty glasses contain
heavy metals (lead, barium and
manganese)

Pot Furnace

Tank Process

Permits enclosed &continuous feeding

of bath ingredient (reduced dust
exposure)
Refractory blocks and bricks used in
the construction of the furnaces and
tanks contain free silica.

Tank Furnace

Glass objects formed by:

Blowing
Pressing
Casting
Rolling
Drawing
Floating

The blow pipe

Pressing & Blowing

Continuous float process

Ribbon of float glass exiting from

lehr after being annealed

Glass additive

Accelerate melting
Stabilizer
Improved optical properties
Remove bubbles
Color

Accelerate melting

Fluorine
Calcium fluoride
Sodium silicafluoride

Stabilizers

Increased resistance
Barium , Lead , Ca , Mg ,Zn oxides

Improved optical
properties

Rare earth metals

Thorium

Remove bubbles

Salts of arsenic
antimony

Color

Salts of chromium ( green yellow)

cobalt (red blue )
cadmium (yellow)
manganese
nickel (black)
selenium ( red)

Potential health and

safety hazards found
during
manufacturing of
glass, ceramic and
related materials

Ergonomic stressors;
biomechanical hazards
Uses or sources of
exposure
to hazard

Potential effects
(physical hazards
or health effects)

Precautions or
control strategies

Overexertion
from manual
materialhandling
practices , poor
posture, high
frequency/durati
on of tasks
involving lifting,
pushing or
pulling

Strains and
sprains in
skeletal muscular
damage to back,
upper and lower
extremities
Excessive
physical and
mental fatigue
can cause errors
leading to
secondary
incidents

Physical
demands
assessments of
suspect job tasks
Use of materialhandling devices
including lift
assists, powered
vehicles
Process
automation or
semi automation
Education on

Vacuum lift assist being used to

handle 20 to 30 kg packages of
textile glass.

Physical hazards
Uses or sources
of exposure
to hazard

Potential effects
(physical hazards
or health effects)

Precautions or
control strategies

Caught in or
struck by or
against fixed or
mobile
equipment
Slips, trips and
falls on walking
and working
surfaces, hoses
and other
equipment,
tools or
materials

Abrasions, cuts,
contusions,
lacerations,
punctures,
fractures,
amputations

Safe work
procedures
Good
housekeeping
practice
Equipment design
and layout
Job design and
structure
Anti-slip surfaces

Walking and working surfaces

should be free from trip and
slip hazards

Robotics used in plate-glass

handling reduces ergonomic and
laceration hazards

Machine guarding protects

operators from rotating shafts,

belts or drive chains

Noise
Uses or sources of
exposure
to hazard

Potential
effects
(physical
hazards
or health
effects)

Precautions or control
strategies

Pneumatic
vibrators,
compressors,
mixing drive
motors, blowers
and dust
collectors,
conveyors,
packaging
equipment, etc.

Occupational
hearing loss,
communication
difficulty and
stress

Isolation,
enclosure, reflective
barriers or sound
absorption materials
Innovative design
of machine guarding
Specifying lowernoise motors or
equipment

Radiant heat, high-temperature

work environment

Uses or sources
of exposure
to hazard

Potential
effects
(physical
hazards
or health
effects)

Precautions or control
strategies

Heating or
melting
processes
during
maintenance or
emergency
response
activities

Heat
stress
or
thermal
burns ,
heat
cataracts

Shielding ,barriers,
reflective surfaces,
insulation
Water-cooled
equipment
Air-conditioned control
rooms
Heat-protective
clothing and gloves
Acclimatization to hot
working environments,

Quality-control technician taking glass samples from

furnace and wearing personal heat protective equipment
and IR shielding glasses

Inhalation of airborne from raw material

(crystalline silica, clay, lime, iron oxide,
nuisance dusts )

Uses or sources of
exposure to hazard

Potential effects
(physical hazards
or health effects)

Precautions or control
strategies

Handling,
Exposures during
routine
maintenance
activities, rebuilds
non-ventilated
equipment or
mixing equipment
Raw materials are
extremely
abrasive, causing
deterioration of
transfer or storage
system in

Range from
irritation to
chemical
burns to
chronic
effects such
as decreased
pulmonary
function,
lung disease,
pneumoconio
sis silicosis

Equipment exhaust
ventilation
Proper material
handling
Isolation of operators
PPE
Active leak detection
and repairs
. Periodic medical
screening, surveillance
and early intervention
based on exposure

Heavy metals particulates or fumes (lead,

cadmium, chromium, arsenic, copper, nickel,
cobalt, manganese or tin)

Uses or sources of
exposure
to hazard

Potential
effects
(physical
hazard or
health
effect)

Precautions or control
strategies

As raw materials or
impurities in glazes,
coloring agents
Maintenance and
construction activities
involving soldering,
cutting, welding
Grinding, cutting,
drilling structural
members or machinery

Heavy
metal
toxicit
y

Engineering

controls
HEPA-ventilated
portable power tools
Use of ventilated booths
for spray painting &
coating activities
Good work practices to
reduce airborne
particulates( wet method)
Personal hygiene,
segregated laundering of
contaminated work
clothes
Respiratory protection

Bases (sodium hydroxide) or

acids (HCL, sulphuric acid, HF)
Uses or sources
of exposure
to hazard

Potential effects
(physical hazards or health
effects)

Precautions or
control strategies

wastewater
treatment and
pH control
Acid cleaning
or etching
processes
with HF

.Corrosive to skin
or eyes
Respiratory tract
and mucous
membrane irritant
.HF causes severe
skin burns that
can go undetected
for hours

Process isolation
Safe handling
practices
PPE userespiratory
protection, rubber
gloves, faceshield
with eye
protection,
eyewash/safety
shower
Exhaust
ventilation to

Propane, natural gas, gasoline,

fuel oil
Potential
effects
Uses or
Precautions or control
Uses or
sources of
exposure
to hazard

Fuels for
process
heat &
powered
industrial
trucks

(physical
hazards or
health effects)

Fire and
explosion
hazards,
Exposure
to CO or
other
products
of
incomplet
e
combustio
n

Precautions or control
strategies

Proper design and

inspections of storage and
distribution system, and
combustion process
controls
Safe unloading, filling and
handling practice
Routine testing and
control of combustion
processes

Inhalation of bioaerosols
Uses or sources of
exposure
to hazard

Potential effects
(physical hazards
or health effects)

Precautions or control
strategies

Aerosol
containing
bacteria, moulds
or fungus
generated from
spraying process
or cooling water
in humidification
processes,
ventilation
systems

.Waterborne
illness with
systemic
non specific
flu-like
symptoms,
.fatigue
.Potential
for
dermatitis

Process design and

mist reduction
Process and
cooling water
treatment with
biocides
Routine cleaning
and sanitization
Elimination
nutrient source in
water system
Respiratory
protection
PPE, gloves and

Aerosols of reused waste water

that is not treated can cause
waterborne illness

Demographics of injuries
and illness cases

Nature of occupational injuries

and illnesses lost workday cases

1994

Nature of occupational injuries

and illnesses lost workday
cases1994

Body part affected in lost workday

injury or illness cases1994

Refrences

Recognition of Health Hazard in

Industry; William A.Burgess
Glass, Ceramics and Related
Materials; Jonathan P.Hellerstein
Technical Approach to Glass
;M.B.Volf

Sources of occupational
injuries and illnesses lost
workday cases