Evaluation of Respirable Dust and Respirable Crystalline Silica Exposures During Asphalt Mix Production and Road Paving Operations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Methner, Mark M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Management from an asphalt mix production and paving company requested a health hazard evaluation concerning employee exposure to respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica during asphalt mix production and road paving activities. During our site visits, we observed work processes and practices, equipment type and usage, and workplace conditions ; spoke with employees about the workplace, their job duties, and other tasks associated with their work ; observed work practices within the production yard and a field crew milling (grinding) and re-paving a section of highway ; and conducted air monitoring of employees for exposure to respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica. Our air sampling showed that operating and cleaning the rock shaker inside the quality control laboratory led to concentrations of respirable crystalline silica that were above several occupational limits. The use of compressed air to clean the unit most likely played a role in the amount of respirable crystalline silica produced. Respirable crystalline silica exposures during chipping of hardened material buildup off the vanes inside the mixing drum using a pneumatic chisel also had the potential to exceed exposure limits and indicate the need for exposure control and continued use of respiratory protection. The tractor with an enclosed cab with air filtration provided the operator with some protection from respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica. However, using a water-based dust suppression attachment mounted to a rotary sweeping broom provided a reduction in potential exposures and should continue to be used in cleanup operations in the yard and during road paving work. We recommended implementing the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration silica standard and conducting noise monitoring to help identify high noise tasks.
• Subjects:
  • Construction Industry
  • Dust
  • Hydrocarbons
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  • OSHA Region 4
  • Respirable dust
  • Crystalline silica
  • Asphalt industry
  • Road construction
  • Construction workers
  • Grinding equipment
  • Dust control
  • Dust suppression
  • Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction
  More +
• Source:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 2023-0072-3403, 2024 Sep ; :1-30
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE202300723403
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  30 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Booher, Donald E. ; Hamilton, Cheryl ; Hayden, Marie A ; Li, Jessica ; O'Conner, Colleen ; Sparks, Kenneth ; Watts, Shawna
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070198
• Citation:
  NIOSH 2024. Evaluation of respirable dust and respirable crystalline silica exposures during ; asphalt mix production and road paving operations. By Methner MM. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. ; Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National ; Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2023-0072-3403,
• CAS Registry Number:
  • Crystalline silica, quartz (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  237310 - Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction - (NAICS)
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172294/cdc_172294_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.98 MB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2b6f148d35e86300cd0ecdbde15ccfefa5b8a20b790a8546687af67277f210a8e7f1666cf68d4c82d8f5fd82619a219dbab34f09d832d552b4247c1db549f739