Evaluation of Silica Exposures During Drywall Sanding [HHE-2023-0028-3396]

Details

• Personal Author:
  Charles, Melissa ; Echt, Hannah ; Feldmann, Karl D. ; Shi, Dallas S.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Management from a drywall finishing company requested a health hazard evaluation (HHE) concerning employee exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) during drywall-sanding activities. For this HHE, we visited a hospital construction site. Sanding occurred approximately once every 4 days. The crew was made up of three drywall finishers. During our visit, we observed work processes and work practices, collected air samples for RCS and respirable dust, collected bulk samples of sanding dust and wet joint compound to determine their silica content, and conducted semi-structured interviews with employees to discuss personal protective equipment use during current work processes and whether they have health or safety concerns. Our air sampling found that one employee was above the OSHA PEL to RCS, and all three employees were exposed to RCS at levels above the OSHA action level. Work practices may have added to more exposures. For instance, employees sanded the tops of walls and ceilings while other employees were sanding directly below, the vacuum was used without a disposable bag, which put more dust into the air when the vacuum was emptied, and employees shook dust off their clothes at the end of their shift into the air around them and others. Employees who voluntarily wore respirators were not wearing them correctly. Employees did not report any symptoms they associated with their work activities. Employees' exposures to RCS may be reduced by improving vacuum care and maintenance and modifying work practices so that employees do not sand above each other. We recommended continued exposure monitoring at regular times and reassessing exposures whenever a change in the production process, control equipment, personnel, or work practices may reasonably be expected to result in new or additional exposures and/or to see if any implemented controls are effective in reducing exposures. Because employees are required to wear respirators until additional sampling shows their exposures are below the OSHA PEL, we recommended strengthening the existing respiratory protection program and bringing it into compliance with the OSHA standard. We also recommended reviewing the OSHA Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction and the Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Respiratory Protection Standard.
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Dust Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Construction Construction Industry Crystalline Silica Drywall Drywall And Insulation Contractors Drywall Sanding OSHA Region 5 Personal Protective Equipment PPE Respirable Crystalline Silica Respirable Dust Respiratory Protective Equipment Silica Silica Dusts

  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 2023-0028-3396, 2024 Apr ; :1-26
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE202300283396
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• 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:
  26 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Booher, Donald E. ; Hamilton, Cheryl ; Moore, Kevin ; Watts, Shawna
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069714
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2024]. Evaluation of silica exposures during drywall sanding. By Echt H, Shi DS, ; Feldmann KD, Charles M. 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 2023-0028-3396,
• CAS Registry Number:
  Crystalline silica, quartz (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  238310 - Drywall and Insulation Contractors - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d9542bb56b9cfc71d0ae48a416db9502ce51eea9c91eeb0bff7862ffc94a3e77d518ebfd3cc8d2a779e960d046f82420f4132cd212b4850eaa5c53bd6885e7f9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172302/cdc_172302_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 594.22 KB ]