Evaluation of Crystalline Silica Exposure during Fabrication of Natural and Engineered Stone Countertops

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brueck, Scott E. ; Chaolong Qi ; Victory, Kerton R. ; Zwack, Leonard M.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  The Texas Department of State Health Services asked the Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program for help. They asked us to evaluate silica exposure in a manufacturing plant. The plant makes natural and engineered stone countertops. We measured employees' exposures to crystalline silica. We evaluated ventilation systems and personal protective equipment use. Employees used wet methods to help control dust. We found respirable crystalline silica in the air. Concentrations ranged from nondetectable to 140 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3). Respirable dust concentrations ranged from nondetectable to 380 ug/m3. The percentage of quartz in these samples ranged from less than 1% to 52%. We found overexposures to crystalline silica despite the use of wet methods. None of the work processes used local exhaust ventilation. We saw some employees incorrectly using respirators, safety glasses, and ear plugs. The company did not have an employee medical surveillance program for silica. HHE Program investigators recommended using a combination of local exhaust ventilation and wet methods to control dust.
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Construction Materials Dust Engineering Occupational Health Quartz Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Silicon Dioxide Silicosis
• Keywords:
  Construction Construction Materials Construction Workers Control Technology Countertops Crystalline Silica Cut Stone And Stone Product Manufacturing Dust Control Dust Exposure Engineered Stone Engineering Controls Granite Humans OSHA Region 6 Quartz Dust Respirable Dust Respirators Respiratory Protection Respiratory Protective Equipment Silica Silica Dusts Silicosis Stone Processing Stone Products Texas Ventilation

  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 2014-0215-3250, 2016 Mar ; :1-31
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE201402153250
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Texas ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  38 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Blanco, Betsy ; Booher, Donald E. ; de Perio, Marie ; Galloway, Ellen ; Hall, Emily ; Mathew, Rini ; Moore, Kevin ; Watts, Shawna
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047806
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2016-103221
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2016]. Health hazard evaluation report: evaluation of crystalline silica ; exposure during fabrication of natural and engineered stone countertops. By Zwack ; LM, Victory KR, Brueck SE, Qi C. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and ; Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for ; Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH HHE Report No. 2014-0215-3250,
• CAS Registry Number:
  Crystalline silica, quartz (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  327991 - Cut Stone and Stone Product Manufacturing - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:44516d61205ae568c7634c3120f02fa59de20310be80f629708aebb59781f02bb1c054d1cd7f996e42894ce0937d37d941dd05eefa1778784287d594ab414cab
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172414/cdc_172414_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.24 MB ]