Dust control effectiveness of drywall sanding tools

Details

• Personal Author:
  Nussbaum MA ; Young-Corbett DE
• Description:
  In this laboratory study, four drywall sanding tools were evaluated in terms of dust generation rates in the respirable and thoracic size classes. In a repeated measures study design, 16 participants performed simulated drywall finishing tasks with each of four tools: (1) ventilated sander, (2) pole sander, (3) block sander, and (4) wet sponge. Dependent variables of interest were thoracic and respirable breathing zone dust concentrations. Analysis by Friedman's Test revealed that the ventilated drywall sanding tool produced significantly less dust, of both size classes, than did the other three tools. The pole and wet sanders produced significantly less dust of both size classes than did the block sander. The block sander, the most commonly used tool in drywall finishing operations, produced significantly more dust of both size classes than did the other three tools. When compared with the block sander, the other tools offer substantial dust reduction. The ventilated tool reduced respirable concentrations by 88% and thoracic concentrations by 85%. The pole sander reduced respirable concentrations by 58% and thoracic by 50%. The wet sander produced reductions of 60% and 47% in the respirable and thoracic classes, respectively. Wet sponge sanders and pole sanders are effective at reducing breathing-zone dust concentrations; however, based on its superior dust control effectiveness, the ventilated sander is the recommended tool for drywall finishing operations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Construction Materials Dust Laboratories Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Ventilation Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Construction Work Construction Construction-industry Construction-materials Drywall Dust Dust-control Dust-particles Dust Control Dusts Exposure-levels Laboratory-testing Pollutants Respiration Respirators Respiratory-protection Respiratory-protective-equipment Risk-factors Statistical-analysis Tools Ventilated Sander Ventilation-equipment Work-areas Work-environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  385-389
• Volume:
  6
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043338
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2009 Jul; 6(7):385-389
• Contact Point Address:
  Deborah E. Young-Corbett, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Myers-Lawson School of Construction, 310B Bishop Favrao Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061
• Email:
  dyoung@vt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20040915
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• End Date:
  20100630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:406b30fb9f5275285588bc31cb082a9890c564184fddc9a32ed3ee2a84a72de42db896b96616d43b33d5fc4c8dfa9e41a20623d3b61d89de6182928b82fd87a8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195260/cdc_195260_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 762.52 KB ]