Reduce silica exposure during jackhammer work: use a simple water-spray dust control

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  New Jersey. Department of Health. Public Health Services Branch. Consumer, Environmental and Occupational Health Service. Environmental & Occupational Health Surveillance Program
• Description:
  Problem: Concrete, masonry, and many stone products contain crystalline silica. Tasks such as jackhammering, sawing, grinding, and drilling on these materials pose a risk to workers by generating airborne silica dust. Exposure to silica dust can cause a disabling, often fatal, lung disease called silicosis. Although silicosis is incurable and irreversible, it is 100% preventable. The key is to prevent worker exposure to dust. Jackhammer Exposure Measurements The New Jersey Silica Outreach and Research (SOAR) Alliance was formed among NJ state agencies, federal agencies, laborer's unions, and contractors to address issues associated with silica exposure among NJ highway construction/ repair workers. NJ SOAR Alliance industrial hygienists collected 25 measurements of silica exposure on jackhammer operators. All 25 of the exposures exceeded the ACGIH threshold limit value (TLV) of 0.025 mg/m3 and 23 exceeded the less protective OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL) which is essentially 0.1 mg/m3. The average exposure was more than 53 times the ACGIH TLV, and ranged as high as 124 times theTLV. NJ SOAR Alliance partners conducted a study of three engineering control methods for effectiveness, as well as acceptability by jackhammer operators. A water-spray dust control, designed and developed by NJ SOAR Alliance partners, was identified as the most effective and acceptable method. The water-spray control works on any jackhammer and can be assembled from readily available parts and materials at a cost of less than $300. The how-to manual, produced by the NJ Laborers Health and Safety Fund, describes the steps in assembling and attaching the water-spray control, and includes a list of parts and materials, their sources, and their costs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Aluminum Silicates Dust Hazardous Substances Hypersensitivity Lung Men Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Public Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Silicon Compounds Silicon Dioxide Women

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• Keywords:
  Airborne-dusts Diseases Employee-exposure Employee-health Employees Exposure-levels Hazards Health-hazards Humans Jack-hammers Personal-protection Personal-protective-equipment Public-health Pulmonary-function Pulmonary-system Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiration Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-factors Sensitization Silica-dusts Silicates Silicon-compounds Silicosis

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• Publisher:
  New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Guidance
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043739
• Citation:
  Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS), 2006 Jan; :1
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Performing Organization:
  New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20040930
• Source Full Name:
  Reduce silica exposure during jackhammer work: use a simple water-spray dust control
• End Date:
  20060929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:64e7526217118328d2375eec9a0b661aaec15f3f3563a263ef26877b5e1f267e962ba588e0b751bd73192f601dce7a8b006310a5b25d4b8b11767f2d6cb4a5d3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195560/cdc_195560_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 582.96 KB ]