The Effect of Local Exhaust Ventilation Controls on Dust Exposures During Concrete Cutting and Grinding Activities

Details

• Personal Author:
  Croteau GA ; Flanagan ME ; Guffey SE ; Seixas, Noah S.
• Description:
  This study assessed the effectiveness of commercially available local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems for controlling respirable dust and crystalline silica exposures during concrete cutting and grinding activities. Work activities were performed by union-sponsored apprentices and included tuck-point grinding, surface grinding, paver block and brick cutting (masonry saw), and concrete block cutting (hand-held saw). In a randomized block design, implemented under controlled field conditions, three ventilation rates (0, 30, and 75 cfm) were tested for each tool. Each ventilation treatment was replicated three times in random order for a total of nine 15-min work sessions per study subject. With the exception of the hand-held saw, the use of LEV resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in respirable dust exposure. Mean exposure levels for the 75 cfm treatments were less than that of the 30 cfm treatments; however, differences between these two treatments were only significant for paver block cutting (p < 0.01). Although exposure reduction was significant (70-90% at the low ventilation rate and 80-95% reduction at the high ventilation rate), personal respirable dust [corrected] exposures remained very high: 1.4-2.8 x PEL (permissible exposure limit) at the low ventilation rate and 0.9-1.7 x PEL at the high ventilation rate. Exposure levels found under actual field conditions would likely be lower due to the intermittent nature of most job tasks. Despite incomplete control LEV has merit, as it would reduce the risk of workers developing disease, allow workers to use a lower level of respiratory protection, protect workers during short duration work episodes reduce exposure to nearby workers, and reduce clean-up associated dust exposures. Erratum issued 2003 Mar-Apr; 64(2):172. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Construction Materials Dust Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Quartz Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Silicon Dioxide Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Construction Construction-industry Construction-materials Control-technology Dust-control Dust-control-equipment Dust-exposure Dust-inhalation Dust-measurement Exhaust-systems Local Exhaust Ventilation Masonry Masons Quartz-dust Respirable-dust Respiratory-protection Silica Silica-dusts Silica Dust Control Ventilation-systems

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• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Washington ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  458-467
• Volume:
  63
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20024114
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 2002 Jul/Aug; 63(4):458-467
• Contact Point Address:
  University of Washington, Department of Environmental Health, Box 357234, Seattle, WA 98195-7234
• Email:
  croteau@u.washington.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Intervention Effectiveness Research
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19990930
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• End Date:
  20010929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:08b80983c89c136131dcc8dd58c28f9775128a6c290186d15c2aec49a1942b66c55afd666be37930025906daddd76a32ec8f2e34362e305906cff0b764867203
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/196089/cdc_196089_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 569.49 KB ]