Laboratory evaluation to reduce respirable crystalline silica dust when cutting concrete roofing tiles using a masonry saw

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kratzer J ; Sieber W ; Valladares, Rebecca M.
• Description:
  Respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in residential roofers is a recently recognized hazard resulting from cutting concrete roofing tiles. Roofers who cut tiles using masonry saws, can be exposed to high concentrations of respirable dust. Silica exposures remain a serious threat to nearly 2 million U.S. workers. Although it is well established that respiratory diseases associated with exposure to silica dust are preventable, they continue to occur and cause disability or death. The effectiveness of a commercially available local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system and a water suppression system to reduce silica exposures were evaluated separately. The LEV system exhausted 500 cubic feet per minute, while the water suppression system supplied 2 gallons per minute to the saw blade. Using a randomized block design, implemented under laboratory conditions, three trials were conducted (no control, water control, and ventilation control) on two types of concrete roofing tiles using the same saw. Each treatment was replicated for a total of eight 30-sec runs per treatment per tile. Analysis of variance was performed using mean concentration levels from each run and control. The use of water controls and ventilation controls resulted in a statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduction of mean respirable dust concentrations for each tile. Mean concentrations using the water control were statistically significantly less than that of the ventilation control. The percent reduction for respirable dust concentrations was 99% for the water control and 91 % for the LEV. Water is a good method for reducing crystalline silica exposures. However, water source and disposal requirements, water damage potential, surface discolorations, material expansion, cleanup, and other requirements make use of water in many situations problematic. LEV may be more desirable, but designing a system with a sufficient capture velocity that will control silica concentrations below occupational criteria might be difficult. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aluminum Silicates Construction Industry Construction Materials Dust Irritants Lung Lung Diseases Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Silicon Dioxide Ventilation Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Construction Construction-industry Construction-materials Construction-workers Diseases Dust-exposure Dusts Exhaust-ventilation Exposure-levels Hazards Pulmonary-disorders Pulmonary-system Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-irritants Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-factors Roofers Roofing-industry Silica-dusts Silicates Silicosis Work-environment Workers

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• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  74-75
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045105
• Citation:
  VENT 2006: 8th International Conference on Ventilation, May 13-18, 2006, Chicago, Illinois. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2006 May; :74-75
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  VENT 2006: 8th International Conference on Ventilation, May 13-18, 2006, Chicago, Illinois
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d13c83494932396d321f6eafdf2a7d1a2a9cd6c39fef1853c47cb3ad96a574f786511bd2a4cc3112dad1c3cdaae690ab39ec0fc71403c46cd02e82732bdce68f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200632/cdc_200632_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.85 MB ]