What can rock drillers do to protect their lungs from silica dust?
When workers are working on a rock cutting/drilling site, many such activities can cause exposure to hazardous crystalline Silica Dust and long-term exposure can cause fatal lung diseases such as acute lung infection and Silicosis.
Below are the activities where workers are at risk of silica dust exposure:
- Hammering and drilling rock
- Crushing, loading, hauling and dumping rock
- Sand blasting using silica sand as the abrasive
- Concrete blasting
- Sawing, drilling, grinding, and chipping concrete or masonry
- Demolition of structures
- Dry sweeping with conventional methods
Below are some protective measures to protect the lungs from crystalline silica dust exposure:
There are two major ways so to speak, one is the containment of Silica Dust and the second is the suppression of silica dust spread in the air.
- Engineering tools for Dust containment at the source:
With the use of personal protective equipment such as gloves, respirators, boots, body covers and other measures such as barricades, sealing and vacating the area, one can easily protect themselves and others from hazardous silica dust exposure. Apart from that, one can also use air duct seals while drilling, industrial vacuum, and air duct seal to control dust exposure right at the source of certain activities such as sandblasting, concrete grinding and others.
- Suppression of Silica Dust with Industrial Vacuums:
For those areas that are covered with Silica Dust, dry dusting with mop and duster is one of the most common mistakes made by people. Instead, one must hire or rent an industrial vacuum that prevents dust from rising from the ground and spreading it in the air.
Contact us and get an obligation-free demo of our wide range of customized and certified Industrial Vacuums that come with effective HEPA filters. Hire or rent our equipment and ensure effective silica dust containment and cleaning at minimal cost and effort.
Call our technical team now for a consultation. Toll-free +61 1800 438 822 or Email Us On hello@industrialvacuums.net.au.
Content source: Hire a Vac