and granite. It is also commonly found in many construction materials such as
concrete and mortar. The silica is broken into very fine dust (also known
as Respirable Crystalline Silica or RCS) during many common tasks such as cutting,
drilling and grinding Breathing in very fine particles of crystalline silica can lead to
the development of:
Lung cancer Silicosis Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (Chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) And breathing in fine particles of wood dust can lead
to the development of Asthma The risk of lung disease is linked to people who
regularly breathe construction dust over a period of time, not on the odd occasion.
To protect the lung, the COSHH Regulations sets a limit on the amount of these
dusts that you can breathe (called a Workplace Exposure Limit or WEL)
when averaged over a normal working day. These limits are not a large amount of
dust: when compared to a penny it is tiny – like a small pinch of salt:
This limit is the legal maximum; the most you can breathe after the right controls
have been used.
How to reduce the amount of dust?
1. Reduce the amount of cutting by using the best sizes of building products.
2. Use a less powerful tool e.g. a block cutter instead of angle grinder.
3. Using a different method of work altogether – e.g. using a nail gun to direct fasten
cable trays instead of drilling holes first.
Please always work with approved safety equipment, such as those dust masks
that specially designed to filter out microscopic particles and use the dust extraction
facility at all time.
For more information please see the HSE website:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction or http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cis69.pdf
Warning: Some dust particles created by power sanding, sawing,
grinding, drill and other construction jobs contain chemicals known to
cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Some examples
of these chemicals are:
• Lead from lead-based paints.
• Crystalline silica from bricks and cement and other masonry products.
• Arsenic and chromium from chemically treated timber.
Your risk from these exposures varies, depending upon how often you do this type
of work. To reduce your exposure to these chemicals:
• Work in a well-ventilated area.
•
Work with approved safety equipment, such as those dust masks that are specially
designed to filter microscopic particles.
VIBRATION
The European Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive has been brought in to help
reduce hand arm vibration syndrome injuries to power tool users. The directive
Technical and legal
information
MSTS1500-A
by
MacAllister
06
Getting
started...
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