We’re sure you’ve heard of Silicosis by now. It’s almost deemed the next ‘asbestos’ of the construction industry.
It’s caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica dust particles.
Crystalline silica (silica) is found in sand, stone, concrete and mortar. It is also used to make a variety of products including composite stone used to fabricate kitchen and bathroom benchtops, bricks, tiles and some plastics.
When workers cut, crush, drill, polish, saw or grind products that contain silica, dust particles are generated that are small enough to lodge deep in the lungs and cause illness or disease including silicosis.
Examples work activities that can generate respirable silica dust particles include:
- during fabrication and installation of composite (engineered or manufactured) stone countertops
- excavation, earth moving and drilling plant operations
- clay and stone processing machine operations
- paving and surfacing
- mining, quarrying and mineral ore treating processes
- tunnelling
- construction labouring activities
- brick, concrete or stone cutting; especially using dry methods
- abrasive blasting (blasting agent must not contain greater than 1% of crystalline silica)
- foundry casting
- angle grinding, jack hammering and chiselling of concrete or masonry
- hydraulic fracturing of gas and oil wells, and
- pottery making.
What diseases can silica dust cause?
If a worker is exposed to and breathes in silica dust they could develop:
- chronic bronchitis
- emphysema
- acute silicosis
- can develop after a short exposure to very high levels of silica dust, within a few weeks or years, and causes severe inflammation and an outpouring of protein into the lung
- accelerated silicosis
- can develop after exposures of 3 to 10 years to moderate to high levels of silica dust and causes inflammation, protein in the lung and scarring of the lung (fibrotic nodules)
- chronic silicosis
- can develop after long term exposure to lower levels of silica dust and causes fibrotic nodules and shortness of breath
- can include progressive massive fibrosis where the fibrotic nodules in the lung aggregate
- lung cancer
- kidney damage, or
- scleroderma
- a disease of the connective tissue of the body resulting in the formation of scar tissue in the skin, joints and other organs of the body.
How to reduce the risk of Silicosis
All states and territories in Australia have work health and safety laws that explain the duty of care for employers and werkers' responsibilities.
- Employers must ensure the health and safety of their workers at their workplace
- Employers have a duty to control the risks associated with work
- Workers must take reasonable care of their own health and safety, must not negatively affect the health and safety of other people and follow any reasonable instruction and workplace health and safety principles
Managing risks and worker exposures to silica can be achieved by selecting and implementing measures using the hierarchy of controls:
- elimination of the hazard – using principles of safe work design to designate areas for tasks that generate dust and appropriate worker positioning during these tasks, using enclosures and automation to conduct dust generating tasks
- substitution such as sourcing composite stone benchtops with a lower percentage of silica
- engineering controls that minimise the risk of exposure to generated dust, for example, local exhaust ventilation, water suppression (wet cutting) or using tools with dust collection attachments
- should a risk still remain; administrative controls, including good housekeeping policies, shift rotations and modifying cutting sequences
- should a risk still remain; personal protective equipment including appropriate respiratory equipment (generally a minimum of a P2 efficiency half face respirator) and work clothing that does not collect dust.
More than one control will normally be required to adequately protect workers.
Dust Extractors that reduce the risk of exposure
Do you know which extractor to choose? And are there are specific power tools or systems you should consider using too?
There are three classes of dust; L-Class (low risk), M-Class (medium risk) and H-Class (high risk). Dust is classed based on its potential to cause harm including particle size. The primary focus when choosing a dust extractor is to consider the type of dust you need to remove.
L Class (Low Risk) Dust
L Class (low risk) dust includes simple house dust and materials such as soil. The occupational exposure limit for L Class dust is >1 mg/m3, which means you need a dust extractor that catches 99% of the dust.
M Class (Medium Risk) Dust
M Class (medium risk) dust includes wood dust, dust from repair compound, filler and clear coats, dust from cement, concrete and tile cement, quartziferous materials such as sand and pebbles, and even paints such as latex and oil paints. The occupational exposure limit for M Class dust is >0.1 mg/m3, which means you need a dust extractor that catches 99.9% of the dust.
H Class (High Risk) Dust
H Class (high risk) dust includes dust containing carcinogenic or pathogenic particles as well as mould spores, asbestos, mineral fibres, bitumen and artificial mineral fibres such as glass wool. The occupational exposure limit for H Class dust is >0.1 mg/m3, which means you need a dust extractor that catches 99.995% of the dust.
Which Dust Class Are You Working With?
It may seem difficult at first to work out which class of dust you need to extract. However, it largely depends on the material you are working with and what you’re doing with it.
A good first point-of-call is the material supplier or manufacturer. Unsure about what a certain material contains? Ask us.
M-Class extractors are a safe bet nowadays because they ensure you’re covered in multiple scenarios. With the rise of the silicosis topic, default safety requirements are increasing to the point where some union sites require M-Class extractors regardless of the material.
Don’t underestimate hazardous materials. If you’re around asbestos, lead, engineered stone or mould, use the best dust extraction you can. Skimping on equipment isn’t worth the health risks.
How can we help?
Here’s a range of equipment we have at NHS to help protect you from dust:
- MAKITA 30L M-CLASS WET/DRY VACUMM CLEANER DUST EXTRACTOR
- MAKITA 42L M-CLASS WET/DRY VACUMM CLEANER DUST EXTRACTOR
- FESTOOL CT 36L AUTOCLEAN M-CLASS DUST EXTRACTOR
- FESTOOL CT MIDI 15L M-CLASS DUST EXTRACTOR
Check out the rest of our PPE range here, too.
Updates 5 July 2022