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Silica, Crystalline |
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Controlling the exposure to silica may be done through engineering controls,
administrative actions, and personal protective equipment. Engineering controls
include such things as replacing silica with a material that does not contain
crystalline silica, using local exhaust ventilation, using containment methods
such as blast-cleaning machines and cabinets, and wet sawing, or wet drilling of
silica-containing materials. Administrative actions may include limiting the
worker's exposure time and requiring workers to shower and change into clean
clothes before leaving the worksite. Personal protective equipment may include
wearing the proper respiratory protection to keep workers' exposure below the
OSHA permissible exposure limit and the use of personal protective clothing. The
following references aid in controlling hazards in the workplace.
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Crystalline Silica Exposure in General Industry. OSHA Health Hazard Information Card. Also available as a 52 KB
PDF,
2 pages. Provides health hazard information and good work practices for workers.
- Kane F. The campaign to end silicosis. Job
Safety & Health Quarterly (JSHQ), (1997 Winter/Spring). Discusses the national education campaign, "If It's Silica, It's Not Just Dust."
- Silica Flour: Silicosis (Crystalline Silica).
US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Publication No. 81-137 (Current Intelligence Bulletin 36), (1981, June 30). Describes hazards in the silica flour
industry and provides control recommendations.
- Controlling Silica Dust from Foundry Casting-Cleaning Operations.
US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Publication No. 98-106 (Hazard Controls 23), (1997, December).
The local exhaust ventilation system described in this document may keep worker exposures to respirable silica
below permissible limits and eliminate the need for workers to wear respirators.
- NIOSH - Supported Study Examines Substitutes for Silica Sand to Further Efforts in Silicosis Prevention.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Update, (1997, March 25). Examines the performance of other abrasive materials.
- Silicosis Prevention Furthered by NIOSH Pilot Program Aiding Identification of Cases in Seven Participating States.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Update, (1997, March 25).
Describes a program used to gather occupational information on silicosis disease and silica exposures.
- A Guide to Working Safely With Silica: If It's
Silica, It's Not Just Dust. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (1997, January 31), 213 KB
PDF,
21 pages. Provides information about the health hazards of silica and suggests ways to prevent silicosis.
- NIOSH Respirator User Notices.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), The National
Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), (1996, May 23). Provides an update of information on the kinds of respirators approved for abrasive-blast
(sandblasting) operations and provides recommendations for selection and use of these respirators.
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Dust Monitoring and Control Downloadable Mining Publications. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Mining Safety and Health Research.
- Handbook for Dust Control in Mining. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Publication No. 2003-147, (2003, June). Provides methods of dust control in mines by ventilation, water and dust collectors, as well as dust control for
mines with continuous miner and roof bolter sections, longwall mines, stone mines, surface mines, underground hard rock mines,
and mines with hard rock tunnels. There are additional chapters on finding major dust sources and dust respirators.
- Dust Control Handbook for Minerals Processing.
US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, (1987, February). Contains valuable information on preventing dust formation and dust control systems.
- Safe Sandblast Cleaning. Manitoba Safe Work Bulletin 153, (1999, April), 115 KB
PDF,
2 pages. Discusses controls required for sandblasting, including respiratory protection, personal protective equipment (PPE), work practices, and other sandblasting equipment requirements.
- Profitt-Henry A.
Silica overexposure in sandblasting.
Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 15.7(2000, July): 537-9. Discusses silica problems at a sandblasting operation, and how to eliminate
the hazard.
- For additional information, see OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Pages on:
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