How to Control Dust When Cutting Concrete

During the concrete cutting, grinding or drilling employees are dealing with dust that contains silica. This mineral easily becomes suspended into fine dust, which refers to silica dust. If workers regularly are exposed to this dust over a longer period of time their health can be seriously damaged.

Although silica is the main component of the construction dust, there are a few not so famous ingredients which are also dangerous. These compounds include limestone, cement and marble. Sometimes during construction, wooden bars may be used for support for other users. The wood might either be used as a softwood or hardwood depending on the type of the construction. There are also wood-based compounds often used during the construction process. As such, wood dust is also likely to cause harm when inhaled, penetrating into the workers lungs.

It is obvious that anyone who breathes the air should know the potential damage they can do to their respiratory system. To protect from health risks construction workers must use proper protection, against silica dust. There are workplace requirements and methods regarding dust control during construction processes. As such, wearing protective clothing or equipment is a must; but one of the most effective methods is to prevent the concrete dust spreading into the air.

Wet control methods are one of the most powerful and practical to prevent dust contamination. There are cutting saws that are powered by compressed air or might use wet systems to prevent further pollution of dust. Wet cutting is a good way to reduce the amount of silica by using a simple bottle that contains at least eight litres of water. To prevent dust from coming into the air the operator pressurises the tank using his hand, the water is released. The most important moment here is to control the water flow that should be about half a litre each minute, otherwise, lower rates will not guarantee proper defeat of concrete dust.

The water greatly decreases the amount of dirt flying around and covering everything around. Of course, wet saws can be used for outdoors too, under circumstances when all sources of electricity in and around the concrete are cut off first.

When using protective equipment such as masks to prevent air inhalation you are not getting the protection you need which means that you`re not completely safe. Using a respirator can lower the contamination level to a certain satisfying point. The contractor must make sure that the employees are protected from equipment and materials that could possibly fall and burry the workers. There are so many standards that can be carefully arranged to prevent workers so they can do their work safely without any obstructions. Construction workers should also wear safety glasses, work shoes, gloves so they can be fully protected when working with heavy equipment, dust and falling pieces of concrete.