Silica Dust Exposure

Silica is in concrete, brick, mortar, and many types of rock. When cut, drilled, ground, or crushed, it becomes airborne as fine particles impossible to see: fine enough to reach deep into the lungs. Silicosis can take 10–30 years to develop, which means workers rarely connect their symptoms to the dust they breathed on jobsites years earlier.

1. Know the silica tasks: cutting, grinding, drilling, jackhammering, or mixing concrete and masonry dry all generate silica above safe levels.
2. Engineering controls come first: wet method (water suppression), local exhaust ventilation (LEV with HEPA filter), or enclosed cabs with filtered air: before relying on respirators.
3. A half-face respirator with P100 cartridges is the minimum for most silica work. N95 alone is not sufficient for high-exposure tasks like dry cutting.
4. No dry sweeping. Sweeping silica dust re-suspends it in the air. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter or wet sweeping methods only.
5. Decontaminate before breaks: remove dusty clothing or HEPA-vacuum it, and wash hands and face before eating, drinking, or smoking.
6. Workers with regular silica exposure must be in a medical surveillance program: pulmonary function tests and chest X-rays at regular intervals.
7. Post 'SILICA: KEEP OUT' signs around the work area and restrict entry to only those who must be there.