HEALTH & SAFETY THE DANGERS OF DUST D
ust is inevitable in certain jobs, but putting in measures in place for controlling dust can
help reduce the long-term negative effects it can have on our employees. In this article, Croner is going to cover the dangers of dust and how employers can help prevent or avoid dust all together in their workplace. Dust in the workplace can be
incredibly harmful, especially if it's left unchecked. Fine dust particles can be in various different sizes, meaning that not all dust particles can be seen by the naked eye. You can separate smaller dust particles up into two groups: • Inhalable dust: This is dust that can cause an individual to have respiratory issues.
• Respirable dust: This is invisible dust that is easy to breathe in large amounts. If your employees are exposed to a large quantity of this type of dust it can cause lung diseases.
Prolonged exposure to dust can cause an individual to have a variety of issues, such as: • Asthma • Lung disease (silicosis, asbestosis and talcosis)
• Fibrosing Alveolitis • Heart disease • Extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Dangerous types of dust: Sawdust Sawdust is produced at each stage of the woodworking process. This could include sawing, sanding, drilling, and any process that includes manipulating or processing wood. During many of these processes and cleaning processes, dust from wood can become airborne, putting your workforce at risk of breathing in the sawdust. The dangers aren't limited to just
breathing the dust in, sawdust can irritate eyes, nose and the throat, rhinitis, and dermatitis. It can also cause more serious respiratory system effects. If your employees have a prolonged sawdust exposure can lead to occupational asthma, reduced lung capacity and cause allergic reactions.
Asbestos dust Asbestos dust is created by naturally occurring materials that can be extremely hazardous to health, as it is built up of flexible heat resistant fibre. Asbestos can be split up into three different types: • Brown asbestos or Amosite • Blue asbestos or Crocidolite (typically used in insulating railways and train carriages, and in ship building. This type of asbestos fluffs up when it's heated and will help block a fire)
• White asbestos or chrysotile. If asbestos fibres are inhaled they can settle in a person's lungs and cause cancer and asbestosis.
Metalliferous dust Metalliferous dust is produced by mining tin, copper, gold, nickel, zinc, silver, and iron ore, when it's both under and above ground. Typically, the dust is produced
when workers start extracting, drilling, hauling, processing the minerals, drilling and crushing. Some minerals such as uranium, silver
and nickel contain toxic dust that can have a serious impact on an individual's respiratory system. Not limited to this, these toxic dusts can be absorbed into the bloodstream and poison the body. Many toxic elements are released
throughout the mining process, in particular when the minerals are mixed, such as copper and zinc.
Silica dust Crystalline silica dust is predominantly produced while working with materials containing silica, such as concrete.
22 / WELDING WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 05 - SEPTEMBER 2024
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