Abstract
Abstract Hazards identification is essential step in framework of occupational health & safety (OH&S) management system. The task of spruce wood sanding with hand-held power belt sander is considered as a significant resource of exposure to wood dust. Dust from spruce wood is hazard that can cause negative health effects such as asthma and chronic bronchitis. A dust collection box is a commonly used technical measure for reducing exposure to wood dust for this task in practice. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of commercially available dust collection box at reducing exposure to wood dust during the task of sanding spruce wood using hand-held power belt sander. Laboratory experiment involved sanding spruce planks (250 mm × 50 mm × 500 mm) in longitudinal direction using belt sander (Bosch, PBS 75 A) with 120 grit sanding belt. Spruce dust mass concentrations were sampled using an aerosol monitor (TSI Inc., DustTrak DRX 8533) in the breathing zone of operator. Inhalable and respirable dust concentrations were both significantly lower (P < 0.0001) when dust box was attached to belt sander compared with sander without a dust box. Results from this pilot study indicate that dust collection box is efficient technical measure for decreasing exposure to aerosol mass concentration during sanding spruce wood with hand-held belt sander.
Highlights
The largest development with occupational health & safety (OH&S) management systems in the past few years is the establishment of the international standard ISO 45001:2018 [16, 17, 22]
For sanding wood with hand-belt sander the traditional engineering control measures include integral dust extraction unit, mobile local exhaust ventilation, and downdraft Table [4]. As observed in this pilot study, it is clear that use of hand-held belt sander without appropriate engineering control enhances risks related to spruce wood dust inhalation exposure
Real-time inhalable and respirable dust measurements in breathing zone of sander's operator were used to assess the efficiency of examined integral dust extraction unit
Summary
The largest development with occupational health & safety (OH&S) management systems in the past few years is the establishment of the international standard ISO 45001:2018 [16, 17, 22]. According to ISO 45001:2018 the organisation should have a process to determine and have access to health and safety legal requirements applicable to its OH&S management system. Where airborne emissions of wood dust cannot be sufficiently avoided or reduced, machinery has to be fitted with the equipment necessary to contain wood dust in order to protect persons against exposure. In Slovakia, occupational exposure limit (based on an 8-hour time-weighted average) is 8 mg/m3 for inhalable wood dust except dust from exotic species (1 mg/m3). There is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity of beech and oak dust. Prolonged exposure to these dusts could lead to nasal and sinonasal cancers. Limit value for occupational exposure to hardwood (beech, oak) dusts is 3 mg/m3. In selecting the most appropriate methods of reducing risk of exposure to wood dust, the manufacturer of belt
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