Fiberglass and mineral wool: skin, eyes, and lungs

Ask anyone who has blown insulation in an attic in July. The fibers find every gap. They get down your collar and up your sleeves, and you itch all night. A batt torn in half throws a puff of fiber right at your face. Your eyes water and you rub them, and that makes it worse. Blowing loose fill fills the whole attic with it. Then there is the attic itself: hot, cramped, poor light, and only the joists to stand on. One step between them goes right through the ceiling below.

The rules here are general, not special to insulation. OSHA lists fibrous glass as a dust with an air limit, and the job has to keep you under it. Protective gear has to be provided and used where the work can hurt you through your skin, eyes, or lungs. That means safety glasses or goggles for flying fibers, and gloves and long sleeves for your skin. When the job calls for a respirator, it has to be the right type and fit you under the company's program. Read the product label and the SDS. Mineral wool and fiberglass are not exactly the same, and some products ask for more.

Here is how to work it. Wear loose long sleeves and long pants, with cuffs taped or tucked. Wear gloves, glasses or goggles, and a cap. Wear the respirator the job calls for, especially when blowing loose fill. Cut batts with a sharp knife on a board, not by tearing them. Keep the hopper and hose away from people who aren't on the crew. In the attic, lay boards across the joists to walk and kneel on, and use a work light. Don't blow fibers off your clothes with air. Shake clothes out outside, wash them separately, and rinse skin with cool water, not hot.