The dust from the cut you cannot see
Silica 5 min 29 CFR 1926.1153
Why it matters
Cutting, drilling, or grinding concrete, brick, or stone throws dust you cannot see. That dust scars the lungs. Water on the blade, a vacuum on the tool, or the respirator the competent person assigned is the control. A dust mask from a hardware checkout is not that respirator.
The talk
The saw is in a cut on a concrete slab. The cloud looks small, and the breeze takes most of it toward the fence. You can still breathe. Your nose is not packed with grit. That is the trick. The dust that scars the lungs is the dust you do not see, from cutting, drilling, or grinding concrete, brick, or stone. It hangs in the air after the cloud looks gone. The person downwind breathes it. So does the person on the vacuum hose. So does the person who walks through later. A clean shirt does not mean the air was clean.
For this task the crew uses the control that belongs to it. Water on the blade. A vacuum on the tool. Or the respirator the competent person assigned. Use the one this task calls for. Do not shut the water off because it makes a mess. Do not run the grinder with the vacuum hose lying on the floor. A dust mask from a hardware checkout is not the same as the respirator you were fit-tested for. If you were assigned a respirator that seals to the face, beard stubble can break that seal. The mask feels like it is on, and the dust still gets past the stubble along the cheek. Do not dry sweep the slurry and the dust into a pile. Dry sweeping throws it back into the air.
Before the first cut today, name the control. If it is water, the water is on and it hits the blade. If it is a vacuum, the vacuum is on the tool and the filter is not packed solid. If it is a respirator, it is the one you were fit-tested for. Fresh beard stubble does not get to break that seal. If you were not assigned a respirator, do not grab a checkout dust mask and call the task covered. Do not dry sweep when the cut is done. Wet the mess or use the vacuum. If the water stops or the vacuum quits, stop the tool and tell the foreman. Do not finish the last bit dry because only a short piece is left.
Key points
- Cutting, drilling, or grinding concrete, brick, or stone makes dust you cannot see.
- That dust scars the lungs.
- Use water on the blade, a vacuum on the tool, or the respirator the competent person assigned.
- A hardware dust mask is not the respirator you were fit-tested for.
- Beard stubble can break the seal of a respirator that seals to the face.
- Do not dry sweep.
- If the water or the vacuum stops, stop the tool and tell the foreman.
Do this
- Use the control for this task: water, a vacuum, or the right respirator.
- Keep water on the blade when the cut is supposed to be wet.
- Keep the vacuum on the tool while you cut, drill, or grind.
- Wear the respirator you were fit-tested for, with a seal stubble does not break.
- Stop and tell the foreman if the water or the vacuum quits.
Do not do this
- Do not cut, drill, or grind dry when the task calls for water or a vacuum.
- Do not dry sweep the dust back into the air.
- Do not treat a hardware dust mask as the respirator you were fit-tested for.
- Do not wear a face-sealing respirator over beard stubble.
- Do not finish the last piece with the control turned off.
Talk about it
- For today's cut or grind, is the control water, a vacuum, or a respirator?
- Who was fit-tested, and does anyone have stubble that would break a face seal?
- What do we do the moment the water stops or the vacuum quits?
Listens with this phone's voice. Nothing is sent out.
Send to the crew
The crew link opens the talk so each person can read it and sign on their own phone.
Scan at the jobsite. It opens the crew sign-off.