Clik here to view.
IH Camp – summary
The big industrial hygiene conference (AIHCe) is held in a different city each year. This year was Indy, Indiana. Below is my personal top ten list of “lessons learned” from last week. IH’s need to do...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Combining multiple exposure data?
When performing air monitoring it can be useful to take multiple samples on the same individual throughout the day. Here are some reasons to change out the filters: build up of dust on filter – can...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ready Mix Drum Chipping
If you operate a ready-mix plant and have concrete trucks, you are aware of this process. Once a year (hopefully, only once) a person must climb into the drum of the ready-mix truck and chip off excess...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pre task planning – for silica
Controlling most of these types of exposures is really simple. If you know the job- and you know it will generate airborne silica = Pre Task Plan! I wish Superintendents would enforce their project...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Preplanning & engineering controls
I was visiting a friend and in their neighborhood all of the curbs were cut for driveways (they were not poured for the cutouts). This might have saved some time for the carpenters forming &...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lowering the Silica exposure limit
If you haven’t heard, Federal OSHA is proposing to reduce the airborne silica permissible exposure limit (PEL) to 50 µg/m³. It is difficult to say how much lower this new rule will be, since the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
All I want for my (IH) Christmas…
Here’s my top 5 gifts for Christmas in the (my) occupational hygiene world of construction: A new carbon monoxide monitor. Not just a “normal” $40 model. A Nest Protect Fire & Carbon Monoxide...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Update on various subjects
Sorry for the delay in writing. I have had some personal and professional projects taking a lot of my spare time. I have been preparing to present at a couple local conferences on Industrial Hygiene in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
OSHA silica rule
I was asked to summarize my thoughts on the OSHA proposed silica rule (which is currently pending). I’ve done it before, but since it was for the ASSE’s Industrial Hygiene Practice Specialty, it seemed...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Silica controls for Milling Machines
NIOSH (and with the help from some other groups) released a document this last week titled, “Best Practice Engineering Control Guidelines to Control Worker Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mixing bags of cement – overexposure?
Question: During mixing of portland cement bags of material (or similar types), am I overexposed? Maybe, likely. But, probably not to silica. Most manmade, off the shelf products do not contain...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More silica exposures
These pictures will come as no surprise. But, silica dust exposures (and nuisance dust) is an ongoing issue. Bottom line: if you have dust, you need to add some controls. Platform of rock crusher...
View ArticleClik here to view.
OSHA Silica rule coming- early prediction (?)
OSHA has recently announced the final time frame for the proposed silica rule. February 1, 2015 is their anticipated rule promulgation. However, we will see if anyone protests this new information, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Silica in Construction: What you should be doing now
At this point, the OSHA silica rules are forthcoming, what should you be doing to prepare? Read the OSHA Small Entity Guide. Initially it is daunting – 103 pages, but much of it is specific to tasks...
View Article
