Don’t miss: Foundry Safety Part 1: Noise Control
The next subject in our foundry safety discussion is Dust control. A serious issue surrounding the safety of your employees, Crystalline Silica dust, or silica as it is most commonly referred to, is fine granite particles caused by grinding, crushing, and other manufacturing processes. This fine dust becomes a health hazard when it enters the air and is inhaled into the lungs.
Permissible Exposure Limit
Silica can pose a much greater health risk to foundry employees than most people think. In fact, OSHA has moved the permissible exposure limit (or PEL) to 50 μg/m3 over an 8-hour workday for just this reason. Prolonged exposure to silica dust can have damaging effects on the human body. When breathed into the lungs, silica dust causes scarring to form, blocking the absorption of oxygen and leading to problems such as silicosis, lung cancer, kidney disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The PEL determined by OSHA is a level nearly undetectable by modern sensors. Even if the dust is not visible, it may still surpass the limit. It is always a good idea to test your environment to be sure it meets OSHA standards.
Make sure your foundry is informed. Download the Silica Safety Infographic: Silica Safety Infographic (Download)
Why Silica Dust is Airborne
Silica becomes a health hazard when it enters the air we breathe. Silica dust can become airborne for several reasons. The first reason is an abundant one in the foundry: Heat. Heat goes hand in hand with the foundry environment. (In fact, it is the focus of GK’s Foundry Safety Part 3 due to the variety of issues heat may cause.) Heat causes the warm sand and silica dust to rise into the air, where it can then be inhaled. The second issue causing silica dust to fill the air is movement. Movement of equipment and transferring sand from one unit to another causes dust to be kicked up into the air, allowing air currents to keep the particles airborne.
How to Control Dust in Your Facility
Controlling dust in your Foundry can be achieved in several ways, similar to those for noise control.
Here are a few things we recommend to our customers to reduce silica dust in the foundry:
- Ventilator suits – Quarantining the air your operator’s breath from the contaminated air in your facility is the quickest and simplest way to ensure they are in a healthy environment. However, the biggest aversion to suits is that they can be uncomfortable and hard to work in.
- Manipulators- Similar to ventilator suits, removing your employees from a hazard is the best way to keep them safe. However, manipulators can slow down your process and negate precision work.
- Shakeout Enclosures – A great way to contain silica while going through a process that can generate a lot of dust. Unfortunately, enclosures often create blind spots, making equipment more challenging to observe and maintain.
- Shot Blast – Remove the sand before it comes into contact with people. Unfortunately, this can be an expensive process and introduce shot into the rest of your system.
- VIBRA-DRUM® Casting Conditioner– cools and conditions sand and castings before they come in contact with people.
For more information on how General Kinematics can improve your foundry environment, please contact me!
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