In late March, the US Department of Labor implemented a new rule aimed at protecting workers from respirable silica dust. This rule has a far reaching impact on a variety of industries, including construction and manufacturing.
Enforcement of the silica dust rule falls to OSHA, which has set the level of silica a worker can be exposed to over a typical 8-hour workday to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air. That allowable level was previously 250 micrograms.
The reason for the reduction and OSHA’s increased scrutiny stems from the fact that more than 2.3 million workers in the U.S. are exposed to silica on the job. Inhaling silica dust causes diseases including silicosis, lung cancer and kidney cancer.
Naturally, the silica dust rule and the lowered level of allowable silica dust on job sites has many companies scrambling to implement new rules and processes and, in many cases, invest in new equipment.
Bosch offers a variety of products that help to limit silica dust. This includes hammers, vacuums, dust-collection accessories and Speed Clean bits.
Speed Clean bits in particular are an ideal addition. They are hollow-core drill bits that are able to limit dust in the air, while also producing precise holes in concrete surfaces. Using them virtually eliminates all silica dust in the air.
In order to create this equipment, Bosch used four types of testing for each drill bit. This testing was led by an industrial hygienist. While conventional concrete drill bits allowed a significant amount of silica dust into the air, each test of the Speed Clean bits resulted in undetectable amounts of silica dust.
If you’re in need to Bosch equipment, or products from other trusted manufacturers, come see us at Maxwell Supply in Tulsa.