Erbauer ERI604IPD, User Manual, Page: 8 / 24

Silica is a natural mineral present in large amounts in things like sand, sandstone and granite. It
is also commonly found in many construction materials such as concrete and mortar. The silica
is broken into very fine dust (also known as Respirable Crystalline Silica or RCS) during many
common tasks such as cutting, drilling and grinding
Breathing in very fine particles of crystalline silica can lead to the development of:
Lung cancer
Silicosis
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD))
And breathing in fine particles of wood dust can lead to the development of Asthma
The risk of lung disease is linked to people who regularly breathe construction dust over a
period of time, not on the odd occasion.
To protect the lung, the COSHH Regulations sets a limit on the amount of these dusts that you
can breathe (called a Workplace Exposure Limit or WEL) when averaged over a normal working
day. These limits are not a large amount of dust: when compared to a penny it is tiny – like a
small pinch of salt:
This limit is the legal maximum; the most you can breathe after the right controls have been
used.
How to reduce the amount of dust?
1 Reduce the amount of cutting by using the best sizes of building products.
2 Use a less powerful tool e.g. a block cutter instead of angle grinder.
3 Using a different method of work altogether – e.g. using a nail gun to direct fasten cable
trays instead of drilling holes first.
Please always work with approved safety equipment, such as those dust masks that specially
designed to filter out microscopic particles and use the dust extraction facility at all time.
For more information please see the HSE website:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction or http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cis69.pdf
Warning: Some dust particles created by power sanding, sawing, grinding, drill
and other construction jobs contain chemicals known to cause cancer, birth
defects or other reproductive harm. Some examples of these chemicals are:
• Lead from lead-based paints.
• Crystalline silica from bricks and cement and other masonry products.
• Arsenic and chromium from chemically treated timber.
Your risk from these exposures varies, depending upon how often you do this type of work. To
reduce your exposure to these chemicals:
• Work in a well-ventilated area.
• Work with approved safety equipment, such as those dust masks that are specially designed
to filter microscopic particles.
VIBRATION
The European Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive has been brought in to help reduce
hand arm vibration syndrome injuries to power tool users. The directive requires power tool