10
MSDD18-Li-2
Safety information
Getting
Started . . .
The following information applies to professional users
only but is good practice for all users:
ADDITIONAL SAFETY WARNING FOR CONSTRUCTION
DUST
The updated Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
Regulations 1st October 2012 now also targets to reduce the
risks associated with silica, wood and gypsum dusts.
Construction workers are one of the at-risk groups within this
because of the dust that they breathe: silica dust is not just a
nuisance, it is a real risk to your lungs!
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?
