I don't think I've ever seen a tradesperson wearing PPE. Recent example: our neighbor had some stonework done, and these guys were just casually hanging out in clouds of cement and stone dust.
Having workers wear PPE is the worst, last resort form of protection. Solutions like switching to safer materials and improving ventilation work much better in practice.
Engineered stone is undoubtedly more hazardous than natural stone, but (as the researchers quoted in this article suggest) there is no safe level of exposure to respirable crystalline silica. The problem of silicosis long pre-dates the advent of engineered stone and will remain even if the product is banned. If I were working with stone - engineered or natural - I'd want a respirator unless I was absolutely confident in the mitigation measures in place.
> Coal — There is a prevalent opinion that coal miners do not suffer from silicosis or tuberculosis. But coal mining may produce silicosis when the associated rock has a sufficiently high silica content [0]
> Analyses of speciments of rock drilled from various sites on Manhattan Island showed that the free silica content ranged from zero to 84 per cent. In the case of dry jackhammer drilling, 50 per cent of the silica particles were less than three to four microns in size, while with the water Leyner (wet) drill, 50 per cent of the particles were less than 1-8 microns in diameter. Of the 208 drillers, blasters and excavators examined, 42 per cent showed early, and 15 per cent well-developed silicosis. Evidence of tuberculosis, including both active and inactive cases, was present in nine per cent of the total number.
I believe miners of many types began suffering from silicosis when powered jackhammer drills were first introduced. It wasn't until people started dying that water began being piped to to the tip of the drill.
This document is old, but very interesting. Many of the questions being asked in this thread can be answered here. The various industries where silicosis can occur are outlined beginning on page 47.
[0] "SILICOSIS AND ITS PREVENTION" (1946) https://digirepo.nlm.nih.gov/ext/dw/37721440R/PDF/37721440R....
I completely disagree. Is it less comfortable than not wearing a mask? For sure. Do I consider it a burden to wear a P100 respirator when dealing with silica? Nope.
Have you had a professional fit test to see whether your respirator is making an adequate seal? Many folks wear these things far too loosely to pass a basic fitment test.
How many hours a day do you spend moving objects that weight >20lbs while wearing your respirator?
How often do you work on days >30C while decked out in your respirator?
Do you keep your face shaved baby smooth at all times?
>How many hours a day do you typically spend wearing your respirator?
Minimum 6, as much as 14.
>Have you had a professional fit test to see whether your respirator is making an adequate seal?
Absolutely.
>How many hours a day do you spend moving objects that weight >20lbs while wearing your respirator?
~75% of any given shift.
>How often do you work on days >30C while decked out in your respirator?
About 2 months out of the year.
> Do you keep your face shaved baby smooth at all times?
Not any more! This was one of the driving factors in me leaving the job that required near full time respirator use, actually. I like my beard. :V
That said, I value my long term health much more than any discomfort throughout the current day to day. Give me that PPE, baby.
To me, saying "I work too many hours to wear PPE the entire time" is akin to saying "I drive too many hours to be sober the entire time."
Also nthing what other people said about just using a full face respirator if you don't like smaller variety. I don't like respirators as such but they do the job.
Filter list: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0128/4037/0235/files/Full_...
It has large outter seals which are great if you wear glasses and it's extremely light. The inner seal is also pretty thick and I have shortish facial hair that doesn't impact the seal at all.
You wouldn't get wearing it while carrying etc. It's while cutting.
Don't get me a lot of establishments are probably not set up for proper dust control (eg cutting in a dust extraction room) but that's still not a reason to ban the product.
This was incredibly political. Our media outlets scared the crap out of everyone with a good month long campaign on it, so it became entirely political.
I have a short beard (5mm) and the 3M silicon masks [1] still have a very tight seal. So I don't think a smooth shave is necessary.
Or a PAPR if your job is willing to pay for one.
But the fact is, sufficient dust, of any material is dangerous. I have a friend who was hospitalized with a literal hole in his lung. Partially collapsed lung. He's under 35.
Hard work is hard, it's often uncomfortable, let's not pretend magic bullets are here. If anything they are, PPE is miraculous in what it protects against.
Wet tile saws and waterjets can cut stone (and engineered stone) with essentially no dust. An angle grinder with a dust shroud and HEPA filtered extractor (total cost starts around $400) can do the same thing a regular angle grinder does but with a lot less dust.
And one really can work all day in a pouch-style N95 mask. They don’t collect much more than 95% of fine dust, but they do work, they’re easy to fit, and they’re easy to breathe through. I would wear one for added protection if I were using an angle grinder with a dust extractor. (Although I might use a full mask respirator instead for eye protection. And PAPRs are pretty great if rather expensive.)
"Essentially no dust" is not "no dust". There are no safe levels of silica that can be introduced to your lungs.
> And one really can work all day in a pouch-style N95 mask
N95 is basically the bare minimum in terms of filters. In my shop I have a shop vac with a tornado tumbler that attaches to tools for fine wood dust and a full face P-100 mask.
This is the one: https://parcilsafety.com/products/pd100-full-face-respirator
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"No level of alcohol consumption is safe when it comes to human health, according to a WHO statement released in January, 2023."
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanrhe/article/PIIS2665-9...
https://rousseauco.com/product/rousseau-5000-l-lighted-dust-...
If you ask yourself „should I wear safety equipment“ the answer is always yes.
No profession experience, yet the pouch style I found both uncomfortable at higher temperatures and unreliable. So for a normally hobby/around-the-house work I use only half mask respirator Pretty much, it requires proper shaving to ensure it actually does something.
Saves a lot of cleanup time too!
If we can make earbuds comfortable enough so that people can wear them 8 hours a day, there's got to be something to do for breathing.