Hi, I have been asked to do a COSHH Assessment on concrete dust when drilling. Does anyone have one that I could have a look at? Thanks

Rob Include in your risk assessment the potential for cement burns due to cement dust on wet skin. Cement is notorious for causing skin burns. Chris

Query: If I drill concrete using water (as is often the case), does the slurry contain liberated Calcium Hydroxide - i.e. is the slurry caustic?

Judging by the practices observed around the UK wet cutting / drilling run off is generally not collected nor neutralised - seems a bit contradictory to wet down to protect the operative then leave the slurry to dry to dust and expose potentially more people to any hazards - CN3 refers to wet brushing / hosing down the area but no advice as to where. http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/cn3.pdf Quite a few fixings in to concrete (Re-bar / bolts etc..) use reactive chemical anchoring systems that may or may not involve additional hazards over and above the basic concrete mix (depends upon the formulation used) - in one construction site assessment the attached MSDS of the product carried a precautionary statement for sanding / drilling the cured chemical product due to potential Silica exposure. Then there is the question of the aggregate used dependent upon the age of the material being drilled - quite a few horrors were buried in concrete in the days before enlightenment.