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Visited new customer for first time. They have one workshop where pieces of sheet glass are cut using handtools, and then they use scourers to rub the sharp edges smooth. No PPE worn! I've explained the hazard of the glass dust, which contains respirable crystalline silica. The workshop needs a deep clean. Added problem is the house-keeping has been very poor so on the workbenches there are piles of papers, drawings, gloves, hand tools...... all covered in fine dust, again likely
much respirable crystalline silica there. Looking for advice - I'm thinking we need a special type of vacuum cleaner to do the deep clean. Since glass dust requires half-masks or full masks AP40 standard, I'm thinking I need a vacuum cleaner that uses filter bags to AP40 standard? If so, I'm trying to find a AP40 vacuum in UK, like Bosch or AEG. Can anyone advise?
John
Edited by user 20 September 2017 08:49:47(UTC)
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Rank: Forum user
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Rank: Super forum user
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John.. Firstly. I suspect you may be confusing crystalline silica with amorphous silica dust... Glass is not crystalline. Amorphous silica is far less a concern. Secondly... Most hand tool operations will produce relatively large particle size debris... Unless something very odd is being done it seems highly unlikely the debris produced will be in the range considered respirable. As a general rule of thumb... If the work has been done in the same area for a long time... How far has the dust spread? If it is low level contamination out to one or two metres then it is coarse, not respirable... If the same type of dust is present on high level surfaces on the other side of the room, then it is airborne, and may be respirable... The only way to be certain is to have very specific dust analysis done for concentration and particle size and particle morphology. But if you ask any ventilation or vacuum sales people they will sell you the most expensive thing they think they can (in my experience).
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 4 users thanked Steve e ashton for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Steve, thank you for explaining that glass is amorphous silica - something I ought to have known for sure. I am now educating myself before telling the customer the problem is not as serious as I might have thought. They still need a deep clean :o)
John
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Rank: Super forum user
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Steve, I also appreciate your comments with regard to the spread of dust, and what is in the dust. It's an old workshop that I think has never seen a vacuum cleaner so the accumulation is over years, maybe more than a decade! So if I careully have a close look around I can assess how far the dust has spread from the bench activities.
There's a lot of newspaper around because they wrap finished pieces in newspaper, so there is likely also dust from paper. But the main thing is I think they can do a deep clean with a vacuum and half masks that are not high-spec.
Regards,
John
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Rank: Super forum user
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If the place has not been cleaned in 10 years and they have been allsorts in there I would really ask the question, what have they been using? I suspect they have not retained a file of COSHH assessments for your perusal.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Kurdziel, right, no COSHH assessments, but there has been some effort at risk assessments; they were one time accredited to Construction Line. I'll need to audit some of their installation work before I help them with re-accreditation. Staff have PASMA, IPAF and asbestos awareness training so that's a good start. Just as an example of what they have not been doing - in other workshops there are LEV units and a compressor that have never had statutory examination! Well, at least they have sought out a safety adviser. It's at times like this I think to myself there must be 100s of similar small businesses who have never had statutory examinations who won't be seeking safety advice.
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Rank: New forum user
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Thanks for link, John Hinds.
However I think that process is for cleaning; my client uses their blasting process for engraving glass. I will forward the link to them anyway.
Regards
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Rank: Super forum user
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Originally Posted by: Steve e ashton  John.. Firstly. I suspect you may be confusing crystalline silica with amorphous silica dust... Glass is not crystalline. Amorphous silica is far less a concern. Secondly... Most hand tool operations will produce relatively large particle size debris... Unless something very odd is being done it seems highly unlikely the debris produced will be in the range considered respirable. As a general rule of thumb... If the work has been done in the same area for a long time... How far has the dust spread? If it is low level contamination out to one or two metres then it is coarse, not respirable... If the same type of dust is present on high level surfaces on the other side of the room, then it is airborne, and may be respirable... The only way to be certain is to have very specific dust analysis done for concentration and particle size and particle morphology. But if you ask any ventilation or vacuum sales people they will sell you the most expensive thing they think they can (in my experience).
Hi Steve, I thought glass contained both sand and quartz of which both could contain respirable crystilline silica? Simon
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Rank: Super forum user
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SP: sand and quartz are ingredients, but during processing they undergo physical process (melting!) which destroys the crystalline structure. When it is cooled, it cools relatively quickly, and hasn't got time to form crystals, hence- amorphous.... Similarly, most plastics will be made from corrosive and\or highly flammable ingredients, but few plastics are corrosive or highly flammable! In glass its a (mostly) physical process rather than chemical, but the principle is the same. What have you got rather than what did you start with.... Hope this helps.
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2 users thanked Steve e ashton for this useful post.
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Steve, both really helpful and informative. Many thanks Simon
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Ferro silicates (eg grunerite) are mostly fairly innocuous... But amosite is a type of Grunerite....
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