Posted By AlB I have a problem. New process been installed for cutting and shaping stone. A lot of saws and gauging heads. Also a lot of dust. My employer is adamant that the dust is "water vapour". I need to give information that shows otherwise. So I am looking for a hand held dust montioring equipment that will give indicative readings of dust in the workplace. Will need to know that mg/m3 and preferably particle size. I don't need to know the compsition of the dust, only density and size. I haven't got the time or budget to get a consultant in (which will also result in a delay in getting information back). Does anyone know of any equipmnent that fits the bill? Where can I get hold of them? I've seen a couple through my searches on the internet, but hopefully someone will have informaiton on a good one. Thanks.

Posted By AlB Robert, Thanks for the lead. Great site. Might end up costing me a fortune though as I've seen a number of interesting items of equipment on this site! Cheers. AlB

Posted By Adrian Watson The instrument you propose to use will not give you the answer you need as the presence of a mist will interfer with the readings. The best method is to measure on a GFA filter and condition it to dry the filter out. If you weigh it pre and post conditioning, after taking your measurements, you will be able to calculate how much is dust and how much is water. Regards Adrian Watson Registered Occupational hygienist

Posted By Adrian Watson Dear AIB, Don't test, treat; ensure any stored water is kept clean and chlorinated to 5-8 ppm. This will ensure that there are no food sources available; chlorinating the water will destroy any ameobaes present and thereby control the growth of legionella. Regards Adrian Watson

Posted By AlB Thanks Adrian. Just for information, the water is continuously circulated 24/7 and treated with flocculent. The water is used to cool saw blades whilst sawing, and to dampen dust at source (supposedly!!!). The saw will dissipate a certain amount of the water in the form of a fine mist. However, the design of the process is flawed and there is a shortage of water (I know, I know!!!!!) and therefore there is escape of dust as well. I need to show that the thick cloud we have over the heads of our operatives is dust and not mist (We all know it's dust, but there's reluctance to admit that and I need to prove it). Fun and games.

Posted By Stuart McPhaden I have used A3 paper located nearby to show dust from wet cutting in the past

Posted By Stuart McPhaden I agree with adrian but if you have to demonstrate the need to managment some of the above may help.

Posted By AlB Adrian, we do monitor dust and do it regularly. However, the results of the last monitoring was below WEL. There were a number of reasons for this though, including some machinery not running on the day (conveniently) and different atmospheric circumstances. We need to be able to assess the situation as the need arises. Safety vs Production conundrum comes to light again. But now the workforce have threatened a walkout, the bosses have had a bit of a fright!