Fiber Cement Siding Breathed In A Lot Of Dust

How much silica dust is too much.

Fiber cement siding breathed in a lot of dust.

In 2016 osha updated its rules for controlling exposure to respirable silica dust. If you prefer to use a soft cloth to handle the debris wet it and wipe the siding until it is clean and once again rinse with the hose. Take your soft brush and use it along the siding to remove the dust or chalk that you want to clean. This would not be easy because we needed to make a lot of long rip cuts and angled crosscuts for field joints.

To validate the effectiveness of a regular shop vacuum at reducing dust researchers conducted further studies at construction sites where workers were cutting fiber cement siding. Gently wipe away any loose dirt and debris with a soft non metal horsehair or paintbrush. The dust reacts with sweat or damp clothing to form a corrosive solution which will damage your skin. However even though you eliminate nearly all of your exposure to fiber cement dust by using fiber cement shears there are still dangers present.

When fiber cement siding was cut the air flow induced by the spinning blade caused a large portion of the dust generated to be collected in the contain er or shroud and also directed the dust to an exhaust port which was connected to an external vacuum cleaner. Crystalline silica is a mineral found in sand stone rock concrete brick block mortar and fiber cement siding. A serious burn or ulcer can rapidly develop if it is trapped against the skin. Then rinse with the hose.

Results of the field studies showed that a regular shop vacuum controlled the amount of silica containing dust in the air to well below the niosh recommended exposure limit for crystalline silica 0 05 mg m 3. Workers are exposed to crystalline silica dust in operations like cutting sawing drilling or crushing components that contain crystalline silica. To get rid of any dirt dust and debris clean your siding gently once or twice a year using the following method. Dust containing silica is created when fibre cement weatherboards and other fibre cement and masonry products are cut ground drilled or otherwise disturbed.

Cutting fiber cement siding can produce clouds of dust and i wanted us to breathe in as little of it as possible. Wet a soft cloth and gently wipe away remaining dirt and dust moving with the grain of the siding and working from top to bottom. Wet cement is highly alkaline in nature. Although this standard primarily affects installers and contractors any building professional can rely on this site as a resource for accurate information about the osha silica.

The dangers of fiber cement dust one of the main benefits of using fiber cement shears is reduction in exposure to fiber cement dust. Never use a hard or abrasive brush to clean cement fiber siding.