Controlling Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS)
Overexposure to RCS can lead to accelerated silicosis. This is a form of lung disease that can develop if a worker has been exposed to large quantities of silica dust. If you work in a high-risk industry such as brick or tile work, ceramics, construction, farming or quarries and stonework then you should follow strict HSE guidelines.
Crystalline silica is a mineral found in soil, sand, and rock and therefore is prevalent in everything from bricks to clay and concrete. It is also used in engineered products such as the stone used in kitchen worktops and bathrooms.
As it is so widely used in so many industries the risk to exposure is high especially when it is crushed, drilled, transported and disturbed. The tiny fragmented materials are released and become airborne dust particles; if inhaled, these particles can cause damage to the lungs.
The risks to workers in the mining and concrete industries have been known about for over a century, but it wasn’t until 1997 when silica was classified as a group 1 lung carcinogen (causing cancer) that everyone became much more conscious of the risks.
How Can RCS Harm Your Health?
Exposure to silica dust is one of the largest health hazards in the UK workplace and kills over 800 workers a year in the UK alone.
It can take up to 10 years for the effects of exposure to RCS to show and is very difficult for doctors to spot. Work-related exposure to large quantities of RSC dust over a long period of time can be fatal and is often irreversible if fibrosis should occur.
Fibrosis is caused when the lung tissue is damaged; this causes scarring, and the tissue builds up. The usual thin and lacy walls of the lung become thick and stiff.
Due to the thicker lung tissue the lungs do not expand as they should; this can cause a shortness of breath, with everyday tasks becoming more difficult and tiring you out more easily. This results in breathing difficulties which can worsen over time. There is no cure for fibrosis.
Know Your limit
The HSE produces workplace exposure limits (WELs) for particular hazardous materials. These WELs represent the absolute maximum amount of substance that can be present in the air. It is a legal requirement that this limit is not exceeded.
The measurement of a WEL is based on an average over a period of time referred to as a time-weighted average (TWA). Exposure to RCS has an 8-hour time-weighted average. The UK currently has a 0.1 mg/m³ workplace exposure Limit for RCS and although dust control technology has improved, there is still a risk when these controls are not properly applied.
The current limit does not mean that there is a safe level of exposure to RCS. Exposure should be kept as low as reasonably operable whilst remaining below the WEL. Remember that even a small amount of exposure to the dust is harmful.
Silica Dust Regulations
Silica dust has a number of parallels to asbestos. It occurs naturally, is used in building materials and other industries, damages the lungs, causes cancer and kills people. Yet it currently doesn’t have its own set of regulations. However, COSHH requirements must be applied to any work with a risk of exposure.
Due diligence is an important factor in preventing health hazards relating to silica dust particles. These particles are smaller than a grain of sand and are therefore not easy to see in normal lighting. Often, you will not be aware of their presence in the air and this can cause exposure.
What Can Be Done to Reduce Exposure?
If there is a risk of exposure to silica dust, it is the employer’s legal responsibility to carry out a risk assessment and implement effective control measures. If you are an employer, then there are three things you can do to help prevent or reduce exposure:
- Assess the risks
- Control the risks
- Review the controls
When assessing the risks, you must clearly identify the risks and hazards caused by silica dust. Ideally, you will eliminate these entirely, but it is recognised that this is not always possible, so you should substitute methods of work or put controls in place to reduce risk.
When you cannot eliminate a risk or hazard, you should control it. Here you should seek out to reduce the production of silica dust and prevent your workforce from breathing it in. The correct use of respiratory protective equipment (RPE), selecting materials that have low amounts of silica and using ventilation or extraction systems will help.
Finally, you have controls in place to reduce, manage or eradicate silica dust exposure, you must check these control measures routinely to ensure they are maintained, monitored and effective at all times. Air monitoring can ensure that levels are within or below the enforced limits.
Maintaining your equipment and keeping the workplace clean will help and so will monitoring the amount and quality of airflow that your workforce is breathing.
Think Beyond the Workplace
It is not just work-related tasks like sanding, drilling or cutting materials that can leave people exposed to silica dust. Sweeping up after work has been completed disturbs particles and releases them into the air. Particles can also get into your clothing, so the safe removal of work gear is important. Dust can even stay in the air long after you have finished the job.
Silica dust is easy to ignore; it’s so small that you can hardly see it and as a result it can be easy to neglect and forget about. However, prolonged exposure can cause serious health risks and even death.
At Workplace Exposure, our professional solutions and advice help to ensure your business meets compliance standards and is operating to best practice. If you need help in carrying out a COSHH air monitoring survey or help in selecting the correct PPE we’re here to help
WE Are Here to Help
Assessing and managing exposure to harmful substances are specialist fields and if you lack the right training, knowledge and experience then you risk making mistakes.
At Workplace Exposure, we support employers in their efforts to protect employees, visitors and customers from exposure to substances hazardous to health, as well as offer professional solutions and expert advice.
Find out more about our health & safety consultancy work or get in touch with us today.
Our approach
Get in touch with Workplace Exposure. Either give us a call on 0800 689 4386, or fill in our enquiry form to discuss your monitoring or consultancy requirements.
We’ll then provide you with a no-obligation proposal, we can often give an initial idea of fees whilst we discuss your needs.
Once you’ve accepted our proposal, we can then schedule the work.
Following our site visit we’ll provide you with a comprehensive report giving you advice, recommendations and control measures where appropriate. Implement the outcomes for compliance and a happier healthier workplace.