Health and Safety Advice - Dust Measurement Standards

In recent years, the dust topic has gathered more momentum and interest in the construction industry. Aside from being extremely messy and uncomfortable to work with, construction dust can cause significant harm to workers’ health.

Many thanks to Walid Hussain, National Tool Hire Manager at Hilti GB Ltd for providing the following helpful information.

The HSE estimates that dust was responsible for the death of over 500 construction workers in 2005. In addition to the risks from lung cancer, silica is also linked to other serious lung diseases including silicosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. As a result the HSE has increased site inspections, prohibitions, warnings and has even actioned site closures to raise awareness of the risks of silica exposure.

We are therefore continually looking for ways to improve on-site health and safety as well as increase productivity. In addition to the health risks, dust also has the potential to damage equipment and material, clogging up motors resulting in costly repairs.

To help employers control dust exposure to operatives, a new dust measurement standard EN 50632 is on its way, providing guidelines which will help contractors to stay below the daily legal dust exposure limits.

As a leading plant supplier to the construction industry, Hilti’s learnings from working with contractors on-site suggests that employers should not deal with the dust topic as a stand-alone health and safety issue, but rather find synergies with other health, safety and environmental measures. By identifying synergies across the key health and safety concerns on-site and by having the right strategy and approach we can reduce costs, increase productivity and protect people at the same time.

Our solutions cover a wide range of topics, incorporating innovative alternative methods and providing comprehensive training and education on-site. Our harmonised systems are compliant with key health and safety measures including the new dust standard, with the added value of reducing costs and increasing productivity.

Here is an example of how selecting the right tool can tick the box for many health and safety topics.

Despite its industry leading performance, the TE 80-ATC/AVR does not compromise on safety.

1. Active Torque Control (ATC) is a unique technology that stops the motor almost instantly, reducing the potential of sudden rotation of the combihammer about its own axis. This reduces wrist injuries and the need for grip force which is known to reduce Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).
2. Active Vibration Reduction system (AVR) reduces vibration by up to 2/3 compared with conventional tools. This tool can drill up 250 holes before reaching legal action limits which reduces the need for monitoring and makes HAVS management much easier.
3. Dust Extraction System that is harmonised with the extraction head and the M-Class vacuum allows the user to stay below legal dust exposure limit during breaking and drilling applications.

For more information check out www.hilti.co.uk/dust

Alternatively, check out some of our most popular products available through HSS all with safety first in mind:

Hilti TE 40-AVR Combihammer

Hilti TE 700-AVR Breaker

Hilti TE 1000-AVR Breaker

Hilti TE 3000-AVR Heavy Duty Breaker

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