4 Ways To Keep Your Concrete Finishing Job Free of Airborne Dust
There are many good reasons to keep your concrete finishing job free of airborne dust.The first and most important is for the health and safety of all concerned. Here are a few tips that will help in accomplishing this goal.
1. The best way to keep dust from becoming airborne is to prevent it from becoming dust in the first place. Make sure that you use adequate concrete mix water and compact the mix properly. This will ensure that there are no voids or cracks in the finish slab that would allow dust particles to be created by daily foot traffic and cleaning equipment.
2. Another great way to keep dust down is by using a vacuum system with HEPA filters, especially when using power tools on your concrete finishing job site. These systems can remove particles as small as 0.3 um and will help ensure that everyone stays healthy on your job site.
3. You may also consider using a polymer modified curing compound to help seal any pores in the cured slab surface, which lessens the amount of dust created by normal foot traffic and cleaning equipment on your job site.
4. Finally, make sure you have enough ventilation in the area where you are working so that the air does
Brenda Hodge posted this on April 8, 2014.
Concrete finishing is a skilled job that requires the use of a variety of different tools from a concrete trowel to an edging tool and more. But what are the best ways to keep your construction job free of airborne dust? It’s important to understand the potential health dangers that can be associated with the inhalation of concrete dust. While it’s not always possible to eliminate all airborne dust, there are several things you can do in order to minimize it as much as possible. Here are four ways:
1. Use water – In order to minimize the amount of airborne dust that results from the cutting, grinding or drilling of concrete surfaces, use water whenever possible. Water reduces friction between the tool and the surface which in turn helps reduce friction generated heat. Using water also reduces the amount of respirable dust that is released into the air during these processes.
2. Use equipment with built-in dust collection systems – Many power tools today come with built-in dust collection systems that work very well at reducing airborne particles. For example, when using a concrete grinder, look for one that has a vacuum port so that you can attach it to a vacuum hose. If you have older power
Airborne dust can be a toxic and harmful issue for children, adults and animals. The dust can get lodged in the lungs and cause health issues over time. Some of the diseases that can develop as a result of airborne dust are asbestosis, which is a lung disease that causes scar tissue to form in the lungs; lung cancer; silicosis, which is another lung disease that kills lung tissue; chronic bronchitis; and emphysema, which is when the air sacs in the lungs are destroyed.
The best way to avoid these health issues is to prevent airborne dust from being created during concrete finishing jobs. This may seem like an impossible task, but there are some steps you can take to keep your work site free of airborne dust.
Finishing concrete requires the skills of a journeyman finisher. However, there are a few things that can be done to help minimize airborne dust.
1. First, keep the concrete as wet as possible from the time it is placed until it has received its final trowel pass. An easy way to do this is to cover the slab with plastic tarps or sheets of Visqueen for the first 24 hours after placement (unless your specifications specify otherwise). This will help keep the water from evaporating out of the slab too quickly, which tends to make the cement particles easier to mobilize into the air.
2. Second, completely wet down all exposed surfaces of the slab before saw cutting. If you have any control over this you should try not to saw cut on windy days if possible, because any dust that is generated will be picked up by a strong breeze and carried away, out of site and out of mind – but not out of your lungs!
3. Third, use a water hose or watering can to thoroughly wet down the area around where you will be drilling holes in the slab for steel dowel pins or anchor bolts, or anywhere else that you will be breaking or chipping concrete with a hammer drill or jackhammer. You should
1. If the dust is very light, try using a water hose or a pressure washer to wet the area. This will make it heavier and keep it from floating in the air.
2. If there are areas of concrete that are not finished, use a plastic or canvas tarp or sheet to cover them until you have time to take care of them.
3. If you are wetting the area down with water, make sure you do not create any standing water that can become a slip and fall hazard.
4. Whenever possible, try to finish areas when there is little or no wind so the dust will not blow around as much.
Airborne dust is a very hazardous thing. There are several things that you can do to keep yourself and your coworkers safe from the dust at your job site.
1. Make sure that you use the proper dampening application. For example, if you are moist curing concrete, you should use a burlap or polyethylene sheeting to make sure that it is properly moistened.
2. If you are using a mechanical broom, you need to wet it down before using it. You should also try to sweep in one direction so that the dust does not fly everywhere. You may want to consider using a street sweeper on the job site as well because they are quite successful in getting up all of the debris and dust.
3. On large job sites, consider using a water truck or a water wagon. This will help to keep all of your workers safe from airborne dust and will also help to reduce the risk of silicosis for everyone on the site.
4. When in doubt about what to do, use your best judgment, and always err on the side of caution when it comes to safety precautions.