Ventilation Booths

A booth (with a fan) deployed around the area where sawing is taking place can help reduce dust, but may require some experimentation.

To design an effective ventilation booth, follow these guidelines:

• Minimize the size of the operator opening to reduce the chance of dust escaping back into the operator's breathing area.
• Use a fan that is powerful enough to provide an average of 250 feet per minute air velocity across the face of the operator opening.
• Do not place the saw blade beyond the open face of the booth.
• Build a trapdoor into the lower back of the booth to provide access to its interior for cleaning and removing of debris.
• Always place the booth so that the exhaust fan does not blow dusty air on other employees.
• When possible, have the booth exhaust point downwind.

To learn more about Construction Silica visit our Construction Silica Safety Online Training web page.