Ventilation

If work such as grinding castings in a foundry is done in a ventilated booth, the contaminated air can be drawn away from the worker. This method can also be used in material handling.

A booth, with a fan, deployed around the area where silica dust-generating operations are taking place can help reduce dust.

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 Silica Safety visit our General & Maritime Silica Safety Online Training web page.