Health & Safety of concrete grinding process.

The process of grinding, shot blasting or shaving a concrete floor leaves a hazardous dust on the floor which is called Silica. 

One of the serious health disease associated with a long exposure to Silica dust is called Silicosis. If these crystalline particles get into lungs, they are small enough to reach the lung tissues, and permanently damage them. 

 

Fortunately there are many control methods and precautions to make sure the Silica dust will not contaminate your employees’ or other people’s lungs. 

Professional dust collection systems will suck in most of the silica dust from the floor as you move forward with the grinder.  

Certified vacuums not only help to provide a proper bonding (dust and debris free surface), but they also offer some piece of mind with their HEPA filters ( this make sure minimum hazardous particles get into the air we breath in).

Another method is the use of air monitoring systems that measure silica exposure levels.

Masks (respiratory protections certified by NIOSH) are also great tools to stay safe against silica dust. 

Sweeping the floor is good but not enough. The silica dust is way heavier than it looks. Only after the vacuuming session is done, the sweeping may help pushing out dust or debris stuck in cracks or joints.

It is important to make sure you have the proper size of the vacuum system for the grinder you use. 

If you notice that you flooring contractor fails to provide proper dust extraction solution and there are dust particles in the air, please ask them if they can switch to wet grinding system. This will help reducing the dust significantly, but may later slow down the coating installation process. (For concrete polishing wet grinding does not cause any complication).

If you or your contractor is using a propane powered grinder at a small indoor area, please make sure you have a proper ventilation system installed. 

You can also implement restrictions on traffic, where your employees can go while the contractors are busy on the floor grinding. 

You may also put up signs indicating the potential of exposure to silica dust. Or educate your employees before the project is started.

If you have any concerns or questions regarding any step of the process, please feel free to reach out to me at s.eghbal@neosealinc.com or give us a call at (416) 880-2564.