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Control the dust before it gets to your lungs

Set up the right dust controls before cutting or drilling, keep bystanders clear, and stop when the control stops working.

For Construction, landscaping, maintenance, and utility crews cutting, drilling, or cleaning dusty materials
Control the dust before it gets to your lungs — construction crew safety meeting
Run it before the work starts

Here’s the conversation to have.

A cloud you can see is a warning. The dust you cannot see can still get deep into your lungs. Concrete, mortar, stone, and similar materials can release respirable crystalline silica when they are cut or drilled. Do not wait for a cloud to decide how to control it. Before starting, identify the material and the task. Follow the employer’s exposure-control plan and the applicable tool-specific requirements. Use the specified water delivery or dust-collection system, confirm that it works, and keep other workers outside the dusty area. A nearby helper needs protection too. If the water stops, a hose blocks, or the vacuum loses suction, stop the task and fix the control. A respirator is not a substitute for a failed engineering control. When respiratory protection is required, use the selected respirator under the employer’s respiratory-protection program, including medical evaluation, fit testing, and training as applicable. Clean up with suitable wet methods or a HEPA-filtered vacuum. Avoid dry sweeping or compressed-air cleaning where it could increase silica exposure. Before the first cut, have the operator show the crew how the control works and where bystanders must stay.

Before you turn the crew loose

What needs to be checked.

  • Identify silica-containing materials and follow the written exposure-control plan.
  • Match the dust control to the task and tool; inspect water flow, hoses, shrouds, filters, and suction.
  • Keep bystanders outside the exposure area and coordinate nearby work.
  • Stop immediately if the dust control fails; repair it before restarting.
  • Use required respiratory protection through the employer’s program.
  • Use wet or HEPA cleanup methods suitable for the material.
Ask the crew

Don’t just read it. Get an answer.

1. Which material and task could make hazardous dust today?
2. How will we know the water or vacuum control is working?
3. Where must nearby workers stand, and who stops the job if the control fails?
Reference material

Use these when you need the rule or want to dig deeper.

This is a starting point for the tailgate talk. The crew, the equipment, and the job conditions in front of you decide what has to happen next.