Managing Silica Dust Hazards

Creating a Silica Dust Exposure Control Plan with Tennant

What is Silica Dust?

Silica is a natural substance found in varying amounts in most rocks, sand and clay. It is also a major constituent of construction materials such as bricks, tiles, concrete and mortar. You generate dust from these materials during many common construction tasks. These include cutting, drilling, grinding and polishing. The fine dust is known as respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and is too fine to see with normal lighting. It is commonly called silica or silica dust.

Managing Silica Dust

Respirable crystalline silica dust is at least 100 times smaller than sand. Controlling the extremely fine dust is a complex task requiring both proper engineering controls and effective housekeeping practices. Tennant Company is a world leading designer and manufacturer of high quality floor cleaning equipment and offers engineered solutions that provide tools and technology to support silica dust exposure control plans.

Tennant tools and technologies can play an important role in helping you manage the silica dust challenge, and can support silica exposure control plans that help you create safe, healthy, productive work environments. Get innovative dust control technology, including silica dust control, with Tennant’s versatile and durable industrial cleaning machine and sweeper range.

Keep your environments safe and protect employee health

• Support silica dust control with three types of dust control methods – wet sweeping, water flooding / scrubbing, and dry sweeping with HEPA filtration
• Improve safety and reduce the potential for harmful fumes with battery-powered equipment that lasts
• Increase manoeuvrability with compact and mid-sized ride-on machines
• Protect the health of workers and improve air quality with SweepMax™ dust control technology

Silica Dust Cleaning Equipment Solutions

Solving Three Critical Business Challenges

Tennant silica dust control solutions can help you achieve three valuable outcomes.

• Maintain Air Quality
  Work to manage silica dust and mitigate respirable dust.
  

• Help Maintain Compliance
  Support your customised silica dust control plan and work toward compliance.
  
  
• Create Healthy Environments
  Promote safe, healthy and productive work environments.

Benefits

A comprehensive silica dust exposure control plan includes a range of dust control measures, customised to the unique environment and needs of each organisation. Tennant offers three types of dust control methods that can be used to support good housekeeping practices:

1. Wet Sweeping
   Wet sweeping is effective in most applications. Several Tennant rider-sweepers can be used for wet sweeping.
   
2. Water Flooding / Scrubbing
   In certain applications, water flooding is a very effective means of silica dust control. All Tennant scrubbers, including walk-behind and ride-on machines, can be used for water flooding.
3. Dry Sweeping with HEPA Filtration
   Dry sweeping with HEPA filtration can be utilised in applications where other methods, such as wet sweeping or HEPA vacuums, aren’t feasible. Several Tennant sweepers, riders and walk-behinds are available with HEPA filtration systems.