Carpenter Shop Wood Dust Control: Practical Experience to Reduce Hardwood Dust Exposures Below the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Threshold Limit Values

Abstract

This article describes the process that was necessary to reduce hardwood dust exposures in a carpenter shop to levels below the current American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit value (TLV). Air monitoring included traditional personal sampling for total dust in accordance with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Method 0500. Achieving the ACGIH TLV of 1 mg/m³ for hardwood dust in a typical carpenter shop has been demonstrated to be possible but very difficult. The implemented shop improvements focused on engineering controls and work practice improvements. Reducing most personal wood dust exposures below 2 mg/m³ was accomplished relatively easily; however, reducing the exposures below 1 mg/m³ was considerably more difficult and expensive. A preliminary quantitative comparison of available dust control equipment with hand-held power sanders was also performed. Sanding tool use guidelines were developed from these data to reduce airborne wood dust until engineering controls could be fully implemented. The key to further reducing airborne hardwood dust concentrations was to implement effective local exhaust control for portable tools, especially sanders. The results of this study support the use of the current ACGIH TLV for hardwood dust of 1 mg/m³ as a conservative guideline, and an occupational exposure limit of 2 mg/m³ including consideration of feasibility.