An Evaluation of On-Tool System for Sanding Dust Collection: Pilot Study

Hazards identification is essential step in framework of occupational health & safety (OH&S) management system. The task of spruce wood sanding with hand-held power belt sander is considered as a significant resource of exposure to wood dust. Dust from spruce wood is hazard that can cause negative health effects such as asthma and chronic bronchitis. A dust collection box is a commonly used technical measure for reducing exposure to wood dust for this task in practice. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of commercially available dust collection box at reducing exposure to wood dust during the task of sanding spruce wood using hand-held power belt sander. Laboratory experiment involved sanding spruce planks (250 mm × 50 mm × 500 mm) in longitudinal direction using belt sander (Bosch, PBS 75 A) with 120 grit sanding belt. Spruce dust mass concentrations were sampled using an aerosol monitor (TSI Inc., DustTrak DRX 8533) in the breathing zone of operator. Inhalable and respirable dust concentrations were both significantly lower (P < 0.0001) when dust box was attached to belt sander compared with sander without a dust box. Results from this pilot study indicate that dust collection box is efficient technical measure for decreasing exposure to aerosol mass concentration during sanding spruce wood with hand-held belt sander.