OHS - The biggest lung disease crisis since asbestos

Been hearing a bit about silicosis in the media recently where a young 34 year old stone mason passed away last month from this new age disease. Here is an article well worth reading..... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-...risis/10357342

The big issue seems to be the inadequate respiratory safety equipment being used as the particles are so fine that trusty paper mask filters are useless. Plenty of callers also mentioned fine dust particles from woodworking being a potential problem too.

I must confess that I have been too reckless when working on guitar builds through not using any form of dust masks or respiratory protection equipment. In hindsight this was rather foolish and whilst not as serious as working on engineered stone we should not ignore the fact that very fine timber particles can also do some harm. Fine sanded particles from some of the toxic ingredients used in various finish products should not be underestimated either, hence why I wet sand but have noticed how the milky suspended matter reacts with skin on my hands causing splits and cracks that become weeping sores. Hate to think what it would do if inhaled?

A lot of folk like to mock OHS but this could become a really big deal if ignored and implore everyone to 'Man Up' and start using appropriate adequate PPE (personal protection equipment) so that we can all live long & healthy lives to enjoy the things we create and people we love.

Cheers, Waz

Probably not silicosis, but I was reading through the posts and stumbled upon somebody mentioning sanding Ash and having some medical condition.
It occurred to me when I read it that during the sanding of my Ash body STA-1H, at one point I did get some sort of eye infection.
Didn't put the two together but I'll be wary of it in the future.

cheers, Mark.

Great reminder Waz. I have worked in OHS fields for 20 yrs & still forget to wear a mask. Most of them cause my glasses to fog up which is another pain to deal with. But hey, foggy glasses v no lungs? Obviously I need to be way more diligent. Stay safe all.

Yeah, my glasses fog up too and main reason for laziness.
Also hold a Cert IV in OHS so should know better.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

I just recently had a guy come to my new flat to do an inspection on it for Asbestos, fortunately he didn't find any which is a big relief, since I don't ever want to end up with Mesothelioma.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DrNomis_44

I just recently had a guy come to my new flat to do an inspection on it for Asbestos, fortunately he didn't find any which is a big relief, since I don't ever want to end up with Mesothelioma.

---

My Dad worked for James Hardie for a while and had to wipe the dust off his desk every morning. Forty years later it caught up with him. Nasty stuff.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wazkelly

Yeah, my glasses fog up too and main reason for laziness.
Also hold a Cert IV in OHS so should know better.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

---

I raise you my OHS Diploma and still can't find my mask.

As a casual smoker of cigarettes you can ignore anything I have to say about dust masks and OH&S or WH&S.

Probably why I'm a great fan of Shellac, Tru-oil and wipe-on Poly, and wet sanding, and my rural open air verandah....

Definitely a problem. I did ceramics at uni and Silicosis is rampant amongst potters. Just regular handling of the clays is enough for it to work it's way into your system.

I will not be surprised if I end up with some kind of lung disease. I was a smoker in my younger days, and have been known to indulge in the devils lettuce. I grew up working on cars doing loads of body work and painting. I usually wore a mask, but not always and not anything more than a basic dust mask. I've painted cars and had my snot come out the same colour as the car for a week after ward.

I also did my mechanics apprenticeship when a lot of friction surfaces were still asbestos - so brake and clutch dust everywhere. Not to mention skin contact with a vast array of different chemicals.

It's not going to be pretty.. but I won't be surprised if it catches up with me. The next 20 years will tell the tale I imagine.

It is certainly a concern in the Frankenlab. I’m leaning towards a new dust extraction system and a vacuum sanding table. It is concern that the sanding dust gathered by my stopgap shop vac/dust cyclone system has all but killed the shop vac in only a year. Despite dust masks and P2 filter mask, you still end up with colourful bogeys! As another reformed smoker there’s probably already enough damage done, no need to compound it eh?

The paper style dust masks are garbage so don't use them unless they have a vent on the front and have a metal band where the nose fits so you can mould it to fit snug across bridge of the nose and will eliminate glasses fogging but I personally never use that style. If they cause your glasses to fog it also means you are breathing in the stuff you really shouldn't be breathing in. I use the silicon rubber style with the replaceable cartridge and depending on what I am doing depends on what cartridge I use and what pre filter is placed on the end. Silicosis is when you inhale silica and is the reason we had to change most of our grinding wheels at work due to their silica content. You should also always use a dust mask when using angle grinders, especially when using a cut off wheel as they are held together with fibre glass which is just as bad as asbestos when inhaled.