Crystalline Silica Safety

Crystalline Silica

What can employers/employees do to protect against exposures to crystalline silica?

  1. Provide engineering or administrative controls, where feasible, such as local exhaust ventilation, and blasting cabinets.
  2. Use all available work practices to control dust exposures, such as water sprays.
  3. Wear only a N95 NIOSH-certified respirator, if respirator protection is required.
  4. Wear disposable or washable work clothes and shower if facilities are available. Vacuum the dust from your clothes and change into clean clothing before leaving the work site.
  5. Participate in training, exposure monitoring, and health screening and surveillance programs to monitor any adverse health effects caused by crystalline silica exposures.
  6. Be aware of the operations and the job tasks creating crystalline silica exposures in your workplace environment and know how to protect yourself.
  7. Be aware of the health hazards related to exposures to crystalline silica. Smoking adds to the lung damage caused by silica exposures.
  8. Do not eat, drink, smoke, or apply cosmetics in areas where crystalline silica dust is present. Wash your hands and face outside of dusty areas before performing any of these activities.