Dust & Respirators

[Keith 66]

We have builders in at the moment refurbing our bathroom, Local firm whose owner is a member of our yacht club, Good bunch of lads with a good rep & cannot fault their work.
But what is it with Builders & tradesmen these days, Not one of them wore a dust mask or respirator, cutting the old grp bath up in situ, clouds of dust, waterproof bathroom board with a diamond wheel, yet more clouds of dust, Today the tiler is in there doing the same.
I drive past any building site & they cut away with grinders & paddys motorbikes with clouds of dust blowing everywhere.
What is the matter with them?
I spent most of my life building & mending boats, A lot of this involved grinding fibreglass a singularly poxy job! Also a lot of machining of hardwoods like mahogany & Iroko, all of which are bad for you. I bought my first powered respirator in 1984 & have worn two of them out & am now on No 4 & 5, It becomes second nature to wear it now.
Yet guys still think they can get away with it.
Do you wear masks or decent respirators? Be interesting to see how many do or dont!

 

[iNf]

Rarely see them with safety glasses neither, even when using grinders or concrete saws.

 

[brightspark]

never used to but now use a breathing mask for dust and in attics and cutting or sweeping up kingspan it knocks the crap out of me and choke wear glasses so never bother with safety ones

 

[bricol]

I wear glasses, but either swap to safey versions, or wear goggles over the top. Goggle stop the sideways moving bits - I've sat in A&E twice being injected in my eye then having someone probe around with a needle to get stuck splinters of metal out.

I'm worried anything hitting my normal glasses might do so hard enough to break them - sending glass into my eye instead, or as well.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I pretty much always wear a dust mask...stick welding in the garage I always use an air fed...I hate the smoke in confined spaces.

 

[brightspark]

I wear glasses, but either swap to safey versions, or wear goggles over the top. Goggle stop the sideways moving bits - I've sat in A&E twice being injected in my eye then having someone probe around with a needle to get stuck splinters of metal out.

I'm worried anything hitting my normal glasses might do so hard enough to break them - sending glass into my eye instead, or as well.

never have glass . lenzes are plastic

 

[Morris]

Same with ear defenders. Mate across the road had his driveway done with blocks, the gang doing it were using Stihl saws without any PPE.

 

[MysterG]

I just got myself some prescription safety specs last week, still getting used to them, but not expensive.

 

[RichardM]

My glasses are plastic, but I put my old safety specs from work / goggles on when grinding, more to stop the good ones getting scratched easily.

I wear a mask in the attic when disturbing insulation and when cutting stone, grinding rusty old stuff etc with the grinder.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Anything with silica in I'm super cautious of the dust. I've also seen people cutting cement with no PPE...that's not for me!

 

[brightspark]

Anything with silica in I'm super cautious of the dust. I've also seen people cutting cement with no PPE...that's not for me!

it makes me smile sometimes people banging on about using block paving sand for blasting even in a sealed cabinet or outdoors with an air fed helmet . for donkeys years people have been drilling in to mortar cutting concrete slabs up without a mask and all that fine ground down powder has silica in it and no one bats an eyelid