Even though the results of grit blasting are amazing, the process is dangerous, and you need to be aware of the protection you should be providing to your employees and yourself. The method of grit blasting can create high levels of noise, dust and debris. Many surfaces may contain toxic materials, such as lead paint; therefore, protective gear must be worn.
This blog post will discuss the risks and hazards involved in grit blasting, and ways you can protect yourself as well as your employees.
Potential Health Hazards
When grit blasting surfaces, they may contain toxic materials such as Silica sand, glass, steel grit and more. All these toxic materials can be an issue for workers or anyone near the grit blasting site. For example, Silica sand can cause lung cancer as well as breathing issues. Steel grit can also cause lung damage, as can garnet sand.
How To Protect Your Workers
The first and foremost way you can protect your workers is by using personal protective equipment (PPE). PPE equipment will include eye and face-covering protection, hearing protection for the noise, a helmet, safety boots and leather gloves, which will protect the full forearm. Leather aprons can also be worn for further protection.
Grit Blasting Site
Make sure the grit blasting site is safe, which means making it a free zone of food, drink and smoking. The only people who are in and around the grit blasting site should be the workers who are dressed in PPE equipment. Wash stations should be provided so that workers can wash after grit blasting, to prevent materials transferring to other sites.
Training
Appropriate training must be provided to grit blasters before they even pick up the equipment. Safety, potential hazards, hygiene practises and PPE equipment need to be discussed, in an easy to understand and direct manner. Your workers need to be aware of the risks involved in grit blasting and the ways they need to protect themselves.
Experienced Blasters
Blast ‘n’ Baked is an established blast cleaning and powder coating company in Somerset. One area we specialise in, is grit blasting, as we know the risks involved and how we can keep ourselves safe. We can work off-site, or on our on-site facility, which has a large blast room. Contact us today and find out how we can help with grit blasting.