According to Casella, a company that supplies dust, noise, and vibration monitoring equipment, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1.7 workers in the United States are exposed to respirable crystalline silica (RCS), which is produced by such actions mining aggregate, milling pavement, sawing concrete, or demolishing structures.
These actions release tiny airborne particles of RCS (small glass-like shards), and new OSHA rules (effective Sept. 23, 2017) significantly lower permissible exposure limits to RCS. Casella’s Apex2 range of personal dust-sampling pumps is designed to help employers monitor the environment of workers possibly exposed to high levels of RCS. Workers can be monitored remotely without being distracted, says Casella, and employers can view the status of the dust-sampling pump from a smart device.
