Dust Free Renovations for construction

Construction Dust Emission (CDE) occurs during onsite activities like loading and unloading, excavation, open-air material storage, drilling, cutting and filling, and bulk material transportation which can harm any people on the premises including workers, visitors, employees, and others. Hence you must work safely during renovation and repair projects that could disturb caulking and other building materials potentially contaminated with Contaminated Building Materials(PCBs).

Depending on the scope of the project, the type of building, and the potential volume of dust generated, you should employ various protective measures providing direct personal protection to workers, building users, employees, and passers-by and spreading PCB dust to other surrounding areas of the renovation project.

Comply with Occupational Protective Regulations

To comply with OSHA regulations for dust-generating work methods, you must use suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) such as chemical-resistant gloves, safety glasses or protective goggles, respiratory protection, Tyvec disposable coveralls, and shoe covers. These prevent PCBs from entering your body through oral ingestion, inhalation, or dermal contact i.e. absorption through exposed skin. Smoking, eating, or drinking, should be prohibited in the work site. Provide showers and separate changing cabins for work clothing, and everyday clothing.

Communication with Building Occupants, Third Parties and Site Security

Building Occupants must be notified of the work to be performed. It is critical to protect building occupants and third parties when your renovation and repair project may disturb potentially hazardous materials. All affected groups such as building occupants, building owners, workers, and community members must be continually informed of the health and safety aspects of the project, the goals, type, and length of the renovation activities, besides site access requirements and limitations.

Keep a Secure Work Area

The following site security measures should be used to prevent unauthorized personnel from accessing the work areas until after the final cleanup:

• Fence gates or doors to the work areas must be locked during off hours.
• Place signs, barrier tape, cones, etc. to keep those non-working out of the work area.
• Pets must be kept out of the work area to prevent them from tracking contaminated dust and debris outside the work area in apartment buildings or other dwellings.
• The primary language of the building occupants should be used on the signs.
• A system must be established to identify authorized personnel and any limitations to their approved activities.
• All visitors to the work area must be approved, and visitors accompanied by trained site personnel at all times, with appropriate PPE.

Organize the Work Area to Prevent the Spread of Dust

1. During a renovation or repair job with the potential for PCB-containing caulk and other building materials, appropriate controls must be deployed to minimize spreading dust during the renovation or repair activity.
2. Work areas and non-work areas should be separated and appropriate PPE and tools selected.
3. Construct a containment area to restrain all the dust or debris generated by the work within the plastic protected area.
4. Apply plastic sheeting to the floor, ground, or other applicable surfaces to prevent contaminating the building interior or exterior from dust generated by the work.
5. Place the containment area under negative air pressure, and use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) tools to minimize dust release.

Techniques to Contain Dust Inside the Building

Use the following techniques to prevent or minimize the spread of PCB-containing dust when working inside the building:

1. Assets such as computers, furniture, utility items, books, wall hangings, etc. must be removed.
2. Use heavy plastic sheeting to cover floors in the work area and secure with tape.
3. All doors including closet and cabinet doors in the work area, must be closed and covered with plastic sheeting.
4. When the work area boundary includes a door used to access the work area, cover the door with two layers of protective sheeting as described in the following:

i) Cut and secure one layer of sheeting to the perimeter of the doorframe. Do not pull the sheeting taut. Before taping or stapling, create a few folds to slacken at the top and bottom of the door.

ii) Cut a vertical slit in the middle of the sheeting leaving 6" uncut at the top and bottom to allow workers access. Reinforce with tape.

iii) Cut and secure a second, overlapping layer of sheeting to the top of the door. Leave the sides or bottom of the door unsecured to allow worker access.

5. Close and seal the ventilation system in the work area with tape and plastic sheeting to keep dust from getting into vents and moving through the building. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system should be turned off to prevent contaminating the system.
6. Put all necessary tools and supplies on the protective sheeting in the work area before you begin work to avoid stepping off the protective sheeting before the work is complete.

Techniques to Contain Dust Outside the Building

Use the following techniques to prevent or minimize the spread of PCB-containing dust when working inside the building:

1. Use heavy plastic sheeting to build an enclosure around the work area.
2. Use mobile scaffolding to construct such an enclosure.
3. An entrance or exit to the enclosure can be created using a few two-by-fours and the door covering method.
4. Use heavy plastic sheeting to cover the ground within the enclosure. Secure with tape.
5. Construct a decontamination zone just outside of the enclosure by placing heavy plastic sheeting on the ground. Remove PPE protective and clean used equipment here.
6. If a containment area cannot be constructed in a location, use the following techniques:

a. Cover the ground and plants with heavy plastic sheeting extending at least 10 feet out from the building to catch debris. Use a wood strip, staples, or tape to secure the covering to the exterior wall.

b. Close windows and doors within 20 feet of the work area to keep dust and debris from getting into the building.

c. Seal off any vents or air exchange systems in the building which are located within the work area.

d. Move or cover any play areas within 20 feet of the work area.

e. To prevent debris from falling beyond the 10-foot covering when working on heights, extend the sheeting farther out from the base of the building and to each of its sides affected.

f. Scaffolding sides should be covered in plastic to prevent the spread of debris when working close to a street, sidewalk, property boundary, or when the building is more than three stories high.

g. Avoid working in high winds or, take precautions to keep the work area contained when the wind is strong enough to move the dust and debris. A plastic windscreen should surround the edge of the ground-cover plastic, to prevent debris and dust from escaping.

7. After constructing an effective containment area, control the spread of dust outside your work area by:

i. Stacking all the necessary supplies and tools on the protective sheeting before beginning work, to avoid stepping off the protective sheeting before the work is completed.

ii. Removing or vacuuming off Tyvec suits when leaving the work area, so the dust stays inside the work area.

iii. Remove your disposable shoe covers, and wipe or vacuum your shoes, especially, the soles, every time you step off the plastic sheeting. Use a large disposable tack pad on the floor to clean the soles of your shoes.

iv. Change out of your work clothing before going home, and launder non-disposable protective clothing separately from family laundry.

v. During the renovation, use tools that minimize dust and heat generation.

vi. Choose tools and work methods generating the lowest dust volume.

vii. As you drill, scrape, grind, cut, etc. you create dust which you inhale, or expose building occupants to contaminants as it settles.

viii. PCB gases released into the air if the tools or work methods produce temperatures exceeding 212°F increasing the risk for workers or building occupants of inhaling PCB gases. Use more comprehensive protective measures in such cases.

ix. Use tools that generate the least amount of dust while getting the job done.

x. Manual tools, such as utility knives, chisels, and scrapers, generate lower volumes of fine dust and less heat. But these are used for smaller joint lengths or when the joints are difficult to access for structural reasons.

xi. Electromechanical tools, such as jigsaws, oscillating knives, and rotary cutting tools, are better suited for projects with many joints and semi-soft to hard and brittle caulk. However, they generally generate higher volumes of dust and heat, requiring more complex protective measures than manual methods.

xii. Grinding electromechanical tools such as angle grinders, masonry groove cutters, circular saws, and slot mills generate large volumes of dust, and are not recommended unless accompanied by appropriate control measures. Jigsaws and saber saws also lead to dust emissions, in the case of brittle caulk, and, elastic compounds may gum up the saw blade.

xiii. When using electromechanical tools, use HEPA vacuum attachments to contain the dust generated.

xiiii. During bigger projects, wet sanders and misters must be used to suppress the dust created during drilling, sanding, and cutting.