Abrasive

Blasting
 Abrasive blasting
uses compressed air
or water to direct a
high speed stream of
an abrasive material
to clean an object or
surface, remove burrs,
apply a texture, or
prepare a surface for
paint or another type
of coating.

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 Abrasive blasting
operations can create
high levels of dust and
noise.
Abrasive material and
the surface being
blasted may contain
toxic materials that
are hazardous to
workers, such as lead
paint and silica.
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 Companies should
provide workers with
training on blasting
health and safety
hazards, how to use
controls, personal
hygiene practices,
safe work practices,
and personal
protective equipment
(PPE) and respirator
use.

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 Before beginning work,
companies should identify
the hazards and assign a
knowledgeable person
trained to recognize hazards
who has the authority to
quickly take corrective action
to eliminate them.

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 Using engineering and administrative
controls, PPE, including respiratory
protection, and training can protect
workers involved in abrasive blasting
activities.

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 Good personal hygiene practices include
not eating, drinking, or using tobacco
products in blasting areas.
Wash your hands and face routinely and
before you eat, drink, or use tobacco
products. Take a shower at the end of your
shift, and keep contaminated clothing and
equipment out of the clean change area.

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 Respiratory protection must be used
when engineering and administrative
controls cannot keep worker exposure
below OSHA’s permissible exposure
limits.

An abrasive-blasting respirator must

cover a worker’s head, neck, and
shoulders to protect them from
rebounding abrasives.

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 Workers must only use NIOSH-approved
respirators to provide protection from dusts
produced during abrasive blasting operations:
• Type CE NIOSH-certified blasting airline
respirator with a positive-pressure blasting
helmet

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 Workers involved in cleanup and other
related activities may also need to wear
respiratory protection.

Other PPE includes hearing protection,

eye and face protection, helmets, leather
gloves that protect the hands and
forearms, aprons or coveralls, and safety
shoes or boots.

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 Abrasive blasting creates
high levels of noise
that can cause
substantial hearing loss:
• Always wear hearing
protection

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 Abrasive blasting can create many
hazards that are harmful to workers,
including high levels of dust and noise. Be
aware of the hazards associated with
abrasive blasting, and always wear the
proper PPE.

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Copyright © 2016 by PEC/Premier Safety Operations, LLC