Dust masks for soil aeration?

[Frankkytree]

How many people are wearing some type of breathing filter for soil aeration? I’m not seeing it on required PPE list for using things like soil knife or air spade? I’ve seen videos of people using the equipment with some sort of breathing filter on. Just curious what people’s thoughts are on this.

 

[flushcut]

I would be using a full face respirator.

 

[Basswood]

P100 respirator is a good idea, especially if things are dry. Silica is no joke.

 

[Frankkytree]

Thanks for the responses. I’ve never thought about silica dust. I’ll look into getting a mask/ respirator.

 

[flushcut]

Silica, break dust, pesticides, herbicides all kinds of nastiness around trees.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

I wonder when we might hear about air guality around chipping operations too

 

[Bart_]

Tom be careful about opening that can of worms. I've got a feeling it could trigger bureaucracy even if well intended/beneficial in practice. On the other hand, a step healthier? Reminds me of older comments about aerosol-ed chain oil during a cut. mmm yum maybe the oil is sticky enough to only go as droplets onto your clothes. Another can of worms.

 

[flushcut]

I wonder when we might hear about air guality around chipping operations too

I thought I read something about chipper chutes having water misters. Bandit maybe?

 

[Tom Dunlap]

I thought I read something about chipper chutes having water misters. Bandit maybe?

I’ve read about shop built spray systems. Usually to keep sycamore fibers controlled. It wouldn’t be very complex

 

[Tom Dunlap]

There sure are some cans of worms around. Whether we like it or not some will get opened

 

[southsoundtree]

I thought I read something about chipper chutes having water misters. Bandit maybe?

Morbark CA models had some self- contained systems.

Garden hoses and a mister or nozzle, attached to a stick can help work sites.


People made a big deal about needing $400 chainsaw pants that they will super-hopefully never activate, while people ignore particulates, including spores, that they Do breathe everyday.

 

[Bart_]

Worked with some industrial guys who were spraying down paper fibers and they made a simple hose/mist spray nozzle which worked but the catch was that the first nozzles they chose clogged with calcium etc in short order. Then they found nozzles with a "no clog" design feature that were then trouble free. Down side you pay for dumping absorbed moisture weight and in their case it was about 5% increase. Can estimate by galllons per hour through nozzle.

 

[ATH]

Regarding mask for soil aeration (or chipper dust for that matter)...it's not just about exposure, its also about frequency and intensity of exposure. If it is something you are doing frequently working in dry soil and find yourself blowing out black boogers a few times per month probably wanna find a mask. I try to restrict aeration to when the soil is moist because it moves better then. Never thought about it from a worker safety standpoint, but it certainly knocks down the amount of airborne particles too.

I did buy this mask that I intend to try next time:

I always wear safety glasses and a chainsaw helmet with screen, but still get stuff in my eyes periodically, so this should help with that too. Keeping it clean enough to see may be the challenge.

 

[evo]

Regarding mask for soil aeration (or chipper dust for that matter)...it's not just about exposure, its also about frequency and intensity of exposure. If it is something you are doing frequently working in dry soil and find yourself blowing out black boogers a few times per month probably wanna find a mask. I try to restrict aeration to when the soil is moist because it moves better then. Never thought about it from a worker safety standpoint, but it certainly knocks down the amount of airborne particles too.

I did buy this mask that I intend to try next time:

I always wear safety glasses and a chainsaw helmet with screen, but still get stuff in my eyes periodically, so this should help with that too. Keeping it clean enough to see may be the challenge.

I have one 3m model. I really like it, but purchased for spraying 30% hydrogen peroxide overhead.
The supplier I purchased from has plastic sheets with a little sticky on each side as a protective shield. In my case with the chemicals and added surfactants this was the right choice to make.
I fully intend to use it on upcoming airspade jobs

 

[ATH]

I have one 3m model. I really like it, but purchased for spraying 30% hydrogen peroxide overhead.
The supplier I purchased from has plastic sheets with a little sticky on each side as a protective shield. In my case with the chemicals and added surfactants this was the right choice to make.
I fully intend to use it on upcoming airspade jobs

Kinda like a dirtbike goggles - peel off a layer when it gets dirty? That'd be nice.

(edit: I think mine has those too...I have only worn it once in the shop - but the lower right of that pic shows what I think is the screens)

 

[Tom Dunlap]

don’t forget that a beard under the seal negates any protection. Unless you like the idea of beard+vaseline+seal=filterr

 

[Bart_]

The second dirtbike quick fix for crap on your goggles is Roll Offs - you pull a string or touch a button and advance new clear sheet into place while spooling up the dirty sheet. One time pre-running a race in the rain my glasses had rain drops, the base lense of the goggles had droplets and the roll off film had droplets - I was seeing triple vision arrows - useless!! Best for dust and mud.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=122099812232973305

 

[Waldo]

The biggest thing for controlling dust in air excavation operations is ensuring the soil is properly wet. If you are throwing dust, you will not be able to excavate deep enough or do the necessary decompaction work. One thing that I typically don't see people do is wear enough hearing protection. If the tip is out of the ground, muffs are not enough.