A tuckpointer working high-rise construction projects wrote to OSHA describing his reality: even with grinder-mounted vacuums and full-face respirators, substantial silica dust accumulates on clothing and equipment within minutes. Workers periodically remove respirators to communicate, do cold-weather maintenance, and drink water, and previously used leaf blowers to clear dust from respirator crevices and gear before re-entry. His employer banned leaf blowers after the silica standard took effect, citing the prohibition on compressed air without ventilation systems.
OSHA answered that the regulation does not explicitly prohibit 'directed or concentrated forced air from leaf blowers to remove silica dust from clothing and PPE.' However, the agency discouraged the method because 'it disperses rather than contains dust, and thus could increase employees' exposures in many situations.' Instead, OSHA recommended considering 'a small HEPA-filtered vacuum that does not pose a risk of injury when operated according to the manufacturer's instructions.'
OSHA also laid out the two compliance pathways under 29 CFR 1926.1153. Under the specified exposure control methods, employers fully implement the engineering controls, work practices, and respiratory protection listed in Table 1 for their task, with no separate exposure assessment required. Under alternative exposure control methods, used for unlisted tasks or incomplete Table 1 implementation, employers must assess exposures, implement feasible engineering and work practice controls to keep exposures at or below the PEL of 50 µg/m3 averaged over an 8-hour workday, and provide appropriate respirators if needed.
Tuckpointing with handheld grinders appears on Table 1 (29 CFR 1926.1153(c)(1)(xi)), which requires a commercially available shroud and dust collection system operated per manufacturer specifications. OSHA noted that excessive dust generation may signal non-compliant equipment or improper implementation, and recommended verifying functionality by checking hose integrity, following manufacturer instructions to prevent filter clogging, and changing vacuum bags as needed.