Issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security Dust Fighting Regulationaims to prevent health risks caused by dusting in the workplace. For this purpose, the measures to be taken in order to combat dust and to protect workers from the harmful effects of dust in terms of occupational health and safety are explained in this regulation.
In some industries, dusts are a serious danger for workers' health. In addition, dusts can cause malfunctions in the machines and vehicles used and thus cause loss of work, time and money. Theoretically, if the airborne solids are smaller than 300 microns, they are called dust. The visible limit to the naked eye is the 50 micron. The size of the dusts reaching the lungs by the respiratory tract is below the 10 micron. Particles smaller than half a micron can reach to other organs through blood. They cannot be disposed of in some way and tend to accumulate. Therefore, these are the most harmful for human health.
Working environmentsThere are many kinds of dust encountered in the. For example, fibrogenic powders cause lung diseases. Toxic powders cause poisoning in the body. Carcinogenic powders cause cancer. Radioactive powders, allergies, organic powders and inorganic powders are other types of powders.
Dust measurements It is made in various ways.
- In dosimetric dust measurement, the dust level to which the workers are exposed is determined by the dosimeter installed on the employees' collar.
- Air quality measurements are carried out within the scope of Industrial Air Pollution Control Regulation in the measurement of environmental air dust, mines and similar facilities.
- In dust measurement in the PM 10 medium (Particle 10), dust particles (dust particles) smaller than 10 micron are measured. PM10 is the largest natural source that can be shown as dust from the roads. Besides, combustion engines, loading and unloading of materials such as soil, sand and gravel on trucks, coal construction areas, mines and quarries are also PM10 sources.
- In settling dust measurement, measurement is made by air quality distribution modeling.
Methods and standards based on dust measurements are:
- Total Dust Measurement in Indoor Air: Light Scattering Method (TS 2361: 1976)
- Dosimetric Dust Measurement: Gravimetric Method (TS 2361: 1976)
- Powder Sampling Measurements in Media (EPA Method 17: 2000 and TS EN 13649: 2003)
- Collapsed Dust Measurements (TS 2341: 1976)
- Dust Measurement - Gravimetric Method - Optical Reflection Method (TS 2361 and MDHS 96)
- PM 10 Measurement - Gravimetric Method (TS EN 12341)
- Precipitated Dust Measurements (TS 2342)
Testers use gravimetric-based flats to meet ISO standards to measure the amount of dust that workers are exposed to and which reach the alveoli in the lungs. These are apparatus that prevents the penetration of dust particles larger than the respirable size into the measurement. Short and long term measurements are performed to determine the Exposure Limit Values in the measurements. Time-weighted Average refers to the dust concentration at which the worker is exposed to at least 8 hours under normal operating conditions. The short term exposure limit value refers to the dust concentration that the worker is exposed to under the same conditions for 15 minutes.
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