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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 • Silica sand
Commonly used • Coal slag
abrasive materials • Glass
include: • Steel shot
• Specular hematite

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 • Dry ice
Alternative
• Sodium bicarbonate (baking
blasting soda)
materials • Ground walnut shells
include: • High pressure water

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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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 Engineering controls include
substitution, isolation, and
ventilation:

These are the main ways to prevent

or reduce worker exposure to
airborne hazards during abrasive
blasting operations

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 Examples of engineering controls include:
• Using a less toxic abrasive blasting material
• Using barriers and curtain walls to isolate other workers
from the blasting operation
• Keeping coworkers away from the blaster
• Using exhaust ventilation systems in containment structures
to capture dust

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 Administrative controls include:
• Using good personal hygiene practices
• Performing routine cleanup using wet methods or HEPA-filtered
vacuuming to reduce dust accumulation
• Scheduling blasting when the least number of workers are at the
site
• Avoiding blasting in windy conditions to prevent the spread of
hazardous materials

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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