Search

Construction is an important segment of the economy that employs millions of people. Construction dust is an occupational health hazard to millions of construction workers worldwide. The hazards associated with respirable dust depend upon its particulate size distribution and chemical composition, as these determine the deposition pattern in the respiratory tract and reactivity, respectively. This study presents characterization of the size and composition of the dust from two key construction materials-cast cement and poured concrete. The dust was generated by cutting the cured cement and concrete blocks using an 18" hand-held circular saw as used in highway and building construction. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and laser diffraction were performed for the size analysis of the particles. Energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used for chemical analysis. X-ray diffraction was used for phase identification. Electron diffraction patterns were obtained to assess the crystallinity of individual particles. They confirm the crystallinity of particles of different size and shapes. With a particle size range between 0.5 μm and 10 μm, greater than 90% of particles fell below 2.5 μm, presenting a respirable health concern. Crystalline compounds including the metals Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Na, and K were detected. The concrete particles were most enriched in crystalline silica with a concentration of more than 30% by weight. The presence of metals and high crystalline silica content pose a serious health concern to construction workers.

Firefighters are exposed to multiple occupational hazards, where one of the hazards is chemical hazard that can affect the respiratory system. However, little is known regarding the perception of firefighters on the source of exposure to respiratory hazards, particularly in Malaysia. This work aims to explore the firefighter's perspective on respiratory hazard exposure and to examine the compliance of the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). In-depth interviews were employed among 12 firefighters at Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia in September 2020. The interview recordings were transcribed verbatim and of thematic analysis done via the NVIVO 12 programme. All participants were Malay, male, and married. The respiratory hazard exposure perceived can be divided into occupational source (e.g. exposure to smoke from firefighting, fire training, firefight demonstration, commuting, firefight vehicles: chemicals and dust) and non-occupational source (e.g. smoking). Firefighter recognised both the importance of wearing PPE and the fact they are still not compliant in wearing it. They also perceived wearing PPE as burden and having only a limited stock of PPE. Education and training need to be reinforced to strengthen firefighters' risk perception, hazard identification, and risk assessment of hazards exposure. Strict standard operating procedure (SOP) and supervision during firefighters' task is crucial to reduce hazard exposure and increase PPE compliance. Systematic and thorough inventory management is needed to ensure adequate PPE supply. Post qualitative analysis, the firefighters' perception on respiratory hazard exposure was obtained, demonstrating that the analysis is ready for further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]