Overview

• Who Plans the Toolbox Talks
• What to Plan
• When to Hold Toolbox Talks

Silica Health Effects
Silica Control Methods and Respirators
Silica Air Monitoring and Results

• Make the topic site specific
• Use actual examples from the site to illustrate the topic
• Involve workers in a brief discussion about the topic
• Reinforce best safety and health practices

• Silica Health Effects
• Silica Control Methods & Respirators
• Silica Air Monitoring and Results

• Health & Safety Committee
• Company Health & Safety Department
• Site Health & Safety Officer

• Do a quick inspection and focus on site conditions that illustrate the topic.
• Use the Planning Checklist below.
• See the Toolbox Talks for Silica worksheets in Section 3.
• Use these worksheets to prepare for each individual topic.
• Handout copies of the completed worksheet during the talk.

• Meetings are generally held weekly but may be held more frequently.
• The meetings are brief - usually lasting 5 to 15 minutes.

Item	Comments
Select the topic	Make sure it relates to the site; review site activities and conditions
Prepare a Handout	Use the worksheets in Section 3 as examples. Add site specific activities and concerns to illustrate the topic, and discussion questions.
Pick a Time	Establish a regular day and time, usually at the beginning of the shift.
Pick a Location	Use a space that is quiet and away from distracting activities. Workers should be able to hear, ask questions, and participate in discussions.
Inform Workers the Day Before	Time, place, topic
Language	Be sure that all Toolbox Talks are given in words and a language that workers can understand. Use translators if needed.

• Supervisors, foremen, and union stewards are the best people to help plan and deliver Toolbox Talks.
• Sometimes other people with a particular expertise or interest, like the company safety officer, project staff, industrial hygienist, or insurance representative may be recruited to lead a talk.

• Adults learn best when the topic:
  
  • relates to what they do
  • gives them a chance to discuss the issues.
  • allows them to use what they have learned.
    
• Back up the Toolbox Talk with questions. Ask the group questions about the topic and conditions at the site. Give people a chance to answer.
• Ask about personal experience. What are the conditions at this site? Has this issue come up at other sites? How were any problems fixed?
• Encourage participation from the group but don't let a single person dominate. Wait till he/she catches their breath, say "Thank You" and move on.
• Never make fun of any one and treat all comments seriously.
• Respond to all legitimate complaints and make a point to follow up.
• If you don't know an answer - say so - make a note of the question and follow up.
• Allow a little time for general discussion, e.g. accidents or near misses. This is not a gripe session.

• Silica dust causes scarring and damage in the lungs. It is a serious disease like emphysema.
• Miners, tunnel workers, sand blasters, and other construction workers are at risk for silicosis.
• Silicosis can occur after 10 or more years of exposure to silica dust.
• The disease is not often noticed in its early stages but eventually causes shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of appetite, chest pains, and lung failure.
• People with silicosis are more susceptible to tuberculosis and bronchitis.
• Smoking increases lung damage.
• Silicosis also increases the risk for lung cancer and can be fatal.

• Always wear your respirator when doing silica work or working near others who are.
• Check the facepiece seal each time you put on the respirator. Do positive and negative pressure checks.
• Make sure you use P-100 filters (the pink ones). Get replacement filters and other spare parts from:
• Change your filters whenever it is hard to breathe through them or if they are dirty or damaged.
• Keep your respirator clean. Wash it with warm soap and water and let it air dry. In the field, use respirator wipes. Each foreman has some at each gang box or respirator cleaning area.
• Store your respirator in a clean container when you are not using it. Sturdy plastic bags or rigid containers are best.
• Be clean shaven - this keeps a good seal between the face and the mask.
• If you have any problem with your respirator, report to your supervisor and get it fixed. Go to a clean area before you take off your respirator.
• Never wear a dust mask when doing silica tasks!

• Air monitoring equipment includes a small air pump, tubing, and a filter.
• An industrial hygienist (IH) clips the pump to your belt and positions the filter on your upper chest. This is called a breathing zone sample.
• If the IH asks you to wear the pump, it is important to cooperate.
• The IH will advise you to work normally and will periodically check the pump. Sometimes the IH will change the filter.
• If the pump interferes with your work or the pump malfunctions, let the IH know.

• At the end of the shift, the IH will send the filter to a special laboratory.
• The lab will measure two things: the amount of total dust on the filter and the amount of silica dust.
• These results will be compared to the exposure limits for silica and dust.
• The results will be used to pick controls for the activity and to make sure that the right respirator is used.
• The lab usually takes 2-4 weeks to do the measurement and send the results.
• Individual results will be given to monitored workers.
• We will post the results and go over them in a Toolbox meeting when we get them.