Flooring (C-15) · Lesson 3 of 7

Dust Control When Grinding Floors: 8 CCR 1532.3 Table 1

"Dust Control When Grinding Floors: 8 CCR 1532.3 Table 1" is lesson 3 of 7 in the Flooring (C-15) Learning Hub. It opens with "Why Floor Preparation Is a Silica Job" and works through 5 short steps, then a worked example you can check yourself against.

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Steps in this lesson

  1. Why Floor Preparation Is a Silica Job
  2. Table 1 Item (xiii): Walk-Behind Floor Grinders
  3. Table 1 Item (xii): Handheld Grinders
  4. General Rules for Using Table 1 and Counting the Hours
  5. Housekeeping and the Written Exposure Control Plan

The worked example in the course applies this lesson to a realistic job in 6 steps, from "Controls for the floor grinder" through "Housekeeping".

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the main idea of "Dust Control When Grinding Floors: 8 CCR 1532.3 Table 1" in plain language you can use on the exam.
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Table 1 Item (xii): Handheld Grinders".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "General Rules for Using Table 1 and Counting the Hours".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Housekeeping and the Written Exposure Control Plan".
  • Test yourself on the worked example and the quick-check quiz inside the classroom.
Dust Control for Floor Grinding: Table 1 and the 4-Hour RuleFLOOR GRINDER + COLLECTOR (schematic)FLOORGRINDERhoseDUSTCOLLECTORTable 1 (xiii): water feed to the cutting surface,or the maker-recommended collector with a 99%filter and filter-cleaning mechanism.Indoors: HEPA-filtered vacuum for loose dustbetween passes; exhaust as needed.No dry sweeping or compressed air cleanup (f).SHIFT PLAN: INDOOR FLOOR PREPFloor grinder, item (xiii)3.0 hHandheld grinder, 7 in wheel, item (xii)1.5 hTotal Table 1 task time4.5 hOver 4 h: use the "more than 4 hours" columnfor every task, (c)(3)Handheld collector airflow: 25 cfm per inch7 in x 25 = 175 cfm minimumRespirator: floor grinder, noneHandheld, indoors, over 4 h: APF 10PEL 50 μg/m³; action level 25 μg/m³ (8-h TWA)4.5 h total: APF 10 respirator for the indoor handheld grinderCollector at least 175 cfm; the floor grinder uses water or its collector, plus a HEPA vacuum between passesSource: 8 CCR 1532.3(c) Table 1 items (xii), (xiii); (c)(2), (c)(3); (d)(1); (f).CC
The diagram for this lesson, exactly as it appears in the Learning Hub.

The first steps of this lesson

Step 1: Why Floor Preparation Is a Silica Job

Mechanically preparing a concrete floor (grinding, scarifying, removing old coatings) throws off respirable crystalline silica, which 8 CCR Section 1532.3(b) defines as quartz, cristobalite and/or tridymite in respirable airborne particles. Section 1532.3(a) applies to all occupational exposure in construction work except where exposure will stay below 25 µg/m³ as an 8-hour time-weighted average under any foreseeable conditions. That 25 µg/m³ is the action level; the permissible exposure limit in 1532.3(d)(1) is 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA.

Step 2: Table 1 Item (xiii): Walk-Behind Floor Grinders

Under 8 CCR Section 1532.3(c)(1) the employer must fully and properly carry out the engineering controls, work practices and respiratory protection listed for the task on Table 1, unless exposure is assessed and limited under subsection (d). For walk-behind milling machines and floor grinders, item (xiii) accepts either a machine with an integrated water delivery system that continuously feeds water to the cutting surface, or a machine with the dust collection system recommended by the manufacturer. The collector must give the manufacturer's airflow or greater, with a filter of 99% or greater efficiency and a filter-cleaning mechanism. The machine is operated and maintained per the manufacturer's instructions, and indoors or in an enclosed area a HEPA-filtered vacuum removes loose dust between passes. The printed respiratory protection column is "None" for both shift lengths.

The remaining 3 steps, the worked example and the quiz are in the course. This is a preview. The full lesson, with the step-by-step explanations, a worked example and a quick-check quiz, is inside the classroom.

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