Exposure to airborne dusts in the quarrying industry in Lazio

SUMMARY Respirable dust generated during work in quarries has been studied for this paper. Data taken from twelve companies which include all the different types of materials quarried in Lazio were grouped together according to duty and some main statistic parameters were calculated, followed by an OTL test. Workers such as rotohammer operators and vertical cut operators are exposed to dust levels that exceed the specific limits and thus personal protective equipment must be used. In order to reduce dusts, constant wetting of the piece being worked, the compartmentalization of the activity and the presence of ventilation systems (extractor cowls and banks) are recommended.