Objective To understand occupational health management status and the distribution and severity of dust hazards of stone processing industry in Yunfu City through a questionnaire survey and air dust concentration measuring.
Methods A survey on occupational health management was conducted, and free iO2 contents and dust concentrations in air were measured in workplaces of local representative stone processing factories.
Results The average contents of air free silicon dioxide (SiO2) in marble, granite, and artificial stone industries were 8.37%, 52.60%, and 7.85%, respectively. The total dust C8h-TWA (concentration of 8-hour time weighted average) of the three industries were (14.11& #177;4.32), (27.47& #177;8.76), and (17.36& #177;5.12) mg/m3, with exceeding rates of 5.7%, 72%, and 14.70%, respectively. The respirable dust C8h-TWA of the three industries were (2.29& #177;0.39), (10.60& #177;3.56), and (2.23& #177;0.32) mg/m3, with exceeding rates of 7.40%, 62.96%, and 5.30%, respectively. The total dust C8h-TWA at cutting, grinding and polishing, and reprocessing workplaces were (18.14& #177;5.76), (26.62& #177;8.12), and (12.22& #177;4.76) mg/m3, with exceeding rates of 31.15%, 36.17%, and 27.59%, respectively. The average concentrations of respirable dust C8h-TWA at the three workplaces were (5.37& #177;2.01), (9.02& #177;3.11), and (1.35& #177;0.27) mg/m3, with exceeding rates of 34.38%, 20.00%, and 23.53%, respectively.
Conclusion High air dust concentrations are detected in the workplaces of stone processing industry in Yunfu City, especially in the granite-involved workplaces where silica dust is dominant. Poor occupational health management and out-ofdate dust prevention facilities lead to severe dust hazards in workplaces and high-risk occupational accidents and pneumoconiosis in workers exposed to dusts.
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