Dry Cutting On Site – Dust Regulations
Cutting paving slabs, or any form of cutting hard landscape materials on site should be carried out using suitable equipment, with a water/hose facility (or a water container system) to prevent or greatly reduce dust from causing issues and problems on site.
Health and Safety considerations are obvious – dust getting into lungs and eyes, and covering washing/cars/furniture etc with a film of detritus, not only affecting the site, possibly next door neighbours or passers-by, but also the eyes of any pets in the area. There is also the risk of silicosis developing in the body of a person who regularly uses cutting saws.
Therefore, dry cutting with mechanical blades is not permitted, even in domestic gardens or driveways. If a neighbour complained to the Health & Safety Executive – or an HSE Office was passing by and witnessed dry cutting, there is an instant on-the-spot fine running into hundreds of pounds.
The Workplace Exposure Limit for silica is 0.1 mg/m3 when averaged over eight hours, and sawing blocks/paving/bricks can rapidly create very high volumes of dust when working on a paving project. Certain ‘on-tool’ extraction equipment may work in some circumstances, although it is safer to assume that all cuts must be made by a water-suppressed machine, or a mechanical splitter.
