MANSFIELD, OH Enforcement of the OSHA final silica rule is fast approaching. Concrete dowel pin drill manufacturer Minnich Manufacturing and equipment dealer Logan Contractors Supply want to make sure contractors are ready. So, Minnich offered contractors the opportunity to demo its dust collection system for concrete dowel pin drills during the Logan Contractors Supply Paving Day Open House in Des Moines, Iowa. 

The inaugural Paving Day brought together Logan Contractors Supply partners and customers for an event featuring equipment displays, demos, lunch and plenty of education and conversation about silica dust control solutions.

After a three-month delay, enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) final respirable crystalline silica standard in the construction industry is scheduled to begin Sept. 23, 2017. The standard was issued to protect workers from silica dust exposure, which can occur during common construction tasks and may cause health problems.

"The magnitude of the silica rule is huge," said Nick Sinn, Branch Manager at Logan Contractors Supply, a one-stop shop for contractor needs and a leading Minnich dealer. "The issue is there's not enough information out there to prepare contractors for what's coming. With Paving Day, we wanted to make sure our customers were aware of the challenges ahead and the solutions available to them."

One such solution is the Minnich dust collection system, which meets the requirements for dowel pin drills found in Table 1 of the OSHA final silica rule when used with an appropriate filter. Filters supplied with the Minnich dust collection system comply with the OSHA filter efficiency requirement.

Featuring Venturi-style suction and manual or automatic purge control, the Minnich pneumatic dust collector removes dust from the air as the operator drills. The canister-style unit can be retrofitted to any Minnich on-grade, on-slab, machine-mounted or utility drill model. It can also be adapted to fit other drill makes and models.

On a slab behind the Logan Contractors Supply facility, Paving Day attendees had the opportunity to demo a Minnich A-1 Series on-grade dowel pin drill fitted with a dust collection system.

"The demo shows that the worker can be safer without sacrificing productivity," said Todd Jurjevic, Minnich Vice President of Sales. "The Minnich dust collection system is compact and runs off the same air compressor used for drilling. It can help contractors simplify the OSHA compliance process."