Silica dust OSHA checklist — the dust cloud is the violation you can see
OSHA's respirable crystalline silica rule (29 CFR 1926.1153 in construction) is built around one visible idea: if you can see a dust cloud coming off a saw, grinder, or drill cutting concrete, masonry, or stone, the controls aren't working. Table 1 of the standard specifies the fix for each task — water fed to the blade, a vacuum dust-collection shroud, and respirators where the table requires them. OSHA Scan reads a photo of cutting, grinding, or drilling work and flags the visible gaps: dry cutting with no water or vacuum attachment, thick dust clouds, and people standing in them. It is an AI-assisted first pass, not an exposure assessment or air monitoring.
- Water or vacuum at every cut
- Table 1 followed fully, not partially
- Respirators where the table requires them
- Bystanders kept out of the dust
What does OSHA's silica standard require on a construction site?
29 CFR 1926.1153 gives construction employers two paths: follow Table 1, which lists 18 common tasks with the exact engineering controls and respirator requirements for each, or do your own exposure assessment and keep exposures under the permissible limit of 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour average. Nearly every contractor uses Table 1 — it's simpler and doesn't require air monitoring. Either way, you also need a written exposure control plan, a competent person, restricted housekeeping methods, and medical surveillance for workers in respirators 30+ days a year.
Is dry cutting concrete ever allowed under OSHA rules?
Table 1 effectively removes dry cutting as an option for the tasks it lists — a handheld power saw, for example, must have an integrated water delivery system. An employer could theoretically dry-cut under the alternative exposure-assessment path, but they'd have to prove with monitoring data that exposures stay under the limit, which dry cutting almost never does. In practice, a visible dust plume from a dry cut is one of the fastest silica citations OSHA writes.
Can AI detect silica hazards from a photo?
It can flag the visible failures: a saw or grinder with no water hose or vacuum shroud attached, a dust cloud at the cut, workers standing in drifting dust without respirators, and dry sweeping. It cannot measure airborne concentration, verify Table 1 flow rates, or confirm the written plan and medical surveillance exist — those need your competent person. Use the scan to catch the obvious gaps between formal assessments.