CutNBreathe

The ban of engineered stone has highlighted the dangers of silica exposure in the home building industry. Wall and floor tilers are one of the largest group of workers in the nation exposed to silica each year. Many will develop silicosis, because there are very few options to limit their silica exposure whilst cutting tiles beyond donning personal protective equipment (PPE), for which there is poor compliance.A new tool was required for dry cutting of tiles that extracted the dust with maximum efficiency to comply with exposure limits that was sleek, robust, portable and didn’t impede workflow.

Proof of concept was initially established by constructing a device from PVC pipe. Over the next 10 months a further 34 prototypes were made by 3D printing and quantitatively tested by measuring air velocities and tile cutting whilst wearing personal dust monitors. The critical design change was the shift from an all-aluminium construction to a combination of injection moulded ABS plastic with a stainless-steel cutting surface. The latter provided resistance to the grinder blade whilst the ABS maintained light weight and strength. This shift also catalysed the trigger clamp system for attaching to the worktable.

The greatest impediment to reducing silicosis for tilers is lack of compliance with PPE because it is invasive and uncomfortable. Silica exposure when using the CutNBreathe® is reduced to well below the 8-hour exposure limit, removing the need for masks. It is light, portable, easily attaches to tilers’ existing equipment and doesn’t impact freedom or manoeuvrability, which facilitates adoption.There are 24000 licensed tilers in Australia and many more co-workers within their teams. The long-term goal is reduction in the number of silicosis cases amongst tilers. The immediate benefit is to improve Safety Audit and Inspection scores.

Reduce respirable crystalline silica exposure to below mandate workplace exposure limitsCompact, portable, lightweight (2.2 kg) and can be carried in one hand or underarmRugged to withstand being transported in a tiler’s heavily loaded vehicle as well as the effects of being struck with the saw bladeVersatile to allow access for grinder blades during mitring cuts and thicker polishing discs used for polishing cut edgesDon’t impede access of the saw to the cut or cut edgeLeverage the existing equipment (workbench, grinder and vacuum) that the tiler already possessesAttaches to portable work platforms or trestle tablesLarge enough size to accommodate for a 600x600 tileFirm locking system with durable clamps that also attach to the main body for transport, so they don’t get lost during transportQuick attach trigger clamps designed specifically to provide clearance from under table ribs and enable true 2 hands setup in seconds. No need to struggle with screw clamps requiring 3 handsRubber adapter fits all Australian M-Class vacuums, but interchangeable for export marketsHigh polish injection moulded plastic to aid cleaning and light weightStainless steel cutting surround to resist grinder bladeAustralian made