RSSV 4 2013.indd - Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro

4-2013
nota tecnica
Rivista della Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro
MEMO ON SILICA CRYSTALLINE ASSESSEMENT
Gli adempimenti dell’accordo NEPSI
sulla Silice Cristallina
NEPSI is a Voluntary Agreement between industry and worker associations
for the implementation of a European System for the reduction of the exposure
risk to silica crystalline. The European glass associations involved are: APFE,
ESGA, FEVE, Glass for Europe.
The NEPSI AGREEMENT includes a commitment to apply different actions
which can be summarized as follows:
• Implementation of Best Practices for the reduction of silica exposure
• Implementation of a periodical worker training
• Implementation of a periodical dust monitoring protocol to evaluate workplace exposure
• Implementation of a health protocol
The objective of the dust monitoring protocol is to collect dust exposure data in order to enable the different
companies to assess compliance with relevant national and EU occupational hygiene provisions,
such as Occupational Exposure Limit Values, and to guide prevention.
A specifi c analytical protocol has been developed by SSV to evaluate the workplace exposure to silica
crystalline taking into consideration all the main issues linked to the determination of silica crystalline
in the workplace and the indication of the NEPSI agreement.
European silica crystalline limit values
Different limit values are applied at EU level and most of them are
actually under revision. The range can go from 0,3 mg/m 3 of Poland
to 0,025 mg/m 3 of Italy, which is defi nitive the lowest in Europe and
also in the World.
Crystalline silica appears in the following forms: Quartz, Cristobalite,
and Tridymite. However, the presence of the last two is very
minor, so that the presence of crystalline silica is assumed to be that
of crystalline quartz.
The limit values are referred to the Respirable crystalline silica,
which means the mass fraction of inhaled crystalline silica particles
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