BACK TO CATEGORIES Photo ID: 986 (Click photo to view original size.) Category: Silica Hazard: Exposure to Silica. Standard Violated: 1910.134(f) 1910.134(e) 1926.55(a) 1926.55(b) 1926.701(b) Corrective Action: Abatement was obtained through the use of a wet cutting process which reduced the amount of respirable silica dust that was generated from cutting the masonry blocks. The protruding rebar needed to be rotated so that the protruding ends were in the ground, rather than protruding skyward. Description: This photo shows an employee dry-cutting masonry block with a saw. The saw operator was exposed to respirable dust containing 16 percent quartz (but not overexposed). This saw operator and the one shown in the remaining two photos were required by their employer to wear a respirator, but they had not been fit tested, and no medical evaluation had been done to determine their suitability to wear a respirator.