OSHA stirred up the dust last year with new proposals and regulations to curb worker's exposure to silica dust while on the jobsite. Silica dust can be created by everyday home building activities such as cutting drywall, and according to OSHA, high exposure to the dust particles can lead to lung cancer, silicosis, chronic pulmonary disease, and kidney disease. You can read more about the rulings and regulations here.
A new tool attachment from Bosch Power Tools will protect workers from silica dust exposure when using cordless rotary hammers. The Bosch GDE18V-16 Cordless HEPA Dust Collector for the Bosch GBH18V-26 Rotary Hammer is an attachment that fits on the rotary hammer and features a HEPA filter for a fully integrated dust collection system wherever the worker is drilling. The attachment can be fitted to the tool when needed and removed in situations where it's not necessary.
Bosch has other silica dust vacuums on the market, though they are much larger than the new hand-held tool attachment and need to be plugged into an outlet, limiting the mobility of the worker. The cordless filter has its own motor that’s supplied with power by the rotary hammer battery, and the dust extraction module automatically starts at the same time as the rotary hammer and continues to function for two seconds after the drilling operation is ended to ensure optimal dust extraction.
“The GDE18V-16 18-volt HEPA dust collector gives users of the Bosch GBH18V-26 rotary hammer the final piece of an end-to-end dust control system that’s completely housed on the hammer,” said Mike Iezzi, product manager, concrete power tools, Robert Bosch Tool Corporation, in a news release. “We believe this is a solution that many professionals who drill into concrete will find appealing because it offers them more freedom of movement on the jobsite. There are some jobs where being tethered to a vacuum isn’t workable.”
The attachment is currently available from Bosch for $129.
