Crushed Glass Guidance

[Coppers Lot]

Hi All,
Can anyone put me right on what I see are the dangers of using crushed glass for blasting with.
I have seen several web sites were crushed glass is used, some in special pots using a water/glass mix and others that are just glass.
A LOT of the web sites have people blasting item X in the open air.
I understand that blasting with glass inside a cabinet is safe because it is contained but surely blasting in the open air is dangerous as the glass could go anywhere and be breathed in by anyone nearby. Some of the videos I have seen have the operator not even bothering to mask up.

Am I missing something with the use of crushed glass please in that it is totally safe to use in an open environment?

 

[rtbcomp]

Crushed glass is the same as any other media, it will form a dust and people blasting in the open or in a blast room should wear an air-fed helmet.

It is classed as safe but when doing buildings &c sheeting should be used to contain as much as the dust as possible.

Wet blasting outside is preferred because that doesn't raise dust.

 

[Coppers Lot]

Thanks for the reply, I just wondered about the general public breathing it in. (based on some of the web sites I have seen)

 

[rtbcomp]

Glass won't any worse than any other media, except kiln-dried sand which is prohibited under most circumstances. I suspect it's more of a nuisance than a danger unless you're standing close to the work.

When I was visited by a guy from the Health & Safety Executive he made a point of asking whether any dust escaped from my blast room, but then you see buildings being blasted and dust going everywhere.

 

[Coppers Lot]

Funny that, Yes I have seen video's of people blasting crushed glass on brick walls but don't doubt HSE were more worried about a leak. Blast room eh? On my wish list.