Alexander Barbara M, Graydon Pamela S, Pena Mirle, Feng H Amy, Beamer Bryan R
Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Indian Health Service, Traverse City, Michigan.
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2025 Mar;22(3):189-202. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2024.2439810. Epub 2025 Jan 2.
Landscapers are exposed to noise, carbon monoxide (CO), respirable dust, and respirable crystalline silica (RCS) generated from the tools they use. Although engineering controls are available to reduce these exposures, no previous study has evaluated chronic exposures to landscapers in different work settings and compared exposures from landscaping tools with and without engineering controls. This field study of workers in the landscaping services industry documented the occupational exposures of 80 participants at 11 varied worksites to noise, CO, respirable dust, and RCS using personal breathing zone sampling. Results were analyzed using SAS/STAT 14.1. Analysis of variance was used for normally distributed data; otherwise, nonparametric methods were used. Most workers were overexposed to noise, with 94 of the 119 8-hr time-weighted average (TWA) noise exposures at or above the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended exposure limit (REL) of 85 dBA. There were no statistically significant differences among different locations or occupations. No 8-hr TWA exposures to CO above the NIOSH REL were measured. Overexposures to RCS were measured at all locations where hardscaping (installing or maintaining non-living aspects of the landscape) was taking place. This is the first known field study of this type to include hardscapers. The use of engineering controls such as dust capture or wet methods would reduce RCS exposures, but respiratory protection may still be needed. Task-based analysis of noise and CO exposure revealed that the loudest landscaping tools used in this study were hardscaping table saws, gas chainsaws, gas leaf blowers, chipper/shredders, gas string trimmers, and fuel mowers. Workers were exposed to significantly more noise and CO when using fuel-powered versions compared to battery-powered versions of leaf blowers, string trimmers, and chainsaws.
景观美化工人会接触到他们所使用工具产生的噪音、一氧化碳（CO）、可吸入粉尘和可吸入结晶二氧化硅（RCS）。尽管可以采用工程控制措施来减少这些接触，但之前没有研究评估过不同工作环境下景观美化工人的长期接触情况，也没有比较过有和没有工程控制措施时景观美化工具造成的接触。这项针对景观美化服务行业工人的现场研究，通过个人呼吸带采样记录了11个不同工作地点的80名参与者在工作中接触噪音、CO、可吸入粉尘和RCS的情况。使用SAS/STAT 14.1对结果进行分析。对于正态分布的数据，采用方差分析；否则，使用非参数方法。大多数工人的噪音接触超标，在119次8小时时间加权平均（TWA）噪音接触中，有94次达到或超过了美国国家职业安全与健康研究所（NIOSH）建议的85分贝（A）接触限值（REL）。不同地点或职业之间没有统计学上的显著差异。没有测量到8小时TWA的CO接触超过NIOSH的REL。在所有进行硬景观施工（安装或维护景观的非生物部分）的地点都测量到了RCS接触超标。这是已知的第一项包括硬景观施工人员的此类现场研究。采用集尘或湿法等工程控制措施可以减少RCS接触，但可能仍需要呼吸防护。基于任务的噪音和CO接触分析表明，本研究中使用的噪音最大的景观美化工具是硬景观施工用台锯（木工圆锯）、汽油链锯、汽油吹叶机、削片机/碎木机、汽油割灌机和燃油割草机。与使用电池驱动版本的吹叶机、割灌机和链锯相比，工人使用燃油驱动版本时接触到的噪音和CO要多得多。
