As an Elevator Mechanic, you walk onto the jobsite with more than tools in your belt. You bring training, awareness, and responsibility. At NEIEP, we emphasize safety education not just for protecting yourself, but for the safety of everyone on-site. One critical but often invisible threat you may face during modernization, demolition, or maintenance work involves exposure to asbestos and respirable crystalline silica (RCS). 

These substances can cause serious and even fatal health conditions if not properly handled. Understanding the risks and following OSHA standards is essential. Whether you’re drilling into old hoistway doors or grinding concrete inside a mechanical room, you must know how to identify, avoid, and protect yourself from these hazards.

Asbestos: The Hidden Danger in Older Construction

Asbestos is a fibrous material once widely used for its heat-resistant and insulating properties. Though its use has been largely phased out since the 1980s, asbestos is still present in many older buildings, and elevator installations are no exception. You may encounter asbestos in spray-on fireproofing inside elevator hoistways, pipe insulation and surfacing material, ceiling and floor tiles, adhesives, and coatings, elevator brake shoes, control panels, and hoistway doors.

What makes asbestos dangerous is, like other jobsite hazards, its invisibility when airborne. Fibers can become friable—easily crumbled—and inhaled, leading to serious illnesses like mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Although symptoms often don’t appear for decades, the damage starts at the first exposure. 

If a material looks suspicious or you’re unsure of its content, stop working immediately and contact your supervisor. Don’t drill, cut, grind, or disturb materials that could contain asbestos until they’ve been tested and cleared.

Understanding OSHA’s Asbestos Work Classes

OSHA’s Asbestos Classes are categorized into four groups. As an Elevator Mechanic, you’re most likely to encounter Class I through III during modernization and demolition tasks:

• Class I: Involves removal of thermal system insulation or sprayed-on surfacing materials, such as hoistway fireproofing.
• Class II: Removal of non-surfacing materials such as tile or roofing.
• Class III: Repair or maintenance where asbestos may be disturbed.
• Class IV: Custodial work or cleaning dust/debris from other asbestos-related tasks.

If you’re in a regulated area where asbestos exposure may exceed 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air, employers are required to establish controls. These include:

• Clear signage and barriers
• Respirator use (per OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1101)
• Prohibition of eating, drinking, or smoking
• Supervision by a competent person trained in asbestos safety

Remember that older hoistways act like chimneys. Dislodging asbestos inside can create a flue effect, sending fibers airborne in seconds. Always ensure the hoistway and any adjoining shafts are sealed before beginning work. Furthermore, you have the legal right to observe exposure monitoring and be notified of the results. If asbestos abatement is underway on your jobsite, ask for the monitoring results and ensure you understand the boundaries of the regulated area.

Silica: A Modern Hazard on Every Jobsite

While asbestos hazards are tied to older construction, respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is found on modern jobsites every day. Silica is a naturally occurring mineral found in concrete, brick, tile, and mortar. It becomes hazardous when ground or pulverized, such as during cutting, drilling, or grinding, and becomes airborne as dust.

Tiny silica particles are invisible and dangerous. Once inhaled, they can lodge in your lungs, causing inflammation and scarring over time. The most serious condition caused by exposure is silicosis, an incurable lung disease. Other risks include lung cancer, kidney disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

You may be exposed to silica when using masonry saws or grinders, jackhammers and chipping tools, rotary hammers or drills, or simply when sweeping dry concrete dust Silica doesn’t have to be part of your task to be a threat. If anyone nearby is generating silica dust, you are at risk too.

Dust Control and PPE: Your First Line of Defense

Silica exposure can be dramatically reduced by using wet methods, such as applying water to drilling or cutting points, using local exhaust ventilation to capture dust at its source, utilizing dust extraction tools, including hammer drills and grinders with HEPA vacuums, and implementing enclosures or barriers to isolate dusty processes. Always wear appropriate PPE—respirators, disposable overalls, gloves—and remove dust from your gear before leaving a dusty area. Use a high-efficiency H-class vacuum to clean your clothes, not compressed air or a standard shop vac.

Good site cleanliness is critical to workplace safety. Only use wet sweeping, low-pressure water, and certified M or H-class vacuums. Never dry sweep or use compressed air. After dusty tasks, wash your hands, arms, and face, and change out of dusty clothing before entering clean areas or going home.

Training and Ongoing Awareness

The permissible exposure limit (PEL) for silica is 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over an 8-hour shift. Action must be taken at just half that concentration (25 µg/m³). This includes monitoring the air, implementing controls to reduce dust, and providing medical exams for workers required to wear respirators. Employers must also maintain a written exposure control plan, offer medical surveillance, and train workers on silica hazards and protective measures.

Under OSHA’s silica standard, employers must train workers to understand the health risks of silica exposure, the tasks that create exposure, relevant engineering controls and PPE in use, and the medical surveillance program. If you’re in doubt, ask questions, review the safety plan, and know your tools and the dust they generate. You can’t eliminate silica from a construction site, but you can control it.

Safety Is a Shared Responsibility

When it comes to asbestos and silica, ignorance isn’t just dangerous, it’s illegal. Knowing the risks, recognizing warning signs, and following NEIEP and OSHA guidelines ensures that you’re protecting yourself and your team. Whether you’re stepping into a vintage control room or cutting into fresh concrete, remember that invisible doesn’t mean harmless. 

NEIEP is committed to preparing Elevator Constructors with the awareness, tools, and training needed to navigate these hazards with confidence. When we work safely, we lead by example, and we protect the future of our trade.