Directory of Engineering Controls
Engineering controls protect workers by removing hazardous conditions or by placing a barrier between the worker and the hazard. Examples include local exhaust ventilation to capture and remove airborne emissions or machine guards to shield the worker. Well-designed engineering controls can be highly effective in protecting workers and will typically be independent of worker interactions. They typically do not interfere with worker productivity or personal comfort and make the work easier to perform rather than more difficult. The initial cost of engineering controls can be higher than some other control methods, but over the longer term, operating costs are frequently lower, and in some instances, can provide a cost savings in other areas of the process. To learn more about how engineering controls fit into the strategy for reducing and/or eliminating occupational hazards, visit our hierarchy of controls website.
NIOSH researchers help prevent occupational disease and injury by conducting engineering control technology evaluations and developing practical, solutions-oriented control technology interventions. To conduct these efforts, NIOSH works collaboratively with partners both in the United States and around the world.
This directory page links to NIOSH engineering control related webpages, projects, programs, tools and resources created to improve workplace health and safety.
NIOSH researchers reduce the risk of silicosis and other lung diseases for workers fabricating stone countertops by evaluating engineering control measures such as optimized ventilation through dust extractors, and providing recommendations to partners including OSHA, state agencies, industrial partners, and labor unions.
- Investigation of Ventilation Engineering Controls for Stone Countertop Fabrication
- Evaluation of Wetting Methods for Grinding
- Field Evaluation of a Mobile Dust Control Booth for Stone Countertop Grinding
- Experimental Evaluation of Respirable Dust and Crystalline Silica Controls During Simulated Performance of Stone Countertop Fabrication Tasks With Powered Hand Tools
Background information
- Characterization of Airborne Dust Generated from the Grinding of Natural and Engineered Stone Products
- Characterization of the Emissions and Crystalline Silica Content of Airborne Dust Generated from Grinding Natural and Engineered Stones
- Health Hazard Evaluation
- Engineering Control In-Depth Survey Report 375-11a
- Engineering Control In-Depth Survey Report 375-12a
- Best Practices: Engineering Controls, Work Practices, and Exposure Monitoring for Occupational Exposures to Diacetyl and 2,3-Pentanedione
- NIOSH Engineering Controls Program
- OSHA/NIOSH Hazard Alert: Methylene Chloride Hazards for Bathtub Refinishers
- Preventing Hazardous Noise and Hearing Loss during Project Design and Operation
- Reducing Musculoskeletal Disorders among Airport Baggage Screeners and Handlers
- Reducing Hazardous Dust Exposure When Dowel Drilling in Concrete
- Reducing Hazardous Dust Exposure When Cutting Fiber-Cement Siding