Testing Results

MILWAUKEE TOOL
13135 West Lisbon Road • Brookfield WI 53005 • 262-781-3600
To Whom It May Concern,
Milwaukee®, in partnership with Industrial Hygiene Sciences, LLC, has conducted testing on the Milwaukee M18™
FUEL™ 3-in-1 Backpack Vacuum (0885-20) paired with the M18™ FUEL™ 7” / 9” Large Angle Grinder (2785-22HD),
2” Diamond Dry Core Bit (48-17-0020), and SDS Max Dust Extraction Attachment. Results show that the user will be
below the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) as described by OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1153 when using the above
combination, assuming it is used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. Testing results and procedures are
outlined below:
• All drilling was performed using a Milwaukee M18™ FUEL™ 3-in-1 Backpack Vacuum (0885-20) paired with
the M18™ FUEL™ 7” / 9” Large Angle Grinder (2785-22HD), 2” Diamond Dry Core Bit (48-17-0020), and SDS
Max Dust Extraction Attachment
• The drilling was completed horizontally to mounted concrete and drilled through the center of each block and
went all the way through both walls of the block
• Vacuum was turned to mode 1
• HEPA filter was cleaned every 6 holes with the following method
o User removed canister from unit and took off the cap that sits above the HEPA filter. The cap was used to
clean the filter by tapping downward aggressively 4 times on top of the filter while it was still in the
canister. The canister was then emptied into a garbage can at foot level.
• Concrete blocks were standard 16 X 8 X 8
• The room size was 12’9” x 26’5” x 8’
• The room surfaces were wiped down between trials to ensure accurate measurements
• Samples were collected on 3 piece 37 mm diameter preweighed PVC filter mounted in a BGI GK2.69 respirable
dust sampler, run at 4.2 lpm and connected to a Gilian 10i air sampling pump. A field blank was submitted with
each day’s set of samples.
• Samples were analyzed using OSHA ID-142 by the Wisconsin Occupational Health Laboratory, an AIHA
Accredited laboratory. The sampling method used meets the definition of respirable crystalline silica in
1926.1153 (a) and Appendix A of the OSHA Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard (1926.1153).
• The Time Weighted Average (TWA) was calculated assuming zero exposure to respirable crystalline silica for the
non-sampled portion of a 480 minute (8 hour) shift. Longer exposure times, assuming that the dust exposures
would be similar to those collected in these trials, would likely result in higher TWAs. Factors, including, but not
limited to the ventilation and air flow patterns in the space where the work is done, how flat the grinder is held,
the condition of the shroud brush, the silica content of the concrete, how much grinding was done when the
shroud is not on a full, flat surface, the presence of other respirable silica dust generating activities in the area,
how often the user knocks collected dust from the HEPA filter, how aggressively the HEPA filter is knocked off
and how the vacuum is cleaned could affect actual user exposures.
Unit Tested Average Holes Drilled
Average Sample
Duration
% Silica (Quartz)
in Sample
Average Respirable
Crystalline Silica
Concentration (μg/m³)
OSHA PEL in
1926.1153
24 60.6 5.2 8.4 μg/m³ TWA 50 μg/m³