To safeguard workers from the risks associated with nanoparticles, employers should grasp:

• The hazardous properties of products containing engineered nanomaterials.
• The potential for exposure to harmful engineered nanomaterials.
• The efficacy of workplace controls in preventing or minimizing exposure.

While the exact level of risk remains uncertain, it's acknowledged that airborne products, like fine powders, are more likely to pose a risk compared to those bound to other materials, such as those found in computer memory chips and storage devices.

Various methods, including the utilization of local exhaust ventilation (extraction), have been devised to prevent exposure to fumes generated from high-energy processes, such as welding and grinding, which contain nanoparticles.

Employers are urged to employ the most effective means to prevent or minimize workplace exposure to engineered nanomaterials, including:

• Eliminating the use of potentially hazardous engineered nanomaterials in non-essential work activities.
• Substituting less hazardous engineered nanomaterials or modifying them to reduce risk (e.g., using gels instead of fine powders).
• Isolating processes releasing nanoscale particles or fumes from the rest of the workplace through separate buildings or rooms, distance, barriers, and engineering techniques like enclosures and fume hoods.
• Administrative measures such as limiting access, employing preventative maintenance, and regular cleaning.
• Providing personal protective equipment like individual respirators, protective clothing, and gloves.

Combining these options appropriately generally offers the most effective means of preventing or minimizing exposure.

Eliminating hazards at the source through effective design, incorporating isolation and engineering controls in plant or equipment design and work systems is generally simpler and more effective than retrofitting safety features into existing equipment.