Safety-led blasting for sites that cannot afford surprises.
Every job begins before the first blast. We assess the atmosphere, plan ventilation, and establish PPE before work starts.
Professional job control
A safer clean starts with the conditions around the job.
Dry ice blasting involves CO₂ sublimation, cryogenic material, noise, and surface contaminants. Every one of these is manageable — when the job is planned before the trigger is pulled.
Atmosphere Awareness
Carbon dioxide is colorless and odorless. We assess airflow, space volume, and ventilation path before blasting indoors or in any restricted-air environment.
Ventilation Path
We identify how CO₂ will move out of the work area before the job begins. For enclosed or low-airflow spaces, we coordinate a ventilation plan with your facility team.
Cryogenic Handling
Dry ice is stored and handled at −78.5°C. Technicians use insulated gloves, proper containers, and handling procedures to prevent contact injuries.
Noise & Eye Protection
Blasting generates high-velocity pellet impact noise and potential debris. Full face shields, safety glasses, and hearing protection are standard — no exceptions.
Containment & Housekeeping
Blasted contaminants must land somewhere. We establish a containment zone — plastic sheeting, drip pans, HEPA vacuums, or coordination with your EHS team.
Communication
We coordinate with your facility manager, EHS team, or site supervisor before mobilization. Your team knows what’s happening, where, and for how long.
What we control
Built around recognized OSHA & NIOSH safety concerns.
Carbon dioxide displaces oxygen and cannot be detected without monitoring equipment. These are the thresholds we work against on every enclosed or restricted-area job.
OSHA and NIOSH time-weighted average exposure limit for carbon dioxide over an 8-hour shift.
NIOSH and OSHA short-term exposure limit for CO₂ — not to be exceeded over a 15-minute period.
NIOSH immediately-dangerous-to-life-or-health reference value — the hard ceiling we monitor against.
CO₂ cannot be reliably detected by smell or sight. Monitoring and ventilation planning are not optional indoors.
Our process
A practical safety workflow before, during, and after blasting.
Five steps that turn a job from scheduled to clean — with every safety control in place at every stage.
Walk the Scope
On-site assessment of the work area, access points, surface condition, and nearby operations.
Build the Plan
Define ventilation path, PPE requirements, containment method, and communication with your team.
Set the Zone
Establish blast boundaries, place containment, confirm CO₂ readings, and brief all crew members.
Blast & Monitor
Execute with continuous atmosphere awareness. Adjust ventilation or pause if readings trend upward.
Close Out Cleanly
Collect and dispose of removed contamination, document the job, and restore the area to your team.
Confined & sensitive spaces
No enclosed-space job treated like a routine clean.
Tanks, vessels, boilers, crawl spaces, pits, and enclosed equipment rooms present a different safety picture than open-floor industrial work. We treat every confined space job as a separate planning exercise.
- Entry and exit points identified before any crew enters
- Ventilation sized to space volume — not a one-size approach
- CO₂ monitoring active and continuous throughout the blast
- Work pauses automatically if readings approach action levels
- Coordinated with your site EHS or safety officer on complex entries
Documentation
What facility teams can request before a job.
Procurement teams, EHS managers, and facility coordinators often need documentation before a contractor sets foot on site.
Dry Ice SDS & Hazard Communication
Safety data sheet access and chemical communication for CO₂ and all job-specific materials — available before mobilization.
Job Hazard Review (JHA)
Work area hazards, access, ventilation, PPE, containment, and nearby operations — documented in writing.
PPE Requirements
Eye, face, hearing, hand, and task-specific protection requirements discussed and confirmed before crew mobilization.
Monitoring & Ventilation Plan
CO₂ awareness and airflow controls documented for enclosed, indoor, low, or restricted-area jobs.
Containment & Cleanup Method
How removed contamination is isolated, collected, and handed back to the facility — agreed before blasting begins.
Insurance & Site Coordination
Certificates of insurance, scheduling coordination, and site access administrative requirements — provided on request.
Common questions
Questions about dry ice blasting safety.
Is dry ice blasting safe indoors?
Yes — with proper planning. Dry ice blasting produces CO₂ gas as the pellets sublimate. In open, well-ventilated spaces, this disperses quickly and presents no hazard. For indoor work with limited airflow, we assess the space volume, identify or add ventilation, and monitor CO₂ levels throughout the job. The process is used routinely in food production, manufacturing, and aerospace — environments that cannot tolerate water or chemical residue.
Why does CO₂ monitoring matter?
Carbon dioxide is colorless and odorless — it cannot be detected by human senses until concentrations reach levels that cause symptoms like headache and dizziness. NIOSH and OSHA set an 8-hour TWA limit of 5,000 ppm and an IDLH value of 40,000 ppm. In enclosed or low-airflow environments, CO₂ from dry ice sublimation can accumulate faster than it disperses. Monitoring gives our crew real-time readings, discussed with facility teams before mobilization.
Can dry ice blasting be used around electrical equipment?
Yes — dry ice blasting is non-conductive, which makes it suitable for electrical panels, switchgear, motors, and control systems that cannot be cleaned with water or chemicals. The key considerations are the surface contamination being removed, whether equipment should be de-energized during cleaning, and whether any dislodged contamination could migrate into live components. We discuss electrical environment requirements with your team before any work begins.
Do you carry insurance and can you provide certificates?
Yes. Ice Blast Works carries general liability insurance and can provide certificates of insurance prior to mobilization. If your facility has specific minimum coverage requirements or requires additional insured status, contact us in advance so we can coordinate with our carrier before your scheduled job date.
Need a safer cleaning plan for a live facility?
We’ll walk your scope, build a safety plan, and give you documentation before anything starts. No commitment required.