If you can clearly see a fiberglass splinter in your skin, gently pat the area dry with a towel before you move to the next steps and remove it. Fiberglass can be painful and harder to remove if left in your skin for long periods. If your bare skin is exposed to fiberglass, stop whatever you’re doing, if possible, and wash the exposed area as soon as you can.
Instead of a washcloth, you could also wipe your skin with a pair of pantyhose. The fabric will catch the fiberglass and pull it off your skin. Just be sure to throw out the pantyhose after using them like this! Don’t scratch or rub your skin, even if it’s itchy. That’ll just force break the fibers into smaller pieces and force deeper into your skin, making them harder to wipe away. Try applying some petroleum jelly after you wipe the exposed area instead of scratching it. Petroleum jelly soothes irritated skin.
The fibers will stick to the duct tape and slide out of your skin when the tape is pulled away. Don’t rub the tape across your skin or push it on too forcefully. Lightly pat it, so you don’t push the sliver deeper into your skin. Duct tape is ideal because it’s sturdy and very sticky (with a lot of glue in the tape), so it can catch all the fiberglass without ripping as you remove it. You can also use electrical tape if it’s available.
Thin fiberglass fibers are a white or light yellow color. They can be hard to spot, so good lighting is essential. Use a magnifying glass to find them, too, if necessary. If the fiber is under the surface of your skin, use a sterilized needle (cleaned with rubbing alcohol) to gently break the skin over the tip of the sliver and pull it up. Then you can quickly grab it with your tweezers.
Although protective ointments are a good safety measure, you don’t have to cover the site of the splinter with a band-aid since it shouldn’t be bleeding enough to need one. It’s also a good idea to take a shower as soon as you can after being exposed to fiberglass. A warm shower can wash away any other traces of fiberglass lingering on your skin.
If your skin becomes red while also getting warmer or developing pus, you might have a skin infection. See your doctor right away to get antibiotics. Breathing in fiberglass can lead to respiratory symptoms, including coughing, sneezing, and itching. This happens because the glass fibers get trapped in your airways, and smaller ones can settle in your lungs. If any fibers are swallowed accidentally, you might also develop temporary stomach discomfort—though your body will naturally process and eject the fibers in time.
If your work involves cutting fiberglass, a standard face mask may not be enough protection; use a respirator instead. Consider wearing disposable coveralls over your base clothing to keep fiberglass filaments off of them as much as you can.
After working with fiberglass, wet the floor in that room and use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to collect and dispose of any remaining fiberglass dust. While open windows help, there will likely be some lingering fibers. Don’t dry sweep a floor with fiberglass dust on it; that’ll spread the dust around since many particles are too small to sweep up.
Don’t leave any food or drinks in the same room as the fiberglass. Store it outside your workspace and clean up before you leave for a snack break.
