There are different sources of dust that can result in deadly lung diseases across the spectra of occupations that expose workers to dust. Dealing with dust at its source is critical to saving lives of workers in dust-generating occupations. Sadly, no amount of exposure to silica dust, coal dust or asbestos dust is safe. It is important to implement preventative and corrective dust control solutions. Over the past 6 months, different Australian States and Territories have taken tougher measures to deal with the increasing dust-related problems across most occupations. In the USA, company owners have faced the might of the law in accounting for truancy and lack of integrity in reporting dust-monitoring results truthfully.
The different sources of dust include but are not limited to:
- tunnelling sites
- construction sites
- coal mines
- engineered stonework projects
- quarrying sites
In this article, Global Road Technology evaluates 4 different scenarios of dust challenges in Australia and the USA focusing on the problem, the areas of concern, and possible solutions.
Scenario 1 – Silica Dust Exposure in Brisbane, Australia
Problem: Silica dust exposure leads to workers downing tools at a major tunnelling site in Brisbane’s south. The infrastructure project incurs more than 250 warnings from the safety regulator.
Support is rallying in from a national law firm providing litigation for several cases involving dust diseases from the site. Unions also call for investigations into silica dust exposure.
Are environmental regulations, health and safety concerns or potential profit loss a concern right now?
Areas of concern: There are different areas of concern when it comes to tunnelling projects and some of these include:
- drilling and blasting
- transportation
- stockpiles
- loading and unloading into trucks
- overburden removal
- dust in unventilated areas
- conveyor belt and transfer points
- material handling stations
Possible solutions: Dealing with dust at its source is imperative to save lives and reduce the burden of incurring more costs from the downing of tools as is the case in this scenario. Global Road Technology offers the following solutions from the GRT marketplace:
- GRT Activate – tunneling and conveying
- GRT: 12X – drilling
- GRT: DC Binder – blast pattern
- GRT Haul-Loc – haul and LV roads
- GRT Wet-Loc – long term areas
- GRT Rubble-Loc – stockpiles of hazardous materials
These wet silica dust control solutions should also complement the data obtained from real time silica dust monitoring technology such as Air XS from Trolex.
Scenario 2 – Coal Dust Exposure in the USA
Problem: Coal dust exposure to coal mine workers in the USA has led to former coal company officials going on trial in Kentucky. These officials allegedly skirt the federal rules meant to reduce deadly coal dust in underground coal mines. The four men ordered workers to rig dust-monitoring equipment to pass air quality tests. The resulting implications of that was incurable and fatal coal mine workers pneumoconiosis or black lung disease.
Areas of concern: There are different areas of concern when it comes to underground coal mining. These include:
- drilling and blasting
- transportation
- stockpiles
- loading and unloading into trucks
- conveyor belt and transfer points
- coal on the roadways presents an explosion hazard
Possible solutions: Dealing with coal dust at its source is a matter of life or death. The officials tampering with dust monitoring equipment was a huge indictment to the duty of care bestowed upon them to prioritize workers health and lives over profits. There are different best practices for dust control in coal mines and Global Road Technology offers the following coal dust suppression solutions:
- GRT ACTIVATE UG – longwall and continuous miner sharing
- GRT Activate – tipping, crushing and conveying
- GRT Haul-Loc – haul and LV roads
Scenario 3 – Silica dust exposure in Victoria, Australia
Problem: Silica dust exposure to workers fabricating engineered stone benchtops in Victoria Australia. There is a risk of developing incurable lung disease silicosis if silica dust is not dealt with at its source.
Areas of concern: There are different areas of concern when it comes to workers that fabricate engineered stone benchtops and some of these include:
- dry grinding
- dry chiseling
- dry cutting
- dry carving
Possible solutions: Victorian government recently introduced Australia’s first licensing regime which requires those working with engineered stone to demonstrate compliance with safety measures and obtain a license by November 2022. The National Dust Disease Taskforce recommended adopting this measure and the changes are part of the new Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Crystalline Silica) Regulations 2021, which also makes the state-wide ban on uncontrolled processing of engineered stone permanent. The use of wet methods of cutting reduce the exposure to the inhalable fractions of silica dust which leads to silicosis.
Scenario 4 – Dust diseases risk from site of proposed quarry in Australia
Problem: Quarry activities generate high levels of silica dust which is bound to affect workers, communities within the vicinity of the quarry and the environment at large. The site of a proposed quarry on the Mornington Peninsula is a topical issue in Australia. The general sentiment is that its construction is simply not worth the risk to dust diseases.
Areas of concern: There are different areas of concern when it comes to establishing of a quarry site which in the long run the operations create even more opportunities for the generation of silica dust from the various activities. These different activities include:
- drilling and blasting
- transportation
- stockpiles
- loading and unloading into trucks
- conveyor belt and transfer points
- material handling stations
Possible solutions: In such a case, location matters, and the public outcry is justified given the complacency of many quarry operators when it comes to dealing with dust generated from activities at its source. The voices of the people have raised above the plans to establish the quarry site. Taking heed of the warnings of what is to come is key in saving lives from the deadly effects of silica dust, which knows no age and there is no safe level of silica dust exposure. The only solution is to not establish the quarry at the proposed Mornington Peninsula location.
For quarries in general, dust is generated from the sources identified above can effectively managed by GRT’s technologies:
- GRT: 12X – drilling
- GRT: DC Binder – blast pattern
- GRT Activate – tipping, crushing and conveying
- GRT Haul-Loc – haul and LV roads
Conclusions
There is never a safe level of dust exposure because the particle sizes that lodge into the depths of the lungs are invisible to the naked eye. The different scenarios have raised very important points for decision-makers to consider when it comes to dealing with dust-related issues in the different occupations. Public consultation is key given they bear the brunt of dust exposure and choosing profits over workers lives is illegal. Dust diseases affect any age group and the key is to prevent exposure as we reiterate that there is no safe amount of exposure to any of the dust types; coal dust and silica dust both are carcinogenic and are fatal.
References
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/coal-company-execs-trial-skirting-rules-81008389
https://www.miragenews.com/australian-first-to-protect-workers-from-deadly-673088/
