Air pollution due to dust emission has serious occupational and community health impacts on residents of Melbourne, even at relatively low levels of exposure. There is a correlation between poor air quality and negative health impacts. Dust exposure in Melbourne results in decreased lung function, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and shortened life expectancy. Effective dust control in Melbourne is a key to saving lives and confronting the legacy of dust-related diseases.
Global Road Technology (GRT) has delivered a number of key projects and ongoing dust control services in Melbourne, greater Melbourne and across Victoria. GRT is a proudly Australian owned and headquartered company that is a world leader in innovative dust control solutions that help overcome the global challenge of creating safer roads, workplaces for people, industry and communities. Our products also assist in making surfaces within the mining, construction, infrastructure and farming projects stronger, longer-lasting, as well as more cost-effective and environmentally responsible.
Causes of Dust in Melbourne and Regulations
Residents in Melbourne, its surrounds and Victoria, in general, are exposed to dust generated from a range of major industries:
- Extractive industries – quarries and mines
- Civil and rail projects
- Heavy and light industry
- Land development and clearing
- Rural – livestock, wineries, cropping lands
In Melbourne, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Victoria is the agency primarily responsible for monitoring, regulating and reporting on the state’s air quality. GRT looks forward to the release of the Victorian Air Quality Strategy by the Victorian Government. The proposed action points from the air quality strategy are in synergy with GRT’s mandate for dust control solutions in Melbourne. In preparation for tackling emerging air quality challenges and reducing air pollution and exposure to it in Melbourne, we highlight GRT’s dust control applications, product key benefits through dust control projects delivered in Melbourne.
Case Studies: GRT’s dust control projects in Melbourne
- Melbourne International Airport
GRT provided dust suppression and surface stabilization services for the Melbourne International Airport Hardstand and Perimeter Road. For the redevelopment of Melbourne airport, the runway perimeter would welcome an increase of heavy vehicles. The increase of vehicle traffic would create dust and soil stabilization problems, which would inherently affect the runway perimeter road in the longer term. The GRT team provided a road and area assessment on the runway perimeter road and car park to determine the most suitable product/s considering both environmental and economic impact this product would potentially produce. GRT 7000 a clear drying polymer emulsion was the recommended product for the runway perimeter road and the carpark. GRT 9000 a cost-effective clear polymer was recommended for the car. Using GRT 7000 enabled dust elimination and its impacts on visibility, health and the environment. GRT 9000 achieved low construction cost, high pavement strength, pavement cracking and corrugation prevention.
- Precast Concrete and Pipe Yards
One of GRT’s major ongoing dust control customers is Humes, a member of the multi-national Holcim Group. This is a company committed to WHS for its staff who can be exposed to harmful dust such as silica in their daily operations. GRT provides for a number of pipe yards all around Australia and 2 major locations for Humes in Melbourne and Victoria more broadly. These sites are managed with our GRT: Wet-Loc product – designed specifically for heavy traffic industrial and logistics yards. The performance of GRT: Wet-Loc is such that it has become a single, once per year application delivering safer workplaces.
GRT’s Dust Control Products
GRT’s product portfolio offers comprehensive, robust and sustainable dust control solutions for different applications. GRT adopts the principle of asset management in its dust control applications. Dust control contributes to the maintenance and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure which adds value to the functionality of the asset. The use of GRT dust control products takes a modern dust management approach that considers sustainability and life cycle assessment in the projects from ‘cradle to grave’. This is achieved through the use of environmentally compatible raw and secondary materials in GRT product development. GRT will also work with you to devise a site-specific dust mitigation strategy to meet the challenges facing your operations. Looking forward to facilitating more dust control in Melbourne and if you are facing any dust challenges feel free to reach out to our General Manager, Daniel Grundy.
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