This report (download below), is based upon recent testing by CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of LSM Technologies / Sy- Klone's "world first" patented RESPA™ HVAC Precleaner / Filtration Technology as technology that "should be considered for all new and retrofit systems in surface mining equipment so as increase the Protection Factor (PF) for Operators Health.
The comprehensive NIOSH Report (also can be download below), is based upon recent testing (also refer to our News Item dd 14th Oct 2008) by CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of Sy- Klone's "world first" patented RESPA™ HVAC Precleaner / Filtration Technology as technology that "should be considered for all new and retrofit systems in surface mining equipment so as increase the Protection Factor (PF) for Operators Health.
Crystalline silica — also known as silicon dioxide (SiO2) — is the basic component of sand, quartz and granite rock and is found in varying proportions in aggregates, sand, mortar, concrete and stone, and is also in the air and the soil. Processes which may give rise to airborne concentrations of crystalline silica dust include hard rock mining, excavation, tunneling and earthworks, construction, foundry operations, ceramics production, stone works, refractory brick production, abrasive blasting, agricultural ploughing and harvesting, and the production of asphalt, agricultural chemicals, abrasives, glass and paint. If the dust given off from working with these materials is fine enough to be breathed into the lungs, it is termed “respirable”. See the NOHSC 2005 Media Release on revised standards / sources of silica.
Extract from the Report states:
Enclosed cabs have been used on surface mining equipment for many years to protect equipment operators from health and safety hazards. The surface mining and quarrying process is a highly mechanised process that generates large quantities of respirable dust.
NIOSH has performed a number of different field studies, as well as a comprehensive laboratory study evaluating various factors and parameters regarding enclosed cabs.
NIOSH has recently completed a cooperative research effort with Sy-Klone International and Vulcan Materials Company to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly designed uni-directional filtration and pressurisation system that brings all the clean filtered air in at the roof of the cab and extracts all recirculated air near the floor. This design provides the highest air quality to the equipment operator. Testing on this new system showed an almost 10-fold reduction in respirable dust inside the enclosed cab.
The uni-directional design is easy to incorporate and should be considered for all new and retrofit systems in surface mining equipment
This issue came to light from a study performed in 1996 and 1997 which showed an alarming prevalence of silicosis in the surface coal mining industry. This study was undertaken at eight different surface coal mining operations in central Pennsylvania and was performed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Department of Health Evaluation Sciences of the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, and the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This was a voluntary program that screened 1,236 miners for lung diseases and determined that 6.7 percent of these workers were classified with at least category 1/0 silicosis. In an anomaly that was noted in one particular county (Clearfield), 16 percent of the 213 participants were classified with silicosis [1].
This investigation noted that a number of young miners with relatively few years of mining experience were developing silicosis from using surface drills with enclosed cabs that were not providing an acceptable level of protection. Further, although surface drills provided the highest risk of overexposure, operators of other types of mechanised equipment such as bulldozers, loaders, and haul trucks were also being overexposed to crystalline silica and respirable dust.
Results of this field study on a uni-directional cab filtration and pressurisation system showed that:
Subsequently the RESPA HVAC System meets the Australian NOSHC (National Occupational Safety Health Commissions) requirements for Respirable Silica of 0.1mg / M3 TWA (Time Weighted Average)- see the amended NOHSC report below.
TWA = The average airborne concentration of a particular substance when calculated over a normal eight-hour working day, for a five-day working week.
Also the particle size must be < 7.0 micron and so one needs to use MERV 17 Filters (click here see Merv Rating Table) to achieve such filtration levels.
This testing was focused on Operator health- however other beneficial aspects of the LSM Technologies / Sy- Klone RESPA™ HVAC Precleaner Technology are:
For more detailed information see:
Also refer to the Safe Work Australia (was NOHSC National Occupational Health & Safety Commission).
If you require further information. please contact us.
NIOSH has performed a number of different field studies, as well as a comprehensive laboratory study evaluating various factors and parameters regarding enclosed cabs. NIOSH has recently complete ...Read more...
Amendment: Replace the TWA (mg/m3) values for quartz, cristobalite and tridymite in the Adopted National Exposure Standards for Atmospheric Contaminants in the Occupational Environment [NOHSC: 1003(19 ...Read more...
Crystalline silica — also known as silicon dioxide (SiO2) — is the basic component of sand, quartz and granite rock and is found in varying proportions in aggregates, sand, mortar, concret ...Read more...