Haul Road Dust Control is a very important element to the efficient undertaking of a mining company. Not simply with regards to safety but as well to the workers health. Surface mining operations use huge off-road haul trucks extensively to move material at mining properties. Former investigation, using the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) emissions factors for unpaved haul roads, has revealed that haul trucks produce the majority of dust emissions from surface mining sites, accounting for roughly 78%-97% of all dust emissions. This is still greater with low quality haul road dust control programs. Observations of dust emissions from haul trucks show that if the dust emissions are unrestrained, they can become a safety danger by means of impairing the operator’s visibility. This increases the possibility for haul truck accidents. Yet, the greatest long-term health hazard of dust generated from hauling operations is due to inhalation of the respirable dust [median diameter <4 micrometers (?m)] along with thoracic dust, which is comparable to the EPA’s description of PM10 [particulate matter with a middle diameter <10 ?m]. Exposure to respirable dust has always been thought a health risk on surface mining operations, specially if silica dust is nearby. There are two governmental acts that control the air quality meant for mining operations: the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 and the Clean Air Act of 1970. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 established the limits for dust in the work place for healthiness and security purposes. The Clean Air Act of 1970 controls air emissions from facilities from an environmental perspective. Characterizing fugitive dust emissions from haul trucks may help mine operators appreciate the effects of exposure. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 established a maximum for coal respirable dust of 2 mg/m3 for coal mine employees. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) enacts and enforces pit employee safety and health values to lessen mine employee injuries along with job-related diseases. If silica is encountered in the course of the sampling process then the applicable respirable dust standard is reduced to the share of 10 divided by the proportion of quartz in the dust. In lieu of non-coal mine staff, the appropriate standard is the respirable dust standard of 10 divided by the total of the quartz percentage plus 2. Both of these dust standards are intended to limit employee respirable crystalline silica (quartz) exposure to 0.1 mg/m3 or fewer for the work shift. Falling in line with these dust standards is projected to decrease a worker’s possibility of job-related lung illness over an average life expectancy. As well, MSHA’s nuisance dust maximum value (total dust) for non-coal miners is 10 mg/m3.
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This editorial should help employers and staff in understanding methods to stop black lung. Lack of an proficient haul road dust control plan is one of the most important reasons for black lung and deadly lung diseases in the Mining industry. By implementing a quality haul road dust control plan and whole mine site dust control programs, worker wellbeing can get better.
Richard Harington spends the largest part of his time working to find solutions to haul road dust control and other conservation and ecological projects not only for work but for gratification as well. For more information regarding dust control or haul road dust control please contact the author of this article.
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