SAFETY
DA THENGERS OF
C
DUST
oal, iron ore and other raw materials relied upon by many of the world’s industries require extensive mining before they can be processed further, and as demand for these materials has continued to rise, the mining sector has seen considerable growth. With this, the industry has in turn faced mounting challenges in improving its working conditions. From asbestos to silica, contaminants can enter the cabins of mining vehicles such as haul trucks, wheel loaders and bulldozers through air vents, door seals or via vehicle operators themselves. “Mining by its very nature generates
large volumes of respirable dust emissions, many extremely dangerous due to their small size and composition,” explains Stephen Gleadhill at Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, a developer of specialist air and liquid filtration systems. “Asbestos, silica, coal and diesel particulate are some of the primary health concerns.” Alongside posing severe health issues, Gleadhill adds that contaminated air
mining vehicles.
protect operators and equipment from dangerous mining dusts,” Gleadhill says. “Dust in vehicles is a huge health issue and an enormous cost to miners globally, both above and below ground.” According to Gleadhill, mining vehicles
Hayley Everett explores how air filtration systems can protect both operator and equipment
cabins. One such technology developed by Freudenberg Filtration Technologies is the firm’s SAFEair (security against fine elements) filtration system, which is designed to protect operator health and the overall functionality of mining vehicles. Te technology recently secured ISO 23875 compliance for safe heavy equipment cabins due to its ability to sufficiently reduce airborne contaminants and CO2
can damage mining vehicles and their crucial components, leading to premature mechanical and electrical breakdowns. “Ingress of dust into mining vehicle electrical enclosures causes premature equipment failure, fire risks and requires substantial regular maintenance to ensure safety and optimal equipment operation.” As such, the development of increasingly sophisticated filtration technologies is paramount to reducing airborne respirable contaminants and CO2
levels in mining levels in
“SAFEair is a purpose-built air handling system for mining vehicles, designed to
issue in vehicle cabins if air exchange is not enabled. CO2
have not been particularly well-protected from the dangers of dust ingress in the past. Many vehicles traditionally used simple on-road air conditioning systems with either little or no filtration efficiency that are not suited to small diameter mining dusts. “Often systems recirculate air within the cabin with no filtration – any dust or smoke brought in through opening doors or on clothes or boots is continually recirculated through the cabin with human lungs the only method of removal,” he explains. “Filtered pressurisers are sometimes added as a separate afterthought system, but these do nothing for recirculated air, often use low grade filters and generally push against a dead end with no allowance for air to actually be exchanged.” Tis is often compounded by operators sealing cabins tight to promote higher cabin pressure, as CO2
can become a real levels can quickly rise
to dangerous heights, contributing to fatigue, headaches, nausea and subsequently, accidents.
Te SAFEair filtration technology is designed to alleviate the issues above by using a multi-stage filtration process that meets the international norm ISO 23875 for cabin pressurisation and filtration. Te standard requires that fresh air supply and air recirculation must keep concentrations of particulate matter below 25µg per m3
maintaining pressurisation and CO2
, while limits.
ambient CO2 (ppm).
Pressurisation inside operator enclosures must be between 20Pa and 200Pa, while CO2
concentrations must not exceed the plus 400 parts per million
Contaminants can easily enter mining vehicles
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