Dust suppression in quarries is critical for ensuring the safety of workers and the surrounding environment. Tons of dust produced by quarrying processes like extraction, materials loading, and crushing result in health hazards, visibility impairment, and equipment damage. By controlling quarry dust properly, air quality improves, operational productivity increases, and health and safety compliance becomes manageable.
In this article, we will discuss the top five areas of quarry operations where dust suppression is critical and how the right solutions can considerably mitigate risks and enhance the safety of your quarry operations.
Dust suppression is crucial to maintain safety and environmental standards. Here are 6 ways it helps in preventing quarry dust:
Dust is a naturally occurring by-product of extraction processes like blasting or drilling of rocks in quarries. These actions shatter big rock formations into smaller chunks, making them more easily moved around, which tends to send fine particulate matter into the air. This dust can be particularly dangerous when it contains respirable crystalline silica, which can cause lung diseases, including silicosis, as well as lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Dust suppression during extraction is critical to reduce these health hazards. Standard suppression methods include water sprays, which wet the material's surface and stop the dust from becoming airborne. Chemical dust suppressants can also be sprayed on the surface to bind particles together, keeping them from being released into the air.
These techniques, when implemented, can considerably decrease the risks to health, improve air quality, and be compliant with health and safety regulations in the industry faced by the quarries. This helps in preventing any legalities and avoids the risk of workplace diseases, so it increases the overall safety of the quarry.
Dust generation is present in many material loading points, and the most typical is the loading of materials from one point to another point in the quarry. The dust generated during loading activities can be dangerous for workers and the environment. When materials like crushed stone, sand, or gravel are loaded into trucks, conveyors, or storage bins, it, in many cases, stirs up dust particles and becomes airborne.
The groundwork for safe dust control at loading points is crucial. Water sprays, one of the most common ways to control dust, keep the material damp and impede dust from being lifted into the air. Fogging systems or localized vacuum systems can be installed to capture the dust at the source through dust suppression systems.
Quarries can protect operational safety against dust by treating dust at the loading points, and quarries generate less exposure to hazardous dust particles, protect workers from dangerous dust exposure, and reduce environmental contamination.
Commonly used in quarry operations to store and transfer materials, hoppers can be a substantial source of dust, especially when dry materials are dumped or moved. Dust released into the air from hoppers can travel around the quarry and well past its boundaries, exposing workers to health and safety risks.
Proper dust control measures around hoppers are vital in ensuring safety and optimal efficiency. Dust covers or containment systems are among the best dust control techniques to use around hoppers, as they can help capture dust as it escapes.
Hoppers are typically fitted with an air filtration and vacuum system, which enable the capture of airborne dust particles before they escape into the environment. Systems or sprays that mist water can be used to moisten the material and control dust from becoming airborne. This not only improves air quality but prevents dust from settling in the nearby areas that could cause secondary dust storms and fire hazards.
Dust control around hoppers is essential for compliance with safety legislation, worker and environmental protection.
Crushers, mills, and other similar machinery are other common elements of quarrying operations because they will break down blocks into smaller, more manageable pieces that can be sent off for further processing or to be transported elsewhere. But these machines are big dust makers, and that can be a hazardous environment for workers. Crushing and milling dusts contain fine particulates that can cause damage if inhaled and lead to respiratory diseases.
Dust control technologies, fabricated for use at the crushers and mills, are thus vital both for worker safety and overall plant health. Water sprays help to wet the dust material and prevent dust from flying or being suspended in the air.
Other effective sources for the removal of grinding dust include extraction systems, such as local exhaust ventilation (LEV), which are used to trap airborne dust at its origin. This allows dust to escape the process and be released into the surrounding environment, but enclosing crushers and mills in sealed structures can also help prevent this loss.
Conveyors are a high-volume transport system in quarries but also a high-volume dust generator. So, as materials are being transported on the conveyor belt, due to friction and impact, fine dust particles become airborne, which is detrimental to the workers and the environment.
Effective dust suppression is key to the safe handling of materials in conveyor systems. One approach is the use of conveyor belt covers or enclosures, which can hold the dust in and keep it in the air. Additionally, water sprayers or misting systems may be placed along the route followed by the conveyor to wet the material and decrease the quarry dust created. Other methods include the use of dust extraction systems to suck up dust particles at critical points, such as where the material is loaded onto or discharged from the conveyor.
While stockpiles of materials (aggregates, crushed rock, and sand) on site are normal practices in quarries, they may form a significant source of dust, particularly in dry, windy conditions.
Settled dust from exposed materials can be disturbed under vehicular traffic conditions, creating a dust plume that extends across the quarry and surrounding areas. Proper stockpile dust management can not only reduce health impacts by eliminating the risk of exposure but also improve air quality and minimize material loss due to wind erosion.
One of the best ways to reduce dust on stockpiles is to wet down the surface of the material. This way, the dust particles remain settled and do not take off. Dust-binding agents or surface coatings can also be used to help keep the dust in place. Stockpiles can sometimes be draped with tarps, mesh, or other physical barriers to limit wind exposure. This can effectively reduce the dust generation from stockpiles with regular wetting of stockpiles when used in combination with fixed windbreaks or barriers.
Minimizing dust from larger stockpiles helps quarries to promote worker safety, minimize environmental damage, as well as optimize operational performance and material loss as well as avoid dust-associated downtime.
Dustquip specializes in water-based dust suppression solutions, offering highly effective systems to control dust at critical points in quarry operations. Our advanced water spray systems are designed for key areas such as crushers, conveyors, hoppers, and stockpiles, significantly reducing airborne dust.
By using water to dampen materials, Dustquip helps to improve air quality, protect worker health, and ensure compliance with safety regulations. With easy installation and reliable performance, our solutions provide a cost-effective way to enhance operational efficiency and maintain a safe working environment.
For more information on Dustquip’s dust suppression systems, contact us today!
