Chapter 4 – RCS dust control for specific activities

Workstation: Grinding

Click on the hotspots for pop up information about that part of the image.

There are five hotspots to find, once you’ve read them all, move on!

Engineering control

Control rooms should have their own clean air supply and they should be physically separated from dusty areas. Where necessary they should be fitted with forced air filtration and maintained under positive pressure to prevent the ingress of dusty air.

Tight seal

Some parts of the system will operate at pressures above atmospheric. Ensuring good seals prevents leaks, supports efficient operation and maintains safety by containing dust and gases within the system. Regularly inspect and replace worn or damaged seals.

Water matters

Use wet milling processes wherever possible, rather than dry grinding operations. These will greatly reduce airborne dust generation.

The value of ventilation

Enclose grinding installations as much as possible and install them in well-ventilated buildings. Where necessary to prevent the escape of dust, grinding installations should be connected to a suitable dust extraction system, which is capable of extracting enough air to keep the relevant parts of the installation under negative pressure.

Chimney

In mineral grinders, the chimney expels exhaust gases and dust, ensuring proper ventilation and maintaining air quality. Information on the performance of dust suppression and/or extraction equipment should be obtained from the supplier and retained. The equipment must be examined and tested against its performance standards at least once per year.

If you click or tap on the indicated hotspots on the image, more information will appear in a pop up box.