Dust Control – Soil Stabilization – Erosion Control

Paper shredding is growing into a big business. Recycling and the green movement certainly planted the seeds, but regulators have added the fertilizer. Industry-changing laws have been passed to govern document security in accounting, healthcare and banking, and shredders of many varieties are becoming the tools of those trades.

Five or six years ago Warde Comeaux knew only a few people who shredded documents for a living. Most businesses he knew relied on recyclers to get rid of their unwanted paper—including documents. With regulation proliferation, clients began coming to him for advice on getting into the document destruction business. Comeaux is principal of Fire Protection International Consortium, Inc., a consulting firm with locations in California and in Florida. The more entrepreneurs who build their companies around paper shredding, the greater the need for safety consciousness—paticularly fire safety.

Dust combusts

Many of these entrepreneurs may not know, or they may forget, that paper shredding produces dust, and dust is combustible. Fires are quite common in shredding operations, and Comeaux has investigated his share. Two were recent. One was a regular fire (they oiled the machinery too much), and the other was a dust conflagration.

Paper dust in a paper shredding operation can catch fire from a spark generated by metal entering the process. Paper clips, notebooks, and other metal parts can set off a dust explosion or ignite loose fibers of paper.

“Dust can build up in a cloud and if the cutters hit something and you get a spark you get a flash and a small fire,” Comeaux says. “If you don’t stop the machine and clean it of dust periodically, combustible dust can build up throughout the building. That can lead to a worse loss.”

A small fire can even travel from the shredder, up a conveyor and into a baler, and the fire could smolder inside that bale until it is delivered to the mill or recycling center.

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Australian Dust Control will be exhibiting their shaker dust collectors at the School Resources Expo at Rosehill Gardens on 12 and 13 March 2010. Apart from being able to assist with any technical and sales enquiries, their school shaker dust collectors will be on display. Schools across Australia are taking advantage of recent Government funding to upgrade their existing dust and fume extraction systems in woodworking classrooms, welding workshops, fine arts and industrial design departments.

Australian Dust Control designs and installs a range of school shaker dust collectors that offer the following key features and benefits:

* These dust collectors are environmentally friendly
* Shaker dust collectors offer energy efficiency
* The School Shaker dust collectors can be delivered to site pre- assembled
* Dust collectors can easily be placed on the base framework

An investment in school shaker dust collectors from Australian Dust Control will give schools peace of mind knowing that their students and teachers have access to a high standard of protection available. Australian Dust Control complies with all selection criteria and OH&S guidelines set forward by schools and other learning institutions, and the innovative and flexible designs of dust extractors by Australian Dust Control are available at competitive prices.

Encouraged by efforts from the West Indies Alumina Company (Windalco) to eliminate a dust nuisance from its red mud (waste disposal) lake at Battersea in Central Manchester, residents have reportedly suspended plans to sue.

“The objective was never about money, the aim always was to get the company to do the right things,” Battersea resident Mark Cameron told the Sunday Observer last week.

Cameron was one of the leading voices protesting the dust nuisance,

“The feeling now is that they (Windalco) are now on the right track though there is a lot more that needs to be done,” he added.

Cameron had said late last month that a member of his community was preparing to file a “class action” law suit against the bauxite/alumina company as a consequence of “the clouds of toxic dust” from the dry lake invading their homes and endangering health.

But over the last two weeks the waste disposal site — which over a period of months had become a dust bowl — has been flooded with water.

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There are different types of construction dust that is created at the workplace. The type of construction and location of the site will determine what is in the air. Unlike road dust, construction dust is more than basic road dust.

The dryer regions of the country have a problem with particle matter floating in the air whose makeup is different than wetter regions where the nuisance dust could be from the saw dust that the building tools create. The cleaning up of the loose debris is the solution for most dust problems that are actually created on the construction site that is directly caused by the construction process. The health hazards of construction site dust could include cement residue, asbestos, mineral fibers with a man made origin and the most common is wood dust.

The reason for the concern is the effects it has on the people working at the site and the surrounding region. When natural sources of dust from plants and animals combine with the airborne particles of the construction site, it could adversely affect the membranes of the occupance.

The US Department of Health and Human Service’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health consider silicosis has a major problem and cause of health problems that has its origins from construction dust. Construction dust control from the particle matter smaller the 10 micrometers or PM10 has to be approached from a different perspective  than those that are naturally occurring in our environment

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There are different types of construction dust that is created at the workplace. The type of construction and location of the site will determine what is in the air.

The dryer regions of the country have a problem with particle matter floating in the air whose make up is different than wetter regions where the nuisance dust could be from the saw dust that the building tools create. The cleaning up of the loose debris is the solution for most dust problems that are actually created on the construction site that is directly caused by the construction process. The health hazards of construction site dust could include cement residue, asbestos, mineral fibers with a man made origin and the most common is wood dust.

The reason for the concern is the effects it has on the people working at the site and the surrounding region. When natural sources of dust from plants and animals combine with the airborne particles of the construction site, it could adversely affect the membranes of the occupance.

The US Department of Health and Human Service’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health consider silicosis has a major problem and cause of health problems that has its origins from construction dust . Construction dust control from the particle matter smaller the 10 micrometers or PM10 has to be approached from a different perspective than those that are naturally occurring in our environment

The airborne crystalline silica that originates from the concrete, masonry and rock on the site can become lodged in the membranes and lungs of the respiratory systems of the people on and near the site. Once there, they become hardened and cause permanent damage and even death.

Construction dust control for this problem can be accomplished when the proper precautions are taken along with the right equipment. The blades that are used to cut concrete and other masonry items should be equipped with a water attachment to make the dust to heavy to become airborne. When drilling into rock the same accessory should be used to weigh down the dust and prevent it from becoming airborne.

Cleanup afterwards is just as important. The water that was used to weigh down the dust particles will evaporate over time. Collection and proper disposal is a necessary part of keeping the work site as free as possible of nuisance dust.

Another little thought about source of silica is from the abrasive materials that are used on the construction site. This includes the silica paper and sanding discs that are used to prepare and condition the different surfaces around the site. When these materials are used, the operator should be using a dust mask on themselves to prevent inhalation of the particle matter.

The US Government classifies nuisance dust that is created by the landscape as a natural event under the air pollution laws. This is a contributor to the construction dust problem but not the whole cause. With the proper precautions control of construction dust can minimize the adverse effects in the people on and near the construction site.

To help you with determine specifically what is best for your situation there is a valuable resource with information on this environmental topic at Soil Control International and their informative blog site.

The fugitive dust that is around us is not on the run from the law, but in some cases should be. It is true that this type of dust has been around since the dawn of time caused by wind sweeping across the barren landscape.

This type of dust is scientifically described as particular matter. This is airborne debris that can adversely affect the health of people and the environment. The most common particulate matter is smaller than 10 micron in diameter and is called PM10. The second most common is PM2.5. This is debris that is smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter.

As man has evolved, so has his impact on the surrounding environment. The process of the fine particles that are being introduced into the atmosphere is becoming more numerous as time goes on. This was first noticed in the days of the wagon trains when it was beneficial to be up front due to the dust cloud that was created.

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An approach to road dust control  must take into account the type of road and the terrain in which it is situated. The solution for a paved road in the desert will be very different than a gravel road in the rural upper Midwest. Since nuisance dust has many sources in the environment, a permanent solution is not feasible. But there are long term solutions and very short term solutions to road dust .

The shortest term solution is the spraying of water on the road surface. This is an environment-friendly solution, but only lasts until the water evaporates. Oils are a longer term solution, but are not nearly as environmentally friendly as water is. In some cases, like with Times Beach in Missouri, the oils are from a waste source and contain toxins. The oil that was used as the road dust control  product for Times Beach was only 6 cents a gallon, but contained dioxin and other toxic chemicals. This was an economical solution for the town and its dust problem, but a health and environmental nightmare. This has lead to a ban by many states for the use of waste oils as a road dust control product.

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Most Americans are not fully aware of the road dust problem that exists across the nation. This dust is of a different makeup from what is found around in most homes. The dust that accumulates around on the furniture is made up of some dirt particles, but its main component is dead human skin cells that have fallen off the occupants of the dwelling.

For a particle to be considered dust, it must be smaller than 500 micrometers in size. This is why HEPA filters are used on vacuum cleaners and as part of the HVAC units in the homes, they trap 99.97% of all particles that are 0.03 micrometers in size.

Nuisance dust from the roads has a completely different composition and source. This dust is produced when the soil is disrupted and made airborne from wind or a passing vehicle, pollutants in the air, and the occasional volcanic dust that lingers around in the atmosphere.

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WEST CHESTER, PA – Metabo Corporation, a leading international manufacturer of professional grade portable electric power tools and abrasives for industrial, construction and welding applications, now offers its updated 2010/2011 product catalog.

Metabo’s new auto-balancing system for its small angle grinders, including the WA11-125 Quick, WEPA14-125 Quick and the WEPA14-150 Quick, is featured in the catalog. The innovative technology significantly lowers vibration resulting in less fatigue, safer tool handling and extended tool and wheel life.

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The occupational overexposure to coal mine dust by coal miners continues to occur despite legally enforceable limits, U.S. health officials say.

Deaths occurring among younger persons from coal workers’ pneumoconiosis declined substantially from 1968-2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released Wednesday says. Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis is the accumulation of coal dust in the lungs and the tissue’s reaction to its presence.

However, annual years of potential life before age 65 of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis have been increasing since 2002, and mean years of potential life before age 65 per decedent has been increasing since the early 1990s — meaning that workers die at younger age — the study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health finds.

The NIOSH study recommends hazard surveillance, workplace-specific interventions and strengthening of current coal workers’ pneumoconiosis prevention and elimination efforts to protect workers’ health.