Mining Publication: Assessment of Airborne Dust Generated From Small Truck-Mounted Rock Drills
Original creation date: January 1995
Dust surveys were conducted around small truck-mounted rock drills operating at surface coal mines to assess their airborne respirable dust generation and in-service dust control methods. Of four out of seven drills sampled, respirable dust concentrations measured around the drill deck ranged from 8.68 to 95.15 mg/m3 with concentrations ranging from 1.37 to 2.69 mg/m3 at distances 12.2 to 30.5 m downwind of these drills. The other 3 drills had noticeably lower respirable dust concentrations measured around the drill deck at or below 1.30 mg/m3. Rotoclone-type dry dust collectors were commonly used with dust being emitted from around the drill deck shroud, collector exhaust, and collector fines dumping. Wind speed and direction was also a factor in the dust concentrations measured on the bench. Dust control modifications were made to three rock drills to reduce their airborne dust emissions. Dust controls tested included water injection into the Rotoclone exhaust, Rotoclone exhaust extension, improved sealing of drilling deck shroud, shrouding the Rotoclone hopper dump process, and wet drilling. These control techniques showed noticeable improvement in dust concentrations measured around the drills. Finally, repositioning the drill operator showed that operator dust exposure can be improved by avoiding the dust cloud around the drill.
Authors: JA Organiscak, SJ Page
Report of Investigations - January 1995
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 00233930
Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, RI 9616, 1995 Jan; :1-11
See Also
- Development of Roof-Bolting Machine Bit and Chuck Isolators for Drilling Noise Reductions
- Drill Monitor With Strata Strength Classification in Near-Real Time
- Improved Drill Shroud Capture of Respirable Dust Utilizing Air Nozzles Underneath the Drill Deck
- Neural Network Technology for Strata Strength Characterization
- A Noise Control for A Roof Bolting Machine: Collapsible Drill Steel Enclosure
- Reducing Respirable Dust Exposure of Workers Using an Improved Clothes Cleaning Process
- Technology News 440 - Improved Dust Control for Surface Coal Mine Drills With Rotoclone Collectors
- Technology News 447 - Dust Collector Discharge Shroud Reduces Dust Exposure to Drill Operators at Surface Coal Mines
- Technology News 509 - A New Method to Clean Dust From Soiled Work Clothes
- Wearing Hearing Protection Properly: A 3-D Training Aid for Drillers
- Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program