Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/742224
EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT 26 AGGREGATES MANAGER / November 2016 by Mark Kestner, Ph.D M aintaining dust control equipment is the key to compliance, but these days it's tough enough to maintain production equipment much less dust controls. Poor maintenance is the largest contributing factor to non-compliance and a major cause of citations and fines. Dust control equipment for aggregate processing can be divided into three categories: enclosures to contain it, spray systems to suppress it, and bag- houses to collect it. These deserve the same level of preventive maintenance as your crushers, screens, and convey- ors. If you think your spray system isn't a piece of production equipment, read your operating permits. They stipulate that the plant cannot be operated unless dust controls are in good operating condition. Operating with a broken down spray system or baghouse will put health and safety at risk and expose the plant to fines up to $25,000 per day. If you think regulators will let you slide, just ask the owners of a major East Coast quarry that was shut down for a month this year until dust control equip- ment was restored to good operating condition. Dust enclosures Dust enclosures include chutes, covers, skirts, curtains, and the like. Main- tenance of dust enclosures is critical to protect employees from respirable silica-containing dust. Dust and spill- age that leaks have to be cleaned up. Workers who have to sweep, shovel, or bobcat it can get a nose full of dust, so make sure workers have access to respirators and use them. Fabric masks offer little or no protection against respirable dust. Whenever possible, use hoses or vacuums to flush down or pick up spillage. Leaks in chutes, worn skirting, and torn curtains need to be repaired promptly. Much of this work can be done with in-house labor and materials. Old conveyor belting can be used for curtains, while scrap steel can be used for patches and covers. Spray systems Water spray systems are the principal control device at most quarries and are pretty simple to maintain. The two most important maintenance items include the following: 1. Spray nozzles. Nozzles should be inspected daily. Nozzles that are easy to see and easy to reach are easy to maintain. Nozzles that can't be seen or are hard to reach don't get inspect- ed and cleaned. Nozzles can plug from the inside-out due to suspended or dissolved solids (scale) in the water supply or from the outside-in due to deposition on spray bars. 2. Water filters. Water filters and Maintaining Dust Control Equipment Preventive maintenance doesn't just keep your equipment up and running. It is also the key to compliance.