Mining Publication: Dust Underfoot: Enclosed Cab Floor Heaters Can Significantly Increase Operator's Respirable Dust Exposure
Original creation date: April 2001
Many types of heavy equipment used in the mining and construction industries use enclosed cabs to protect equipment operators from dust and noise exposure. Normally, when the equipment is new, manufacturers' designed controls are effective at keeping the operator's exposure at acceptable levels. However, as equipment becomes older and many components of the enclosure deteriorate, such as gaskets and seals, the effectiveness of the enclosed cab can be greatly reduced. This can cause excessive and dangerous exposures to respirable dust, especially when the ore or overburden contains crystalline silica. In a survey of a number of coal surface mining operations in Pennsylvania a few years ago, high exposure to crystalline silica for surface drill operators was shown to cause an excessive incidence of silicosis. During a recent study to investigate methods to retrofit older cabs with effective control measures, a floor heater in an enclosed cab was documented to be a significant source of high dust exposure to the equipment operator.
Authors: AB Cecala, JA Organiscak, WA Heitbrink
Peer Reviewed Journal Article - April 2001
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20021969
Rock Products 2001 Apr 104(4):39-44
See Also
- Best Practices for Controlling Respirable Dust in Coal Mines
- Control of Respirable Dust
- Evaluation of the Approach to Respirable Quartz Exposure Control in U.S. Coal Mines
- Improved Drill Shroud Capture of Respirable Dust Utilizing Air Nozzles Underneath the Drill Deck
- Improving Silica Dust Control Through Targeted Research
- Laboratory Testing To Quantify Dust Entrainment During Shield Advance
- Maximizing Air Quality Inside Enclosed Cabs with a Unidirectional Filtration and Pressurization System
- Performance of a Light Scattering Dust Monitor at Various Air Velocities: Results of Sampling in the Active Versus the Passive Mode
- Technology News 486 - Floor Heaters Can Increase Operator's Dust Exposure in Enclosed Cabs
- Technology News 487 - Sweeping Compound Application Reduces Dust From Soiled Floors Within Enclosed Operator Cabs
- Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program