NIOSHTIC-2 Publications Search

Field assessment of enclosed cab filtration system performance using particle counting measurements.

Organiscak-JA; Cecala-AB; Noll-JD

J Occup Environ Hyg 2013 Sep; 10(9):468-477

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2013.818240

20043058

Enclosed cab filtration systems are typically used on mobile mining equipment to reduce miners' exposure to airborne dust generated during mining operations. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR) has recently worked with a mining equipment manufacturer to examine a new cab filtration system design for underground industrial minerals equipment. This cab filtration system uses a combination of three particulate filters to reduce equipment operators' exposure to dust and diesel particulates present in underground industrial mineral mines. NIOSH initially examined this cab filtration system using a two-instrument particle counting method at the equipment company's manufacturing shop facility to assess several alternative filters. This cab filtration system design was further studied on several pieces of equipment during a two- to seven-month period at two underground limestone mines. The two-instrument particle counting method was used outside the underground mine at the end of the production shifts to regularly test the cabs' long-term protection factor performance with particulates present in the ambient air. This particle counting method showed that three of the four cabs achieved protection factors greater than 1,000 during the field studies. The fourth cab did not perform at this level because it had a damaged filter in the system. The particle counting measurements of submicron particles present in the ambient air were shown to be a timely and useful quantification method in assessing cab performance during these field studies.

Mining-industry; Mining-equipment; Exposure-assessment; Air-sampling; Filtration; Machine-operation; Dust-exposure; Dust-particles; Dust-counters; Particle-counters; Particulate-dust; Particulate-sampling-methods; Measurement-equipment; Underground-mining; Mineral-processing; Equipment-design; Filters; Diesel-emissions; Quantitative-analysis; Air-sampling-techniques; Analytical-instruments; Performance-capability; Author Keywords: enclosed cabs; filtration; particle counting; protection factor

John A. Organiscak, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, 626 Cochrans Mill Rd., P.O. Box 18070, Pittsburgh, PA 15236

JOEHA2

20130901

Journal Article

jorganiscak@cdc.gov

2013

M082013

9

1545-9624

OMSHR

Mining

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

PA