New dust-suppression system from Blastcrete
US firm develops DustAway as a cost-effective solution to meet new OSHA regulations
BLASTCRETE Equipment Company have unveiled a new dust-suppression system designed to meet new OSHA regulations for crystalline silica dust by controlling dust to within OSHA-permissible exposure limits (PELs).
The patent-pending DustAway system consists of a special bulk bag design that attaches to a mixer to capture airborne particles as the mixer fills, thereby helping to control respirable dust.
According to Alabama-based Blastcrete, DustAway is the first system of its kind in the world and has been specially developed to fit securely around the openings of mixer equipment. The flexibility of the system allows customers using material packaged in paper bags to convert to small bulk bags to address the new OSHA directives.
‘We recognize the challenges our customers are facing in meeting these new standards and we want to work with them to solve their application challenges,’ said Jim Farrell, chief executive officer of Blastcrete. ‘The DustAway is a cost-effective way to meet the OSHA regulations. We will work with companies one-on-one to customize a solution.’
Blastcrete offer a variety of DustAway bulk bag sizes and customizable lids to fit new and existing machines, either from Blastcrete or other manufacturers.
OSHA’s new regulations – which will take effect from June 2017 – reduce permissible exposure limits to 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air over an 8h shift. This level is roughly 50% of the PEL set 45 years ago and around 20% of the previous PEL for construction and shipyards.
