Location: St Mary’s, Sydney
Equipment Hired: 3 x Dust Suppression Cannon V12
CASE OVERVIEW – Mann group
Acceptable levels of silica dust particles exposure in the workplace are becoming increasingly stringent in Australia. As a result, adequate control measures and dust suppression products must be implemented to effectively manage the levels of silica dust at a demolition site for the workers and anyone else at risk of inhalation.
This particular demolition site in St Marys was at risk of producing large amounts of respirable and silica dust as bricks, mortar, concrete and other building materials were being demolished.
With the threat of excessive amounts of respirable and silica dust being released into the air in a built up area loomed overhead, Mann Group determined that they required specific dust control measures to limit exposure on site while minimising the impact and noise to those nearby.
Challenge
Mann Group were in need of a dust control measure that would eradicate the risk of silica dust exposure to their workers, surrounding buildings and residents adjacent to the demolition site on the Sydney Metro Project.
It was expected that during demolition, large volumes of dust would be created in the densely populated area. Mann group identified the need to implement engineering controls that included personal protective equipment (PPE) and dust suppression solutions that minimise exposure to respirable and silica dust. With the incoming regulatory changes to the workplace exposure standard for respiratory crystalline silica (silica dust) decreasing to 0.05mg/㎥, it’s becoming increasingly important to address health and safety concerns in construction, mining and civil industries, and protect air quality at construction sites.
Because this demolition site was in a densely populated area, it was critical to not only implement control measures to reduce silica dust exposure to site workers and nearby neighbours but to do so in a way that had the least impact on nearby buildings and residents. In this case, keeping construction noise to a minimum was a top priority.
Solution
In order to limit the volume of fugitive dust released as a result of the building demolition, Control Hire suggested the use of three Dust Suppression Cannon V12 models from our range of dust control specialists. Our V12 unit was a cost-effective solution that was ideal for this project as it’s incredibly quiet, emitting just 60 decibels within a 20-metre radius making it the optimal suppression solution not just for unique dust control problems, but also to reduce noise pollution in a densely populated area.
The cannon has two speeds that allow it to spray fine water at a distance of 25-65 metres. The volume of water can be managed remotely thanks to the advanced valve technology used, and the unit is compact allowing for easy transportation to and around the site.
Outcome
Three Dust Suppression Cannon V12’s were successfully deployed at Mann Group’s Sydney Metro Project demolition site, reducing the volume of airborne dust emissions released into the air during the demolition, and minimising disturbance to neighbours throughout the duration of the project.