Dust Compliance is Coming: Are Your Customers Ready?

Look for the Signs

From Gibson’s perspective, almost every operation he visits is a contender for dust controls.

“Probably one-percent or less is doing a good job of controlling their dust today,” he says. “They really haven’t had to think about it before."

While equipment dealers may not directly pitch dust control solutions, Gibson recommends weaving the topic into existing conversations.

“When you visit a site, look for dust in the air during operation,” he says. “If they’re not running, look for fine dust that has settled throughout the plant.”

From there, dealers can pose a series of questions:

• How much time do you spend cleaning up the site of fine particles?
• Are you dealing with dust blowing onto trucks or nearby property?
• Do you anticipate making changes to meet the new dust exposure limits?

Dealers can then take the time to explain how dust damages critical moving parts.

“Airborne dust will find its way into tail pulleys, idler rolls, belt seals, and load zone components, accelerating wear across the system,” Gibson says.

Uncontrolled dust has also been known to contaminate finished materials as it settles on and into stockpiles.

MSHA’s silica rule limits exposure to the amount of dust that would fit on the tip of a pencil spread over an 8-hour shift.

Seal the Deal

A good dust seal takes the whole system of conveyor components working together, from skirting to belt support.

“If you see visible dust coming from belt-to-belt transfers, we can fix that problem with our conveyor skirting system and stilling box,” Gibson says.

In many cases, that's a good starting point, but truly mitigating the problem typically calls for additional measures.

“Installing skirting is a good step, but if the belt is sagging from poor load support, you’ll still see leaks,” Gibson says. “That’s why an impact system and strong belt support are also critical for effective containment."

Dust control extends beyond conveyors to critical crushing zones as well.

“We’ve got proven dust control setups for material coming off single and dual cone crusher configurations,” Gibson says. “And we have effective solutions for jaw crushers, too.”

A dust containment solution for impactors is next on the to-do list.

“We’re going to be testing a stilling box at an active VSI site,” Gibson says. “In the next six to eight months, we expect to have solid solutions for both HSIs and VSIs.”

The Future is Pre-Installed

Superior will soon make passive dust control solutions available as an option on its Fusion® Modular Platforms.

“Producers will be able to request built-in dust control when investing in these pre-engineered, plug-and-play processing plants,” Gibson says. “They'll be designed for fast setup, layout flexibility—and now—cleaner operation.”

Although Gibson figures only about one in 100 sites currently utilize passive dust control effectively, he expects adoption to increase as MSHA enforcement begins.

“It’s being pushed by the government as a regulation, but in reality, it’s a money-saving item for the end user in the long run,” he says. “If they’re not controlling dust, there will be component failure, cleanup issues, and environmental concerns."

"It's going to pay for itself relatively quickly," he concludes.