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Occupational silicosis in the stone industry

The effects of silicosis in the stone industry is not an unknown issue.

But to what extent are stone workers aware of this issue? Are the specific causes of silicosis in the stone industry common knowledge? 

A scientific report from nature.com highlights the difference between engineered stone and natural stone, in relation to their silica content, shedding some light on where the cause of silicosis could lie in the stone industry. 

 

Silica dust is causing life-changing problems for stone masons

Silicosis is one of the most dangerous respirable lung diseases in the workplace, especially when exposure to harmful silica dust is a common occurrence, such as in the stone industry. 

It is estimated that globally, 40 to 50 million workers are exposed to silica dust in the workplace. 

The Natural Stone Institute guide to awareness and prevention of silicosis determines that exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS), specifically in the stone industry comes from cutting or grinding materials, most commonly which contain quartz, is composed of silica dust. 

Engineered stone vs Natural stone

The purpose of the study from nature.com was to see, in relation to RCS, what the most threatening scenario was for worker’s health, in real time, when working with different compositions of stone. 

In the study, 12 engineered stones were assessed against three natural stones – white marble, white granites and black granites. By dry-cutting all stones, silica dust was captured in a closed environment and subjected to various assays to determine both chemical and physical properties. 

The 12 engineered stones’ silica content varied from one another, and the total RCS content made up of quartz and cristobalite ranged from 70.4% to 90.9%. By comparison, the natural stone’s silica content ranged from 3.5% to 30.1%, marking a clear difference. 

As well as this, the dry-cutting of engineered stone generated finer RCS particles with one engineered stone having an average size of as little as 190 nanometres, meaning it could reach deeper in the lungs, in turn causing more damage. Contrastingly, the smallest average particle size of the natural stone was black granite, with an average size of 503 nanometres. 

The results of this study concluded that silica dust emissions from engineered stones had a much higher concentration of quartz and cristobalite, therefore having a higher silica content and subsequently more damaging impact on respiratory health. 

Is there a solution to silicosis within the stone industry?

Ultimately, the report concluded that the higher the silica content of the stone, as well as the smaller size of RCS particles, the more dangerous it is to respirable health. 

The Natural Stone Institute conclude in their guide to occupational silicosis that there is no cure for silicosis; however, “with the proper equipment, training, vigilance and continual monitoring, you and your shop floor can be free of the dangers”.  

Being aware that harmful silica dust is higher within engineered stone, compared to natural stone, and by monitoring for this, as well as using correct respirable protective equipment (RPE) when working with engineered stone, it allows for correct precautions to be taken to avoid silicosis.  

Prevention is the best cure.

We’ve developed the world’s first real-time silica monitor, the Air XS Silica Monitor, and, along with other health and safety controls, this is one of the tools that will help to prevent occupational silicosis for those exposed to harmful silica dust in the workplace. 

If you would like to learn more about our Air XS Silica Monitor, and specifically how it can help your safety processes to keep your workers safe from fatal occupational lung diseases, then complete the get in touch form below to arrange a call with one of our experts today. 








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    The Centre for Work Health and Safety launch the Air XS Silica Monitor in New South Wales

    After nine years in development, the world’s first real-time respirable crystalline silica (RCS) detector, the Air XS Silica Monitor, was launched in Australia for the very first time on 7 April 2022.

    The Centre for Work Health and Safety unveiled the product along with our Australian distributors Active Environmental Solutions (AES) to the Australian public at the Shellbourne Hotel in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW).

    World-first technology

    With guests from an array of industries including construction, tunnelling and mining, it was an event in which over 50 influences turned up to see the world’s first real-time silica monitor.

    As the cases of occupational silicosis caused by the inhalation of silica dust continue to grow in Australia, particularly in NSW, where 75 cases of silicosis have been recorded since 2020, the Air XS Silica Monitor has the potential to provide a solution to this problem.

    This was an opportunity for major influencers in their respected industries to see just why everyone is so excited about the Air XS Silica Monitor.

    The importance real-time silica monitoring

    The event started with an ‘acknowledgement of the country’ from the Centre for Work Health and Safety, demonstrating the issue of occupational silicosis in Australia and how important it is to accurately monitor for silica dust in real time.

    The Air XS Silica Monitor is a major technological advancement in monitoring for silica dust globally, and nowhere more so than in Australia. So much so that a rebate scheme has been put in place by the NSW government in order to urge companies to do more when it comes to safeguarding their employees against silica dust in the workplace.

    The rebate scheme means that all NSW businesses are eligible for $1,000 rebate refund at time of purchase of each Air XS unit, as well as potential small businesses in the area.

    With demonstrations now available for all businesses, not only in NSW, but across the whole of Australia, the incentive to ‘get real’ on silica monitoring has never been higher.

    A huge success

    After a full demonstration of the unit from Aleks Todorovic, Managing Director at AES, it was evident just how successful this could be in NSW, as well as a chance for individuals to see just how this device works, up close and personal in real time.

    Aleks added, ‘After the presentations, we were inundated with enquires and requests for demonstrations, so I have no doubt the Air XS Silica Monitor is going to be a huge success’.

    The launch of the Air XS Silica Monitor in NSW coincided with our UK launch at the Health and Safety Event at the NEC in Birmingham.

    The world’s first real-time silica monitor was also on show at Coverings 2022 Stone and Tile trade event at the Las Vegas Convention Centre in Nevada, USA.

    Start monitoring for silica dust today

    If you’re located in Australia, and wish to book a demonstration of the Air XS Silica Monitor,  you can do so directly with AES.

    However, if you’re in the UK or the rest of the world and want to learn more about the Air XS, then you can contact one of our experts using the contact form below.

     








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      Air XS Silica Monitor recognised as ‘Highly Commended’ at the BSiF Awards 2022

      The world’s first real-time silica monitor, the Air XS Silica Monitor from Trolex, has been determined as ‘Highly Commended’ by the British Safety Industry Federation (BSiF) at their 2022 awards ceremony.

      With rising cases of occupational silicosis caused by the inhalation of silica dust, The Air XS Silica Monitor was recognised in the ‘Product Innovation’ category, for its improvement towards detecting respirable crystalline silica (RCS), as a truly innovative product.

      In esteemed company

      The BSiF Awards, in association with the Safety and Health Excellence Awards, took place on Wednesday 6 April 2022 at The Vox, NEC, Birmingham.

      Hosted by renowned actor and comedian Hugh Dennis, the awards recognised some of the most prestigious and respected companies within the health and safety industry across Britain.

      Three awards were presented by the BSiF to companies who are excelling in the health and safety industry; these awards were the Customer Services Awards, the Safety Solution Award and the Product Innovation Award, the latter of which the Air XS Silica Monitor had entered.

      A world-first innovative product

      The ‘Product Innovation’ category focuses on products that make a difference, and find new solutions to improving health and safety across a variety of industries and environments in Britain.

      Focusing on new and innovative technology used in developing these nominated products, this category was an opportunity for us to highlight the effect which real-time silica monitoring will have on improving health and safety in specific markets.

      Therefore, not only did being the world’s first real-time silica dust monitor on the market help us receive ‘Highly Commended’ recognition, but also the innovation and development of the product itself.

      Using optical refraction technology developed in-house by our engineering team and produced with the support of the Centre for Work Health and Safety, the Air XS Silica Monitor demonstrated the effort put in and the belief everyone connected to this product has on its potential.

      ‘Highly Commended’ recognition

      Our Managing Director, Steve Holland, claimed, “it was a privilege to stand up on behalf of Trolex at such an important event and this award is absolutely deserving to everyone here.” This award has highlighted the amount of work gone into this innovative product and the potential it has on the industry as a whole.

      “There is still lots of work ahead, but this undoubtedly begins a new era of growth, opportunity and excitement for the business” added Steve.

      The results of the BSiF Awards come at an exciting time, as Trolex were also announced as a finalist of the Better Society Awards for the Air XS Silica Monitor, in the ‘Tech for Good’ category, just weeks after winning the ‘Best Technology Award’ at The International Surface Event.

      The world’s first real-time RCS monitor

       The Air XS Silica Monitor has the potential to save millions of lives.

       To learn more about the world’s first real-time RCS monitor, book your demonstrations now or speak to one of experts today using the contact form below.








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        Combatting occupational silicosis: This is personal

        ***

        What might seem like a nine-year journey to develop the Trolex Air XS Silica Monitor actually goes back 150 years. Our new real-time silica detection technology has surprising origins… 

        It starts at a time when miners had next to no protection, especially from harmful silica dust, and to a place that ‘roofed the world’; Snowdonia’s beautiful, bleak, Blaenau Ffestiniog.

        Hear from Glyn Jones

        The dangers of silica dust to the human body are not completely unknown, and at Trolex, this knowledge started our 150 year journey to develop a solution to the threat of silicosis.

        Here’s what Trolex CEO, Glyn Pierce-Jones, had to say about how combining our expert knowledge of dangerous particulates with personal experience of working with silica dust led us to our mission to combat silicosis and why it was so important to us.

        UNESCO Heritage status

        Recently awarded UNESCO heritage status, it was here that my grandfathers, great grandfathers, uncles, and cousins all worked, mining slate. 

        Arawn and Ieuan. Dai and Dewi. Merfyn and Maldwyn.

        And it’s here that many of them died, often as young as in their 40s, from occupational silicosis.

        No health and safety. No silica detection and prevention. No chance.

        Personal and poignant

        It makes the work we do at Trolex all the more personal and all the more poignant.

        And it’s a major part of the reason we’ve worked so hard to solve the age-old problem of occupational silicosis. 

        So that modern-day miners and quarry workers – in fact, anyone who might come into contact with silica in their working lives, from construction workers to plasterers, factory workers and stonemasons – will never have to suffer the same fate as my forefathers. 

        A new hope

        And all it took was vision and ingenuity, optimism and grit, and endless trips to the bank manager. And despite being told we’d never do it – we’ve done it.

        New real-time dust monitoring technology that offers new hope to people who previously had no hope of avoiding an unnecessary, painful and premature end to their lives caused by occupational lung diseases.

        It’s called the Air XS Silica Monitor

        And it’s astonishing.

        The world’s first real-time silica detection technology saving lives all over the world – made of legends.

        As they used to say in the back bar at the Miners Inn in Blaenau…

        Dyma i chi fechgyn!*

        Drop me a line and I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Air XS Silica Monitor and the many ways it can benefit your staff and your business.

        *Here’s to you, boys!








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          Silica isn’t the new asbestos

          It’s been said hundreds of times…

          Silica dust is the new asbestos.

          But what if it’s not? What if there’s really nothing new about silica dust in relation to asbestos?

          The link between the two is even closer than you may think…

          What is asbestos?

          Most people know asbestos as the dangerous insulator used in construction, responsible for over 5,000 related disease-deaths per year, typically lung cancer and asbestosis.

          However, in its natural form, asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral.

          Put simply, silicate minerals make up asbestos fibres.

          Asbestos is actually just one of the many different forms of silicate materials, in the same way that silica dust is.

          The similarities between silica dust and asbestos are much closer than people are aware of.

          SO WHAT?

          There is a different attitude towards asbestos compared to silica dust.

          The dangers of exposure to asbestos are well documented.

          Exposure to asbestos can cause serious lung conditions, including asbestosis and mesothelioma. It is the number 1 cause of recorded work-related deaths in the world.

          Most people in the UK are aware of its dangers, particularly as asbestos was banned in 1999 for construction work in the UK.

          Yet despite all of this, very few people are aware of how dangerous exposure to silica dust is, despite the fact that asbestos fibres are made up of silicate materials, in the same way silica is.

          There are many more dangers relating to silica dust than people may be aware of.

          Let’s put this into perspective

          Imagine you are working on refurbishing your bathroom and from the grinding of the ceramic sink and a load of dust becomes airborne.

          If you were told that this airborne dust which you were inevitably inhaling was asbestos, you’d probably run a mile, right?

          And who could blame you? A dust which is responsible for approximately 90,000 asbestos-related diseases per year. You’d want to get as far away from it as possible.

          Well, it’s likely that that dust in your bathroom would in fact be silica dust.

          A dust which is made up of silicate materials in the same way asbestos fibres are. A respirable dust which is just as lethal, if not more lethal, in comparison to asbestos dust.

          But because it isn’t known to people as being the same as asbestos, the dangers seem to be less of a concern to people.

          The issue is much wider than this…

          It’s time to get real and become aware of just how dangerous silica dust is.

          It is reported that, in crystalline form, respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is responsible for the death of 600 people per year in Great Britain with 450 of those to workers in construction industry. What’s more, an estimated 50,000 workers are exposed to silica dust globally.

          The importance of the dangers of silica dust must be realised, especially with what is known about how dangerous asbestos is.

          Don’t let history repeat itself

          Asbestos is just as lethal as silica dust. The dangers are the same, yet we cannot afford for the results of exposure to silica dust to be the same as what occurred with asbestos.

          Silica could be as lethal as asbestos, if not more so, with equally serious consequences.

          Being aware of the issue is the start, action must be taken to protect workers from this dangerous dust.

          We cannot afford to let history repeat itself.

          Let’s get real on silica.








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            Bringing solutions to combat fraud within the construction industry

            Fraud within the construction industry is nothing new. In fact, it’s getting worse.

            After news emerged of two construction skills’ test administrators being jailed for fraud, the evidence suggests that it’s too easy to cut corners in construction health and safety.

            A growing problem for the construction industry

            In a 2019 report by Construction News, it was found that the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) were to review 2,500 safety tests after several arrests were made for fraudulent construction testing.

            Further reports in November 2020 stated that a ‘crackdown on fraud in construction testing’ would be taking place to prevent further crimes. It looked as though fraudulent activity within construction was being treated with the severity it deserved.

            However, recent news shows that cases of fraud are still occurring frequently. Most notably, in late-February of this year, two construction skills test administrators were jailed for 28 months after pleading guilty to falsifying CITB health and safety checks for personal profit.

            The pair from Knutsford, Cheshire, were said to be profiting around £37,700 by creating fake health and safety tests and supplying fake Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards to workers, almost three years after the CITB first announced their review.

            Adam Kingsgate, Assistant Director of Fraud Investigation Service for the HRMC, affirmed in 2020 that the “HMRC is committed to taking action on all those who steal from the public purse.

            This highlights that whilst action is being taken to reprimand fraud within the construction industry, the problem is not being stopped at its root, which, in turn, means there are potentially thousands of workers exposed to the risk of poor health and safety training.

            Is the problem being taken seriously?

            In the most recent case in Knutsford, it is estimated that 1,305 fake CSCS cards dating back to January 2020 had been revoked. That’s 1,305 incidents in which construction workers are exposed to a variety of health and safety risks they haven’t properly been prepared for.

            The requirements for an approved training organisation’s documentation from the CTID, which certifies the legitimacy for testing, was last revised in February 2020, meaning the application process hasn’t been tightened or changed since the HMRC’s promise in November 2020.

            This unfortunately shows that although there are some guidelines in place, which try to prevent fraud from occurring, priority for workers health and safety does not seem to be treated as important as they say it should be, in reality.

            If fraudsters are able to bypass the regulations currently in place, then it is likely that these events will continue.

            So, what can be done to stop this?

            Workplace health and safety that can’t be cheated…

            There’s a simple way to improve matters. Reliable and accurate health and safety testing that cannot be cheated.

            Although in this instance the issue lies within testing, it is evident the overall problem runs deeper throughout the whole construction industry, and this is a worry when people’s lives are potentially at stake.

            Making health and safety testing and equipment accurate, reliable, safe and trustworthy is difficult to achieve, especially when policies do not help to drive home this message.

            We have found this countless times in our research and development for particulate monitoring and silica dust in particular over the last eight years.

            Current particulate monitoring policies rely on collecting, for example, silica particulates on a filter, then transporting this to a lab to analyse. How do you know that all the silica dust collected stays on the filter for an accurate result? You don’t unfortunately.

            The standard guidelines state, ‘The best method of transportation is by using a reliable person who is aware of the need for care.’, yet this is something that can’t be measured.

            However, now, Trolex has the technology to provide on-site, digital, real-time silica dust monitoring with our new product, the Air XS Silica Monitor, taking numerous inaccuracies like this out of the equation providing health and safety provisions which cannot be cheated.

            Health and safety should never be about guesswork, or inaccurate methods of measurements, nor should it be put second best to profitability or personal gain.

            Trolex real-time particulate monitors

            It’s time to get real on using real-time dust monitoring to reduce occupational lung diseases with the Air XD Dust Monitor and the XD One Personal Dust Monitor, and launching next month, the Air XS Silica Monitor.








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              Can technology provide a solution to poor mental health in construction workers?

              The capricious nature of the construction industry makes it an incredibly unpredictable and stressful place for many workers and in recent times, the uncertainties around potential lockdowns and national restrictions have only added to this unpredictability.

              The industry is in desperate need of solutions to help combat this increased stress, and one area with great potential for improving the general mental wellbeing of workers is the recent advancement in technology use within their industry.

              A survey conducted in 2021 by Constructing Excellence Southwest (CESW) showed that 62% of people working in construction were concerned about feeling stressed, with a further statistic suggesting male construction workers are three times more likely to commit suicide than the average UK male.

              With increased workloads, due to a backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the amount of complex project completion within short timeframes has increased, along with the risk of injuries and harm, causing more stress and unrest both in and out of the workplace.

              Regardless, development in recent technology aims to alleviate some of the problems that construction workers are facing.

              One advancement since the pandemic was an improvement in cloud-based communication. Projects can now be worked on collaboratively without the need to be on-site with shared access to documents and important information available remotely via online access. This allows for work to progress even with a backlog, reducing worker’s concern over having to be on-site to complete a task.

              This isn’t the only progression for technology within the industry. Ownminder, an app set up by a collaboration of industry experts and personnel, provides strategies to support and provide advice for the mental health of construction workers. The app is available 24 hours a day and is accessible anywhere, meaning workers have support for their mental health wherever they are.

              The stigma around mental health within the construction industry is still rife, so the opportunity to access mental health support anytime, anywhere is essential. Ownminder provides an alternative for workers who are not comfortable in talking to their superior, in relation to such issues. Again, relieving some of the stress and stigma.

              Whether the technology helps the worker directly, via an app, or technology which allows them to work remotely, progress is being made. The security for workers of both being able to complete tasks regardless of accessibility to sites, as well as knowing they have support for their mental health, is a massive step forward for the industry.

              “Ultimately, technology can relieve many pressures in a matter of minutes, if companies are willing to embrace it” states Steven McMenzie of Ed Controls UK. New technology within the construction industry has been somewhat overlooked, but now it seems there is a positive effect which it can have on the wellbeing of the industry.

              Thanks to the development of such technologies during the pandemic, efficiency seems to be improving and the industry is looking forward when it comes to new technology, not backwards.

              This of course benefits a company like Trolex, as now more than ever, health and safety technology is being taken seriously.

              Not only are solutions being found to support the mental health of workers, but productivity is increasing overall, as well as collaboration and the reduction of risk. The effect which technology is having on the construction industry both mentally and physically on the construction industry should not be underestimated.

              If you would like to read more about the psychological aspect of workers related to health and safety, please read more here.








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                How does the ‘Psychological Contract’ relate to dust monitoring?

                Have you heard of the ‘psychological contract’? It’s the unwritten understanding of the interaction between you, your workplace environment and your colleagues.  

                We all have a psychological contract with our employers, whether we know it or not.

                As well as considering the physical aspects of your work environment, your psychological contract includes things like the quality of relationships you have with the people you work with, whether you feel properly listened to and understood and know what’s expected of you in your role. 

                An important part of that contract is ‘psychological safety’. How safe or unsafe your psychological contract leaves you feeling at work.  

                ‘Psychological Safety’

                A term coined in 1999 by organisational behavioural scientist, Amy Edmondson, ‘psychological safety’ includes things like trust in your colleagues, your perception of physical threat in your working environment and how you feel about the training and support you get to do your job.  

                Unsurprisingly, the safer people feel at work, both physically and emotionally, the more productive they are.  

                By the same token, if people feel unsafe, then not only are they less productive, but the time the trouble and expense of having to replace people unhappy in their jobs is huge.  

                Employee benefits provider Perkbox estimates that ‘disengaged employees are costing the UK economy £340 billion every year in lost training and recruitment costs, sick days, productivity, creativity and innovation.’ 

                So how can you make sure that people in your organisation feel psychologically safe?  

                Physical Safety First

                The first important step in creating a psychologically safe workplace is to make it as physically safe as possible.  

                Speaking with Trolex, Occupational Psychologist Catherine Dobson told us, “If an environment is not physically safe, if it’s too hot, too cold, or if it feels too dangerous people feel stressed. We must ask ourselves how do we get the right environment for people with the right kind of training, the right kind of cooperation to make it healthier? 

                Which is what contributes to making our range of dust monitors, such an important development. These include the Air XD Dust Monitor, the XD One Personal Dust Monitor – our wearable dust monitoring technology, and our Air XS Silica Monitor for real-time silica dust monitoring. 

                Not simply because it protects workers from the physical dangers of inhaling lethal respirable dusts, but because armed with the knowledge that they are working safely, people feel psychologically safer too.  

                Catherine explains how: “In relation to silica and dust monitoring. Because the Air XS Silica Monitor is new, there’s scope for demonstrating that it works. And people can see that.  

                Also, because all these dust monitors work in real time, it gives people the trust that an intervention will take place should they be in danger. They can trust in the environment being safe.” 

                A very good thing for workers on both a physical and emotional level.  

                And great news, too, for the mining, tunnelling, quarrying, manufacturing and construction companies invested in fulfilling their side of the psychological contract with advanced dust monitoring. 

                Businesses can then reap the rewards of improved production and better worker retention, so everybody wins. 








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                  Silica monitoring technology: Not what it used to be?

                  Silica dust is a problem. A serious problem. In particular, respirable crystalline silica (RCS) – the minute respirable silica dust particles released when working with concrete, bricks, mortar, ceramics, MDF, plywood, stone, ceramics and other similar materials.

                  Invisible to the naked eye, and 100 times smaller than sand, RCS is fine enough to reach deep inside the lungs. Once there, it causes long term and often fatal damage through silicosis, heart failure, arthritis, kidney disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and even lung cancer.

                  In the UK, the IOSH reports that half a million workers are exposed to RCS. It contributes to 12,000 lung disease deaths a year – mostly among workers employed in construction or the manufacturing of products for construction.

                  And RCS isn’t a secret. It’s an acknowledged threat. The HSE (Health & Safety Executive) recognises it as ‘the biggest risk to construction workers after asbestos’ and The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Respiratory Health have released a damning report Silica – the next asbestos’.

                  The main challenge in combating its dangers is the inherent nature of silica dust itself. The fact that it’s so small, and that as minute shards of irregularly shaped quartz, it’s so hard to detect. The small scale of the particles has made real-time RCS monitoring incredibly difficult, time-consuming, and expensive – which makes the scale of the problem even larger.

                  Silica Monitoring is a Big Problem

                  Typically, exposure monitoring for RCS has involved occupational hygienists setting up fixed location or wearable instrumentation, including a pump connected to a sampling head that collects samples on a filter. These samples are then sent off to a lab for analysis.

                  This exposure reporting is then used to determine whether control measures are effective or not and whether an area is safe to work in.

                  That’s clearly far from ideal.

                  Analysis is retrospective, reporting on working environments long after workers may already have been exposed to potentially lethal amounts of RCS and is inherently inaccurate. Also, because analysis needs to be carried out by H&S professionals, costs can quickly rocket, with analysis often totalling thousands of pounds a month – and that’s just per survey!

                  The Future of Silica Monitoring

                  All of this makes the prospect of accurate, affordable, real-time RCS monitoring something of a “Holy Grail” when it comes to protecting workers from this deadly dust.

                  A Holy Grail that, with strong rumours of a significant breakthrough in silica monitoring soon to hit the market, Trolex look set to revolutionise RCS detection and the health and safety industry. Eventually, protecting countless workers from unnecessary exposure to potentially lethal silica.

                  Imagine that. No more clunky, costly, after-the-event analysis and guesswork. Just accurate, affordable, real-time silica monitoring – which will be available in just a few short months.

                  Curious?

                  As they say…watch this space.

                  To make sure you’re kept up-to-date on all the latest RCS detection news and developments, you can register to become an Early Adopter for our Air XS Silica Monitor here.








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                    XD One Personal Dust Monitor launches into the construction industry

                    It’s amazing how often a product created to solve a specific problem in one marketplace goes on to be adopted in others.

                    We’ve all heard of the NASA ‘spinoffs’ – the 1,300 documented NASA technologies now used across the world. From memory foam, to GPS, to scratch resistant sunglasses, to cordless vacuum cleaners; the list goes on…and on. You don’t have to look too hard to spot crossover successes – the law of unintentional consequence going about its business in the most constructive of ways.

                    In a B2B context, you could apply the same principle to the Trolex XD One Personal Dust Monitor.

                    XD One Personal Dust Monitor: Life-saving technology for every sector

                    The wearable dust monitor, XD One, was originally developed as an evolution of our Air XD Dust Monitor, a fixed dust monitoring device for the mining, tunnelling and quarrying industries. Industries infamous for their creation of dangerous respirable dusts. But now it’s finding a whole new audience in lighter, less obvious industries such as baking, woodworking, paper manufacturing, motor engineering, highway maintenance and especially construction. 

                    If the interest shown at the recent Safety in Construction Show is anything to go by, there’s now a real desire to learn more about the XD One Personal Dust Monitor, and the life-saving protection it gives workers all across the construction industry.  

                    Building an awareness of the dangers posed by construction dust

                    Organisations such as the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) are doing their best to inform and educate the construction industry of the threats of dangerous particulates. But, as feedback from The Safety in Construction Show made clear, it’s the more visible, more immediate threats that attract the headlines. Trips, slips, fire or explosions tend to attract attention, with dust related tragedies rarely treated with the same degree of importance. 

                    It’s one reason why we work so hard to get in front of the industry. To educate construction specialists (especially senior management) on the long-term impacts of dangerous exposure to construction dust and particulates.  

                    The other reason? To make clear that the solution exists right here, right now – with the XD One, personal dust monitoring by Trolex. 

                    A new appreciation of threat and threatening environments  

                    As we’ve written before, just because you can’t see a threat doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.’  

                    And while great plumes of rock or coal dust present an obvious, visible risk to workers, what about those particles that are so small, we mistakenly think they’re not even there? What about the invisible, previously undetectable threats? 

                    With our XD One Personal Dust Monitor able to measure even the smallest of microscopic construction dust to 0.38 nanometers, if it’s there, the XD One will tell you in real time.  

                    Instead of presuming an area safe because there’s no obvious sign of dust, we can measure it as safe – or not. 

                    And importantly, because the XD One Personal Dust Monitor measures in real time, it means that instead of being alerted to exposure after the event, you can manage processes ‘live’ to keep your people safe and your business efficient.  

                    The practical benefits of real-time dust monitoring

                    As much as anything, it’s the fact that the XD One Personal Dust Monitor is wearable, that’s changing the whole dynamic of dust detection – especially for the construction industry.  

                    Our personal and wearable dust monitor is so small, so light and so low maintenance that workers quickly forget they’re even wearing it. It has transformed life-saving dust detection from an expensive, time consuming and cumbersome hassle (too often neglected or even plain ignored), into a Health and Safety no-brainer for any business serious about worker welfare. 

                    An important life saving device for the mining, tunnelling and quarrying industries, crossing over to save lives in the construction industry. 

                    If you work in construction and want to find out more about the XD One, just drop us a line using the contact form below. We’ll tell you everything you want to know about protecting you and your teams on your construction sites.