Specialising in occupational hygiene and air quality consulting across New Zealand, AirMatters are committed to ensuring safe and healthy environments for organisations across the nation.
Concerned with putting people at the heart of healthy workplaces, AirMatters specialise in occupational hygiene assessments for noise, vibration and, importantly for us, respiratory protection.
So, the opportunity to use XD1+ Personal Dust Monitor alongside their processes and methods was vital for AirMatters, not only to support the work they do but also to gain a better understanding around how effective processes are in relation respiratory and air quality.
The air quality consultants at AirMatters recently deployed XD1+ units across the team’s processes to gain a better understanding of the dust levels they were exposed to when working on occupational hygiene and air quality consultations, as well as for better data support for their consultations.
“We’ve been using the XD1+ from Trolex for the last year in a range of projects.
It provides significant supplementary information that we could not gather with traditional time-weighted average samples. It has become a vital piece of equipment, and we are confident it will continue to enhance our evaluation of exposure in the workplace.”
Thanks to deploying XD1+, AirMatter’s staff have enhance their knowledge and understanding of dust levels they’re exposed to in the workplace. It’s not only beneficial for knowing what they’re exposed to and further protecting themselves and other workers but it’s helped them to improve and implement effective decision making, such as deploying PPE.
As AirMatters explain:
“Personal protective equipment (PPE) is at the bottom of the Hierarchy of Controls; however, there are circumstances where PPE might be the only alternative to other
higher-level exposure controls.”
By gaining access to real-time data through XD1+ and supporting BreatheMOBILE, it’s allowed AirMatters to determine if the PPE they were originally using was correct for the various situations their staff were in, whether the PPE as necessary and further, more effective controls are required. For a company exposed to diferent scenarios relating to occuptational health and air quality, it’s important correct PPE was deployed depending on the hazard or risk.
AirMatters continue to see the benefit of real-time personal dust monitoring alongside occupational hygiene and air quality consulting.
“We’re using XD1+ again and again and we’re getting good feedback. It’s such a handy tool, easy to operate, easy to connect with digitally.”
Find out how you can enhance your workplace safety by incorporating real-time personal dust monitoring with XD1+ today.
This case study from detailed exploration and analysis of a trial ran to monitor respirable crystalline silica (RCS) levels, using an AIR XS Silica Monitor, on behalf of our UK partners Sunbelt Rentals.
The trial monitored the exposure levels to workers and visitors at the Balfour Beatty Bottesford maintenance hangars, which are used daily to store and maintain groundwork equipment. Completing activities to clean such equipment, often covered in aggregate compounds, like concrete, can cause risk of RCS exposure to both workers and visitors in the area.
The challenge for Balfour Beatty, which the AIR XS Silica Monitor and Sunbelt Rentals were tasked with finding a solution to, was to determine the level of risk posed from this RCS exposure and provide specific insights to help introduce preventative strategies for the future of protecting workers and visitors.
“The analysis of collected data from the [AIR XS] unit provided useful information regarding areas where silica exposure was elevated, as well as potential factors contributing to the levels observed through accurate time stamps on the data recordings from the Trolex [AIR XS] unit.” – Nick Moon, Business Manager – Cranes & Piling Plant, Balfour Beatty, Asset & Technology Solutions.
The trail lasted for a 3-week period, with the AIR XS identifying and monitoring exposure to workers within the hangars. See the key findings for yourself.
Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) encouraged their members to implement real-time silica monitoring technology to support their existing control measures when working with materials containing crystalline silica.
The WFF is a non-profit organisation for those using industrial fabrication methods to make worktops from natural stone and similar man-made materials, who promote professionalism, installation and most notably best practice across the worktop fabrication industry.
Aiming to consistently follow best practice when working with engineered stone, we spoke to Nigel Fletcher, Operations Manager at the WFF, who have recently purchased an AIR XS Silica Monitor to allow their members to actively monitor for and distinguish respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in real-time, regardless of their occupational environment, when following best practice.
“The WFF is committed to promoting best practice when it comes to working with silica and that includes water suppressed cutting, using the correct and most effective PPE and recommending annual health checks for workers” said Nigel.
It’s essential that workshops using silica containing products adhere to best practice, including implementing control measures to reduce RCS, which poses a threat to workers health, WFF also sees strong value in implementing real-time RCS monitoring to ensure control measures are working to the highest standard to protect workers.
Nigel continued; “The WFF has partnered with Trolex to give a real-time solution to the industry. Real-time RCS monitoring has huge advantages, as it’s a way of safeguarding and understanding the environment around the workshop. Looking at real-time data whilst in the workshop, to see how effective best practices and control measures are, helps safeguard the workforce.”
WFF members themselves have a priority of ensuring that workers and occupational environments remain safe and at minimal risk of RCS exposure.
Cambrian Granite are a member of the WFF. Rob Kunkel, Business Develop Manager at Cambrian Granite said, “when protecting our workers from the dangers of RCS, we always use wet polishing and as much CNC work as possible.”
For Rob and his team at Cambrian Granite, the benefit of knowing RCS levels in real-time is paramount; “the real-time data helps keep our staff well protected by making sure areas of both the factory and rest areas are safe environments to be in.”
The goal for the Federation with this partnership is to enable a safer future and positive workplace environment for all their members. “We are hopeful that our partnership with Trolex supports our members, future membership and the industry in understand how best practice and modern technology can work in partnership.” This goal is strengthened by supporting the adoption of real-time RCS monitoring.
For Nigel the Federation’s goal to provide a safer future and positive working environment for all their members is strengthened through our collaboration as we seek to support the adoption of real-time RCS monitoring.
It’s not just a case ensuring workplaces are safe from RCS for WFF members, but also to effect positive change when working with RCS in the future, thanks to this partnership; “one of the WFF’s goals is to half the workplace exposure limit. Real-time monitoring can have the capacity to actively guide and aid members to ensure their RCS levels are consistently in line, or below, and workplace exposure limits.”
Where it’s not possible to completely ban the use of products and materials which create excess hazardous dust, one common solution, it seems, is imposing litigation and heavy fines for businesses who expose workers to dangerous dust.
Over the last 10 years, businesses in multiple industries that have failed to adequately protect workers from excess dust exposure outlined within the hierarchy of controls, such as elimination or substitution of hazardous substances, or introducing control measures, have suffered enormous financial litigation for exposing people to hazardous dust which subsequently result in irreversible lung diseases.
Whether it’s in heavy duty and highly dusty occupational locations, like construction, quarrying or mining, or just general public spaces or low dust and eco-friendly environments, the cost of dust exposure is large.
The AIR XS Silica Monitor leverages cutting-edge Optical Refraction Technology (ORT) to enhance workplace safety by providing real-time monitoring of respirable crystalline silica (RCS). Unlike traditional particle monitors, AIR XS distinguishes and measures RCS content, enabling immediate detection and response to harmful silica dust levels. This technology is crucial in combating occupational lung diseases such as silicosis, which affects millions of workers globally.
Current monitoring methods, like gravimetric sampling, are time-consuming and often deliver results too late to prevent exposure. In contrast, real-time silica monitoring offers immediate data, significantly reducing the risk of occupational silicosis by enabling prompt action to mitigate hazardous conditions. The importance of such real-time data is highlighted by cases like Joanna McNeill’s, who developed silicosis at the age of just 36. Her story, like many others underscores the necessity for continuous monitoring to protect workers from the threat of silicosis, regardless of their occupational environment.
Our real-time RCS monitor, AIR XS provides a real-time solution to this threat. Workers are not only alarmed and alerted when silica levels exceed legislative limits but can work to best practices by implementing AIR XS with the Hierarchy of Controls, supporting proactive measures to eliminate or minimise exposure to RCS. This move to real-time monitoring as a solution to the threat of silicosis has also been noticed by governing bodies, like the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Respiratory Health.
Learn more about our real-time fixed silica dust monitor, AIR XS, can help improve your safety processes and keep your workers safe from harmful RCS today.
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A manufacturer of prestigious natural stone, Burlington Stone have quarried for over 200 years across the English Lake District, extracting and crafting a diverse range of signature British natural slate and stone products.
Individuals across their workforce are often exposed to hazardous substances, most notably airborne dust, including silica dust. Burlington Stone trialed two XD1+ devices on their site for a month to see how real-time, personal dust monitoring would improve their safety processes.
After the trial, we spoke to Health and Safety Manager, Peter Walker, about the success of the trial and some of the major benefits which Burlington Stone’s workforce found deploying XD1+ Personal Dust Monitor units in their day-to-day processes.
Learn more about our real-time personal dust monitor, XD1+, can help improve your safety processes and keep your workers safe from harmful respirable dust today.
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With over 45 years of experience in the field of tunnelling, our partners, Timeco, are experts when it comes to tunnel boring machine (TBM), piling and foundation works, and other important activities involved in tunnelling. And when it comes to environmental monitoring for harsh tunnelling conditions, their partnership with Trolex has provided solutions to the entire tunnelling industry.
“We are satisfied with the 20+ years of cooperation with Trolex, as our official partner, because of the mutual trust in the innovative organisation and the reliability, user friendly
and durability of its products and solutions.” said Timeco, about the collaboration with Trolex to provide solutions to hazardous conditions in the tunnelling industry.
Trolex’s product range, provided to the tunnelling market in Europe by Timeco, includes a full range of dust monitoring technology, including AIR XD Dust Monitor and AIR XS Silica Monitor, as well as gas detection equipment, such as TX9165 Sentro 8 and TX6351-2 Sentro 1, detecting for a full range of hazardous gases.
Our AIR XS Silica Monitor, an innovative real-time respirable silica (RCS) monitoring device, has been deployed at a major railway operations project to monitor the levels of RCS which workers may be exposed to.
The Central Rail Systems Alliance (CRSA), an alliance between Network Rail, Balfour Beatty, AtkinsRéalis and TSO have been using an AIR XS unit to monitor the levels of RCS released when damaged rail tracks are replaced; when rail track is damaged or needs replacing, the ballast surrounding the track is disturbed and can release RCS. The AIR XS unit was supplied by our UK partners Sunbelt Rentals UK & Ireland.
The challenge faced by CRSA was to measure the level of RCS and accompanying dust being released into the atmosphere during the unearthing process of 425m rail and ascertain the level of risk associated for those working in the immediate and surrounding environments. The AIR XS unit was manoeuvred around the site in-line with project progress, so that working scenarios can be accurately represented in the data set.
Upon conclusion of the project, Madeline Dunn, the Health and Safety Advisor for CRSA praised the monitoring and recording capabilities of the AIR XS, saying “We have completed trials prior, however this is the only unit where it is measuring silica and not just general dust levels. We gained the knowledge that the exposure levels were actually higher than we anticipated with even low-level ballast disturbance.
Silicosis is now the most common occupational lung disease in the world, with silica dust described as ‘the new asbestos’ due to the extreme threat it poses to human health.
Silica dust (respirable crystalline silica (RCS)) is extremely harmful to human health due to its physical and biological properties.
It affects around 50,000,000 workers in a wide variety of industries all around the world and prolonged exposure leads to silicosis and a wide range of other diseases, most of which are untreatable and often lead to long-term disability and/or death.
The potential for harm is even worse than that when you consider that asbestos is one of many different silica compounds and silica is the most proliferate mineral on earth; present in bricks, sand, stone, concrete, glass, cement and many other construction and building materials. 99% of deaths in occupational settings, are caused by the inhalation of dangerous particulates, with the other significant factor in this statistic being the extreme difficulty in monitoring in real-time for these killer particulates
It has never been possible to reliably detect and distinguish silica dust in real time in the real-world settings in which workers are exposed to it – until now.
The white paper looks at the background of silica exposure, the current methodologies employed to monitor it and the new technological advancement that has led to the development of a field-ready product for the first time in history.
Legislated limits of exposure have been tightening up in most major economies as the harm being caused becomes known, but reductions in limits and the implementation of these limits have been hampered by the lack of real-time accurate and reliable monitoring capability.
This technology has the potential to change the way industry, governments, businesses and workers themselves respond to the threat of RCS exposure in the workplace, and as such, it can be the beginning of the end for occupational silicosis. Not only does it improve health and safety outcomes for frontline workers, but it also reduces costs for businesses whilst giving them back control over their working environment.
Perhaps most importantly of all, it gives legislative bodies the tool they need to create and implement workplace exposure limits (WELs) that genuinely protect workers from harm, at a cost industry can bear, ending decades of debate over what the limits should be and how practicable it is for industry to meet them.
Learn more about our real-time fixed silica dust monitor, AIR XS, can help improve your safety processes and keep your workers safe from harmful RCS today.
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We spoke to Gordon Sommerville, a former stonemason who was diagnosed with silicosis in 2015. He shares his first-hand experience of the dangers of silica exposure and what you can do to protect yourself and others from the dangers of silica dust.
“The only cure for dusty diseases at the moment is not to let dust get inside the body, which means in order for silica induced diseases to be classed as 100% preventable, awareness of the hazard throughout the exposed population is required.”
Gordon started his career working in the construction industry after leaving school in 1976 and soon became a stonemason and builder to trade. In such an environment, working on projects both large and small throughout his career, dust, and specifically silica dust or respirable crystalline silica (RCS), was everywhere.
“No matter what type of work I was carrying out or who I was working for, daily dust was involved — and lots of it. I did not realise dust was making me ill but during my career there were little clues which should have raised a red flag.”
Gordon’s aim in sharing his story is to inform, educate and highlight the dangers of exposure to silica dust and to give advice to individuals who work in similar industries on how to avoid the issues that he now faces as a result of silicosis.
