E-mail Article
Print Article
Air quality concerns have only recently come to the forefront of people's minds. Only years ago, smoking was allowed in places such as airports and hospitals. Within the past year or two, there has been an uprising of smoking bans in bars, restaurants and other public places as ordered by each individual governing body.
Just as individual government bodies are attacking the air pollutants people exhale, so too are government agencies, namely the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), working to improve the air people inhale. It is this work that will directly impact equipment operators and add on to engineers' job descriptions, which already include reducing engine emissions and noise.
The EPA is proposing the implementation of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program for fine particle pollution in areas that meet clean air standards. According to the EPA, "fine particle pollution can aggravate heart and lung diseases and has been associated with premature death and a variety of serious health problems including heart attacks, chronic bronchitis and asthma attacks."
Besides the operator's health, increased air filtration also helps increase safety on the job site. For an equipment operator, better air filtration makes for a better operating environment, says Mr. Kelly P. Moore, product manager, Mustang Mfg. Co. "Clean air makes for a more alert operator." Better filtration also means very little to no dust inside the operator's station, keeping the controls, instruments and monitors cleaner and easier to see and handle.
The first regulation that will directly impact customers will be the May 2008 diesel particulate matter (DPM) exposure requirements as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) in Title 30 in the Code of Federal Regulations 57.5060.
The proposal would change the DPM concentration limit permitted, change the enforcement strategies used in underground mines and simplify the requirements for a DPM control plan.
The proposed regulation reads: Effective May 20, 2008, a miner's personal exposure to diesel particulate matter (DPM) in an underground mine must not exceed an average eight-hour equivalent full shift airborne concentration of 160 micrograms of total carbon per cubic meter of air (160TCµg/ m3).
MSHA is able to determine whether a mine qualifies for a time extension to comply with the changing DPM limit based on economic and technological feasibility. Failure to meet the requirements could result in punishments that range from fines to, in some cases, closing down a mine. For equipment designers, this will mean installing enclosed cabs and HVAC systems on equipment that historically hasn't needed them.
However, the mining industry is but one area in need of air purification. People dealing with HAZMAT (hazardous materials) environments have requirements that are different than those working along the side of a road.
Forest fires are often tackled by customized crawler dozers with HEPA filters (high efficiency particulate air filters), carbon filters and spark arresting screens. Agricultural cabs encounter chemical pesticides and gases, along with daily dust and crop debris such as pollen. Construction equipment finds itself in a variety of environments laden with dust, powder, fibers, and plenty of unmentioned airborne particulate matter.
