Mining Publication: A Review of Occupational Silica Exposures on Continuous Mining Operations

• Continuous mining
• Inhaling harmful substances
• Silica dust

Data on dust control practices, geology, and occupational exposures were gathered for approximately eighty underground continuous mining units. Despite silica contents in excess of 5 percent, nearly forty units successfully maintained silica concentrations at or below 100 micro g/m3 on a majority of occupational dust samples while the remainder had difficulty maintaining this level. These two sample sets were termed group A operations and group B operations, respectively. Analyses of productivities, geologies, and dust control parameters revealed only minor differences between these two groups. Subsequent analyses of face ventilation design showed considerable differences in silica exposure and silica content between group A and group B at the continuous mining machine and roof bolter operator occupations. These differences were minimal when using exhaust curtain ventilation with a dust scrubber. This face ventilation system may benefit operations having difficulty controlling silica dust exposure and silica dust content. Finally, the collected data showed that occupational samples from group b operations possessed generally higher silica exposures and silica content than similar samples from group A. The single head roof bolter (helper) possessed among the highest silica exposures and silica contents in both groups.