4 Ways Your Construction Business Can Reduce Dust Emissions

Construction dust poses huge health risks to people working on the site and those living around the worksite. According to research, inhaling construction dust causes serious diseases like Silicosis, lung cancer,  Asthma, and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. So, how can you reduce dust emissions and eliminate health risks at your construction site? Solid dust control solutions, like those from BossTek, are an excellent way to reduce dust levels in your facility. This article reveals four effective ways to reduce dust emissions at your construction site.

Leverage wind barriers

Strong winds lift settled dust particles on the ground and make them airborne. Creating wind barriers like board fences distract the wind direction to prevent it from blowing dust particles into the atmosphere. The wind barriers can also be perennial grass and existing trees. The barrier height is an essential factor when using wind barriers to protect a specific area. The windbreak height influences the total area the wind walls can effectively protect. If you use fences, the uninterrupted length of the wind barrier should be at least ten times its height for maximum efficiency.  Make sure you don’t leave gaps between the wind barrier. Gaps create funnels that accelerate the wind speed, increasing the rate of settled dust becoming airborne.

Control vehicle movement on the construction site

Vehicle movement inside a construction area can disturb settled dust particles and make them airborne. To prevent this from happening, control vehicle movement at your construction sites. Use speed limit signs in certain areas since a fast-moving vehicle is more likely to blow up dust particles than one that moves slowly.  Alternatively, you can create paved paths for construction vehicles to ensure they avoid open fields with loose soil particles. This will prevent fugitive dust from entering the atmosphere. You will also reduce the rate at which vehicles continuously make compact grounds break down into loose soil. In addition, sprinkle water regularly on paved and unpaved driveways to reduce dust emissions when vehicles move around the construction site.

Leverage dust curtains on your construction site

Dust curtains or partitions are super-efficient in controlling dust emissions on your construction site. They are temporary dust-proof barriers that confine dust-causing activities in industrial sites like drilling, cutting blocks, and cutting roof tiles. That way, you trap dust particles within the temporary curtains and prevent them from becoming airborne.  While dust curtains are efficient because they are flexible, they are not fit for some kinds of dust emission activities like demolition. All in all, they are an excellent way to prevent dust from becoming airborne when applicable.

Use dust control systems

Dust suppression techniques like sprinklers and wet suppression are ineffective when dealing with large clouds of demolition dust. In that case, misting cannons and towers are an excellent option. These powerful dust suppression systems leverage modern technology to break water particles in sizes ranging from 50 to 200 microns. This is the optimum size range for airborne dust suppression. In airborne dust suppression, water droplets must be almost the same size as dust particles (whose typical size range is 50 to 200 microns). Otherwise, the slipstream effect will hinder suppression.

Reducing dust emissions in your construction site ensures you comply with government regulations and protect employees from serious dust-related diseases. Follow the tips above to reduce dust emissions in your business.

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