Fibrous minerals and dust – managing the risks Part 2 Dust management in drilling operations

Please read this before using presentation  This presentation is based on content presented at the Exploration Safety Roadshow held in December 2010  It is made available for non-commercial use (e.g. toolbox meetings) subject to the condition that the PowerPoint file is not altered without permission from Resources Safety  Supporting resources, such as brochures and posters, are available from Resources Safety  For resources, information or clarification, please contact: or visit 2

Is this a problem? 3

Definitions  Dust  Generic term  Range of potentially hazardous particulates  Nuisance dust  Dust with no inherent toxic profile  Excess can overload lungs 4

Other particulates Harmful health effects  Silica – lung damage  Metal dusts  nickel – cancer  manganese – manganism  lead – damage to central nervous system, kidneys, blood cells 5

Latent health effects  Delayed  Onset of health effects following exposure  Insidious  Progressive and often irreversible changes to health 6

Dust management 7  Regulatory focus on fibre and dust management in mining  Statutory obligation to manage dust emissions in drilling operations  Obligation to monitor exposures to atmospheric contaminants  Ensure exposures do not exceed occupational exposure standards (OES)

Dust emission points 8

Use water  Fog  Foam  Binders  Surfactants Controlling dust 9

Potential controls  Trialling of dust suppression agents (e.g. foam, fog)  Automated sampling  Sample conveyors  Remote operating controls  Operating cabins 10

Any questions? For further information please contact: Chris White  