1. Ballast Dust: Is This A Risk? Caroline Meek
Head of HSEA
National Delivery Service
Network Rail

2. Ballast Process: Quarry
Ballast is produced from granite quarries
Blasted
Crushed
Sieved
Washed
Loaded into box wagons
Process Improvements
Dust reduction

3. Ballast Process: LDC’s
Off loaded
Stored in stock piles
Reloaded into wagons

4. Ballast Process: Worksites
Ballast is offloaded
30-40% over ordering

5. Ballast Delivery Mechanisms

6. Operational Safety Risk
Lack of visibility

7. Occupational Health Risk
Total inhalable
Respirable
Silica
Eyes, Nose, Mouth
& Skin

8. Occupational Health Risk
Silicosis Symptoms
Chest tightness
A cough, with or without sputum
Shortness of breath
Premature death
There is no current
cure for Silicosis

9. Ballast Dust Working Group Members

10. Exposure Monitoring
A number of occupational health data sets have been analysed
Data range is from 2007 to 2011
RAG Status applied to results

11. Total Inhalable Dust WEL10mg/m3:
No exposures over the WEL
A very small number of individuals
had up to 5mg/m3 WEL exposure
Remaining exposure levels were
approximately 1mg/m3 or less

12. Respirable Dust WEL 4mg/m3
Activity:
Ballast Drop from Falcon Wagons using RRV’s
COSHH intervention required:
Technician
Site Supervisor
Crane Controllers
RRV Driver (as cab window was open)
Engineering Supervisor

13. Respirable Silica Dust WEL 0.1mg/m3
Amber Activity:
Ballast Cleaner and Falcon Wagon
COSHH intervention required:
Ground staff within 10m of activity
Red Activity:
Falcon Wagon
Ballast Regulator
Actual Exposures identified

14. Next Steps for Working Group
Removing staff not required
RPE/PPE
Dust suppression units
QC/Exposure Monitoring
COSHH risk assessment

15. Further Considerations - Working Group
Worksite operations – where actions increase dust
Ballast source & analysis – i.e. weather
Focus on Communication
Good Practice Guide

16. Any Questions?