Helmet-CAM: Strategically Minimizing Exposures to Respirable Dust Through Video Exposure Monitoring

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cecala, Andrew B. ; Haas, Emily J. ; Patts, Justin R.
• Description:
  Exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) remains a serious health hazard to the U.S. mining workforce who are potentially exposed to RCS as various ore bodies are drilled, blasted, hauled by truck, crushed, screened/sized and transported to their destinations. To examine a method for assessing RCS exposure using a NIOSH-developed video exposure monitoring (VEM) technology (referred to as Helmet-CAM), video and respirable dust concentration data were collected on 80 miners across seven unique mining sites. The data were then collated and partitioned using a thresholding scheme to determine exposures that were in excess of 10 times the mean exposure for that worker. Focusing on these short-duration, high-magnitude exposures can provide insight into implementing controls and interventions that can dramatically lower the employee's overall average exposure. In 19 of the 80 cases analyzed, it was found that exposure could be significantly lowered by 20 percent or more by reducing exposures that occur during just 10 minutes of work per eight-hour shift. This approach provides a method to quickly analyze and determine which activities are creating the greatest health concerns. In most cases, once identified, focused control technologies or behavioral modifications can be applied to those tasks. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Dust Environmental Exposure Mining Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Video Exposure Control Technology Crystalline Silica Exposure Levels Miners Mining Industry Monitoring Monitoring Systems Occupational Exposure Respirable Respirable Dust Silica Dusts Silica Exposure Wearable Technologies

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  0026-5187
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  57-59
• Volume:
  72
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060093
• Citation:
  Min Eng 2020 Jun; 72(6):57-59
• Contact Point Address:
  J.R. Patts, CDC NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• Email:
  jpatts@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Mining Engineering
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:724b8503875bd289e12194b9134b34f6b4d92ca0292115ae1fefc82bc6df903610cdeb97346db21fc20881e31b5680530d5b5cc602e2665350455e4a23879253
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215305/cdc_215305_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 229.04 KB ]