United Safety and Survivability Corporation is a product partner of Sy-Klone International to help protect Australia’s miners from the hazards of respirable dust.
Since its launch into the mining sector in 2004, United Safety and Survivability Corporation has been on a mission to take the industry’s safety standards to the next level. In partnership with Sy-Klone International, United Safety and Survivability is doing just that thanks to the Sy-Klone Cab Air Quality system.
The system works by drawing air into a powered pre-cleaning filter and pressuriser, where any debris is ejected to deliver fresh, clean air into an enclosed cab on a mobile plant.
Designed for dust-heavy mining environments, the system alerts the operator to changes in pressure, CO2 and particulate concentration, or when the filter needs to be changed in order to keep the solution working as effectively as possible.
“One of the biggest benefits of the system is its ability to dramatically reduce the egress of dust into the cabin,” United Safety and Survivability general manager Matthew Jarrett told Safe to Work.
“Operators are reporting dust-free cabins and seeing great results from the longevity of the system’s filters.”
Each filter is designed with an ejection port, whereby more than 90 per cent of respirable particulate is removed prior to the air passing through the main filter.
“This dramatically increases the life of the Sy-Klone filters to almost double that of our competitors,” Jarrett said.
Innovations like these, according to Jarrett, are supported by the bedrock of the International Standardisation Organisation Australian Standard (ISO/AS) 23875 design principles that led to the development of the Sy-Klone Cab Air Quality system:
Defined CO2 principles – maintain defined levels of ambient CO2 plus 400 parts per million
Define fresh and recirculation system efficiency – maximum respirable particulate matter concentration less than 25 micrograms per cubic metre
Increase filter efficiency requirements – a filter that meets more stringent test criteria will be required in ISO 23875-compliant operator enclosures
Define pressurisation requirements – pressure shall be 20 Pascals (Pa) or higher (minimum sustained pressure) and not exceed 200Pa (maximum sustained pressure), minimum sustained pressure is required when the machine key moves to the “on” position
Real-time monitoring requirements – cab pressurisation and CO2 levels monitored by permanently installed monitoring system
Published in February 2021 and updated in 2022, ISO/AS 23875 is a new global standard that unifies the design, testing, operation and maintenance of air-quality control systems for heavy machinery cabs and other operator enclosures, particularly in the mining industry.
Adherence to the requirements and testing methods set out in the standard aims to support the safety of machine operators, improve productivity, promote operator alertness, and enable companies to reach occupational exposure reduction goals.
“Once you implement the Sy-Klone Cab Air Quality system onto a machine, you’re building an environment that incorporates these five engineering principles,” Jarrett said. “The Sy-Klone system actually goes above and beyond the ISO/AS 23875 standard with its real-time particulate monitoring, which is a game-changer for the mining industry.”
Jarrett said the ability to bring Sy-Klone Cab Air Quality Solutions to the Australian mining sector requires a close and collaborative partnership between Sy-Klone International and United Safety and Survivability.
“This partnership includes components, equipment and methods to assure compliance to ISO/AS 23875 and the creation of a haven for operators of heavy equipment and light transportation vehicles within mine sites,” he said. “It is our combined abilities that allows the partnership to protect the operator inside the cab and during time spent in transportation.
“We are committed to delivering the most innovative and reliable safety and survivability solutions our customers can trust to protect life and property.”
This feature also appears in the September-October issue of Safe to Work.