When managing the conditions within any commercial or public environment, particularly a dry area where there is a lot of dust being accumulated or generated; adopting an appropriate dust suppression method is critical to the safe operation of the site. In many circumstances this is also a very important factor in the site meeting the associated health and safety standards that are relevant to its operation. There are a number of dust suppression or misting systems available in the marketplace that can manage this issue – depending on the nature of the requirement, the type of dust that needs to be controlled and the environment itself.

Construction Sites

On large construction sites, such as road building or new build housing projects, it is important to be able to control the spread of dust due to the activity of vehicles or people moving around the site. Dust can also be spread by the wind, other weather conditions or a wide variety of external influences. There are a number of dust control systems that have been developed to manage, or reduce, the movement of dust in these circumstances. Most of these involve the use of rain, or super-fine mist simulation systems such as rainguns.

Dust mounds or stockpiles of coal are often present on construction sites and this can become a serious environmental issue for those who work on the site and in nearby communities. In order to meet its health and safety obligations a company will need to control the potential dispersion of dust from these features. Dust suppression systems are available that are designed specifically to fulfil the task of managing dust mounds.

Sports and leisure industry sites

Where there are outdoor arenas being used for public activities such as equestrian shows and events, festivals or other large gatherings of people in one location, there are potential dust issues. Having the right dust suppression systems in place to control the environment is essential to keeping those attending these events safe, both legally and environmentally. The organisers of these activities are usually the ones responsible for health and safety and it is down to them to find the most suitable solution.

Depending on the type of gathering, the flow of people, the weather conditions, the environment itself, and the amount of dust that is present, there are a number of bespoke systems available. These can include a mixture of both perimeter and mobile equipment which would need to be designed and configured in the most efficient and effective way for each particular set of circumstances.

The primary objective is to keep the dust on the ground as much as possible and the best way to achieve this is by keeping it damp. Once the dust has become airborne it becomes a far more difficult element to control or suppress. It can then represent a potential health hazard to both the people working on the site or to those living and working close by. Having designed the solution, equipment is set up to contain or suppress the movement of dust around a site. This includes activities such as: spraying the wheels of passing vehicles with water and spraying the surface where the dust itself lies with super-fine mist.