Back in 2020, Blackwoods was approached by CPB Contractors to find an 'Above the Line Control' for the respirable crystalline silica (silica dust) that was being formed during construction activities on the West Gate Tunnel. We engaged our Partner Dixon, a leading innovator in the hose coupling industry, to help develop a solution.
It took a lot of trial and error, but the team persisted and ultimately landed on a flow nozzle that succeeded in keeping the average concentration of silica dust below 0.05mg/m3 - the Australian occupational exposure standard (now 0.25mg/m3) - over eight hour work shifts. The introduction of an engineering control dramatically improved worker safety.
Dixon and Blackwoods' innovative solution resulted not only in achieving CPB Contractor's safety aims but also helped them win the Delivery Award at the Victorian Government's Major Transport Infrastructure Authority (MTIA) Annual Health and Safety Awards.
"There's nothing more satisfying than seeing the effects of hard work and great innovation, to combat what is a potentially very serious issue on many worksites. It's a positive result for the industry and people's safety," says Charles Roest, National Category and Sourcing Manager, Blackwoods.
This shows that when we team up and put our heads together for safety, we can effect big changes to transform our industry.
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