In June 2022, the Dust Kills campaign, created by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), drew awareness to respiratory risks and occupational lung disease within the construction industry. HSE site inspectors placed specific focus on ensuring factories provide safe, clean working conditions for employees by putting in measures to protect them from inhaling respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust. Breathing in RCS dust can result in health problems such as silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and even lung cancer.
Dust suppression systems may not be enough!
Even if you’ve got a dust suppression system in place, you and your workers could still be at risk! Whilst you might think that as the dust is contained in the water, it’s not harmful, if the water is not processed correctly, at some point, the water will evaporate, and your employees will once again be at risk of breathing in dangerous dust particles.
Choose a system that processes waste water correctly
Water treatment solutions for stone working processes, such as the Dal Prete Wastewater Treatment Plants, clarify wastewater and allow it to be reused for further stone working – ensuring a positive impact both financially and environmentally. Stonegate are proud to be the accredited UK distributor of Dal Prete Wastewater Treatment Plants. Dal Prete is an Italian company that has been designing and manufacturing solutions such as these since 1964.
This closed water recycling circle operates simply. Firstly, the wastewater flows into the clarification plant. Here, the powder and particles of processed material are aggregated, thanks to the use of a coagulant and a flocculant identified during the initial water testing phase that Stonegate perform along with Dal Prete. The sludge is then dehydrated inside the filter press, becoming solid, and the clarified water returns to the processing circuit of the machines.
Reap the benefits of a Dal Prete water treatment system
The benefits to this system are numerous. Firstly, water consumption is reduced by up to 90%, as the water can be reused time and time again. This is great from a cost perspective and, perhaps more importantly, it is fantastic for the environment. As part of the Stonegate service, during initial consultations, our team will run a water test so that we can customise the dosages of the chemical agent to the exact needs of the customer, resulting in better management of coagulant and flocculant and subsequently potential further cost savings.
Because the water flowing through the machines is clean and free of particles, the life of processing tools can also be extended by up to 20%, and due to the machines being compact and with a high level of automation, they are extremely easy to use. Lastly, the final waste is solid, and therefore easy to dispose of. Tests have shown that disposal costs can be reduced by up to 50% and because the final waste is solid it also means that it’s easy to keep the area around your plant clean.