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Equipment silencing

New silencer system fitted to a pneumatic loader as part of the noise abatement programme at Bafokeng-Rasimone Platinum mine

Noise, and drilling noise in particular, has received increasing attention at Anglo American Platinum Limited (Amplats) over the past 10 to 15 years, and good progress has been made in reducing exposure resulting in noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), a severe and irreversible injury.

Exposure to excessive noise remains Amplats's most significant occupational health risk and its three key prevention measures are eliminating noise at source (silencing noisy equipment) through re-engineering; the sourcing of alternative 'quiet' equipment, and the use of modern protection devices.

During 2009, Amplats focused on reducing noise at source by silencing or replacing equipment emitting sound-pressure levels in excess of 110 dB(A). High-risk equipment was identified through the use of comprehensive occupational hygiene measurements and a set of predetermined criteria was then applied to select the equipment to be silenced or replaced.

Taken into consideration were factors such as the number of employees affected, the sustainability, efficiency, practicality and reliability of the proposed interventions, and the costs involved.

All loaders and drills identified through the high-risk equipment assessment have been silenced. In addition, Amplats has decided to adopt the use of an electrical rock drill as it proved to be five times quieter than conventional pneumatic rock drills and was identified as a key intervention in the elimination of NIHL.

Other equipment-silencing programmes have involved attenuating the noise emitted by ventilation fans, fitting silencers to mechanical loaders and diamond drills, and replacing diaphragm water-pumps with less noisy pumps.