Document DMkKygQNygpw3zy9qk7yraMwn

M i ) .) 1 M-FX Matriet Inspector Palcbney, IALOOORLIR. 6th December, 1956. Mines Department^ * # ' gALOOQRLlE* Produced in Asbestos Personal Injury Cases: Abrams lead and copied to Richard F. Scruggs Ventilation - Australian Blue Asbestos Ltd.. Wittenoom 1 visited the alnee operated by the above company from November 25th to November 27th and inspected the under ground workings and surface plant* An air survey of the underground workings eas also carried out in the company of District Inspector ibboteon* Conditions In both alnee were aatlafaotory, although the Wittenooa Nine la below the standard of the Colonial Nine* This is to be expected because of the fact that the Wittenoom is the elder mine of the two* Attached Is a copy of dost counts and temperatures recorded In the mine and duet counts in the treatment plant* AIR NBASUBSMENTS All measurements'were taken with a NetrotlcK Yelomete Wittenoom Nine Xzhaust (measured past fan) Intake (through New Postal) 60,000 c.f.m. 39,000 e.f.ro* Although air entering through the sealed off adits V;Would -not amount to 21,000 c*f*m* ,* the amount of intake air .i;measured totals up satisfactorily, and the fan used for ex-` /inhausting Is capable of exhausting this amount of air* It Is .'ietberefore-hard to. Imagine, how this large deeerepaney could arlt '!;The Intake air `flows through the working places until eventual: -it le exhausted by the fan* The fan used la a Richardson 60 ......A.....P...*...!.w....ith e 25 H*P* motor driving It, against 1*0M S.W^. * The surface plant Is situated close to the mala adit -/of this mine and when the wind blows In tbe right direction tb> .'v-'duaVfrem the mill le passed Into the underground workings* .Dost eoonts taken when conditions were fairly good show .When air appears free from dust " " * * . to be picking up some duet 130 p.p. 380 p.p When these duet counts were taken the wind v tbe mill duet away from the - sain adit except for an o< gust* Proa these figures It appears that the mill only a basard 'to tbe mill hands but also to the under., workers* Colonial Nine Ventilation of this mine la bow by a Richardson 60 A.?* elaee A Xlectrie Pas running at 700 r.p*a. with a 20 H.P. motor driving It against 0*b" 8.W.0. * v 2* "t Besides the main adit aad tb ezhaust adit there art two ether opening* to the.gorge vis* Ho* 1 Cliff Opeidna and Ho* 2 Cliff Opening* Kxhaust (measured before fan) - 75,660 ef*a* Intake "(total) t' y.x 62,000 e.f.a* Tbe total Intake being made up as follows: gain Adit Ho* 1 Cliff Opening Ho* 2 * * 33*500 o.f.a. 26,000 c.f*m* 22,500 o.f.a. __ Tbe discrepancy arrived at here totals 6,3U0 o.f.a. whloh la *ulto aatiafactory* It la *uite possible that this error was arrived at wben assuring tbs Intake at tbe Ho* 1 Cliff Opening, because, if a rake of trucks were passing -through tbe aaln adit entrance the fan would draw noro air through this Ho* 1 Cliff Opening in preference to the Ho* 2 Cliff Opening on aoeount' of its lower resistance, becee tbe higher intake total obtained* Trots this deduotlon it would be possible to assume the intake through tbo Ho. 1 Cliff Opening to be approximately 20,000 e.f*nu .Instead of 26,000 o.f.a* ____________ _______ rm A conveyor belt it still used for transporting' tbe ore underground into a transfer pass whloh la fitted with an air- water spray which completely eliminates tbe duet except when the aotor trucks are being filled In tbe Ore Truck Adit* AW the obute is opened a puff of duet rlaet.froa tbe transfer pass, but this la of. sueb aaall aaount that the danger present la of a very aaall magnitude. *' The ,Ore True* Adit la ventilated .by a Ho* l 0 liebardeen Ileotric Fan forcing tbe air* /Tbia fan appears to be too ..small'for -the dob bd a better `system would be to fit a Msec Z.7.UA Hlectrio Fab so it would be exhausting intend, of forcing the \air into' tbs'adit* This .would ensure fresh air 'entering tbs'adit all tbe time* - A dust count taken while the /.truck was.being fpled showed 260 p*p*e*e; .* -.?/ *i "Treatment Plant ' ^.. w * * At this was my first visit to thl'wu&lne Z cannot com pare tbs'plant with an earlier vialbut the impression I gained ves that-the'plant is of a very lowwtendard.with a very high dust hazard, not only to tbs .surfsea workers bu.t also to tbe underground workers at tbe Vittendba' Uls#V^-/~ 'v The proposed alterations, tie the plant whloh wore to allow for tbe uao of. water bad to be abandoned because tbe buyer .of the-fibre refused to boy fibre *whieb bad bean wet* Produced In Asbestos Personal Injury Cases: Abrams lead and copied to Richard F. Scruggs *^ Tbe management of tbe mine lo trying every possible avenue to ollmlnsto the duet hazard and hare contracted ff.T* Ore gory d Co* Xtd., -to icatal a Oust Collection System for a cost of 250,000* Tbia system should be operating by the end of Mareb, 1957* general At tbe time of my visit Z was adviaed that tbe ore was being obtained from the Colonial and Vlttenooa Mines In the proportion of 6 to 3* Xt appears as though tbe* Wittenoom Mine la praetloslly worked out and it la envisaged tbet a sew mill will be built at the Colonial Oorge in tbe future* ) I i- l 3 The average duet count obtained at the mill was 690 p.p.c.c. aa compared with the underground workings fittenoom nine Colonial Cine 330 p.p.e.e. 230 p.p.e.c. Secondary rentllation is used where necessary under ground and is supplied exclusively by electric fa".s. Co.-sprcsccd air - water epraye are used at all scraping points in order to eliminate dust. Bven though the dry bulb temperature outside the mine rose as the day progressed the wet bulb temperature remained constant. Temperature 9 a.m. Temperature 12 "p.nu- -76 a-- 7iir 89 Dll.-- 70.5?-g It waa -noticed during the inspection of tbe underground workings that although the dry bulb temperature varied the wet bulb temperature remained fairly constant* Puring the process of counting the dust particles on the slides, particular attention was paid to the amount of aabes^ fibre present In each sample* With the underground samples, only an occasional fibre was observed, but with the mill samples a higher percentage of fibre was prese"* _0r. act excessive. The higher fibre concentration \culd be at the Begging Station, Be* 3 Trommel and the Screening 8tatlon and would only be in tbs vicinity of itO-50 p.p.c.c. The rest of tbe mill would average only about 10 p.p.c.c. of asbestos fibre* >* mH in Asbestos Personal 0' \ 4 t * #* f Cc C z n C C o rc c