BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
Natural resources exploited.
The construction materials market includes quarries, cement plants, adhesives, plaster, glass, insulation materials such as glass wool and rock wool, as well as various adhesives and paints. The extraction of minerals, crushing, grinding, screening, sieving and transport, alternative materials and the fuels and furnaces used to transform these materials generate aerosols throughout the process.
Hygroscopic and/or abrasive dusts are found in all these processes, such as clinker, limestone, silica, gypsum, pozzolan, sand, sodium carbonate, or traces of hexavalent chromium, cobalt and nickel…
Workers’ exposure to these pollutants is regulated; in Europe, the OEL for crystalline silica, such as cristobalite and tridymite, is set at 0.05 mg/m3. The OEL for fibreglass is set at 1 fibre/cm3.
Exposure of professionals to these pollutants, some of which are recognised as carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic (CMR), can cause occupational diseases such as silicosis, rhinitis, asthma, bronchitis or bronchopulmonary cancer, eye conditions or eczema.
Dust deposits on installations also lead to premature deterioration of equipment and control devices.
Solutions that meet industry requirements
In the construction materials sector, Wattohm strives to take specific characteristics into account by designing and manufacturing robust, abrasion-resistant installations using thick steel, Creusabro or special steel reinforcements, and appropriate filtration speeds that increase the service life of the installations.
We offer enclosure, hooding and other extraction solutions for mineral handling on conveyors, bucket elevators, dust removal from screens, grinders and crushers, mineral loading and unloading pits, dust removal from furnaces and calcine extraction, etc. These installations constitute Collective Protection Equipment for operators working in these environments.
We offer ventilation installations for electrical cabinets and rooms in order to protect them from surrounding dust and to remove heat.
Similarly, specific extraction systems generate significant negative pressure in workshops. This negative pressure encourages the entry of unwanted air and generates draughts that disrupt suction and certain processes. We offer ventilation systems to balance the airflow in workshops and ensure operator comfort in terms of temperature, humidity and airflow speed.
In compliance with environmental standards
We work to size extraction and filtration systems in accordance with INRS recommendations, in compliance with client specifications and current standards. (Prevention of occupational risks in cement plants)
Our dedicated team is familiar with industry best practices and standards and will be able to meet your specific requirements by supporting you throughout your project. Wattohm has surrounded itself with trained and qualified partners to meet these needs.
Our team offers tailor-made and customised solutions in project mode, with various milestones linked to the facility acceptance process. We also provide maintenance and training for operators on the systems put in place.