GRT Highlights Need For Increased Testing For COVID - 19 As Mining Is Classified An Essential Industry

Australian based Global Road Technology (GRT) announces that by managing dust, they can assist mining companies that want to help ensure that their workers are safe from COVID-19. Mining is now classified as an essential service that is necessary for the well being of the economy, both in the long and short term. As such, the safety of mining workers is paramount, and this safety now needs to take COVID-19 itself and its high transmission rate into account. GRT's dust that can help reduce the virus’ transmission among miners.

Maintaining a reasonably high degree of air quality in mines has long been an important facet of the industry, given its impact on miners’ health. This has not changed since the outbreak occurred. However, the true transmission capabilities of COVID-19 have yet to be confirmed and, given that a recent study found that COVID-19 may be able to survive as aerosols for up to three hours, local mining companies need to consider every measure possible to protect their workers. In effect, they need to reduce contact with the virus as well as prevent its transmission.

Dust is a well-known vector (mechanism of travel) for disease across humans, animals and even vegetation. By managing dust effectively onsite, we can eliminate one of the airborne pathways viruses like COVID-19 can reside on in the air and be conveyed to a new host.

As stated in a CNBC article on the subject, “Researchers from the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UCLA and Princeton University examined how long COVID-19 survives in the air as well as on copper, cardboard, plastic and stainless steel and then compared it with SARS, the coronavirus that emerged in late 2002 and killed nearly 800 people.” The study found that COVID-19 could be detected in aerosols for up to three hours (aerosols are defined as solid or liquid particles that hang in the air).

It should be noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially stated this is not necessarily the case. According to NPR, “A World Health Organization official says the evidence so far shows that the virus that causes COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through "respiratory droplets and contact routes" — from coughs and sneezes — and doesn't seem to linger in the air.” This guidance has been met with some criticism and scepticism, however, and even the WHO recommends that further precautions be taken in specific situations and circumstances that see an increased density of aerosols.

This means that COVID-19 may pose a grave concern for miners who primarily work in environments with thick particulates (such as dust) that are known to hang in the air for extended periods of time. Now, more than ever, efficient and effective dust control may be of the utmost importance. Fortunately, Global Road Technology has recently committed to reducing the prevalence of mine dust lung diseases, teaming up with local mining companies to achieve this goal. According to GRT, battling the transmission of the virus among miners can be considered an extension of this initiative, and new technology and practices can be swiftly put in place to respond to the unique challenges set forth by the pandemic.

As previously stated by Managing Director for GRT Troy Adams, “Most of the time when we get called to help a government, business or private entity solve a problem with our services, safety plays a role in that. That’s true when it comes to many of our dust suppression, soil stabilization and even erosion control solutions. But our partnership with the mining companies in Queensland has taken health and safety to a whole new level. What we can accomplish on this project will directly impact the health and safety of the miners in the area for years to come.” Today, the company adds, “Our employees and contractors have proactively and personally embraced the importance of implementing the wide-ranging measures of modifying their daily work practices to minimise potential contact and spread of the virus.”

Local companies that are concerned with preserving each miner's health and well being are encouraged to reach out to GRT’s customer service representatives to learn more about this initiative and how it will address the spread of the virus as operations continue. Further inquiries may be directed to Troy Adams of Global Road Technology as well. Additionally, more information can be found on the company’s official website and social media platforms.