Denver’s leading concrete solutions provider Copeland Precast put an end to their struggles with airborne dust by implementing a Dust Control Program with Technical & Application Support by Midwest.
Copeland Precast is enjoying safer, more environmentally-friendly operations at their Denver, Colorado, worksite thanks to a Dust Control Program with Technical & Application Support by Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc.!
Copeland’s successful application is just another example of how Midwest has helped precast concrete manufacturers around the country reach full compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety (OSHA) standards on silica dust and provide a safe, comfortable working environment for employees — all without the help of third-party applicators or technicians.
“As someone who takes worker health and safety very seriously, finding a dust control solution that was 100% non-toxic and environmentally safe was critical to me,” says the company’s President Bart Copeland. “I didn’t have to research Midwest for long before realizing that they were the partner my company needed.”
Taking a New Approach
Copeland Precast has been the Denver area’s leading provider of precast concrete solutions for over 80 years. All of that local experience has given the family-owned business a unique grasp of the city’s codes, specs, and requirements — a body of knowledge they rely on to custom-build solutions to meet the exact needs of their clients. But there was one hazard of working in precast concrete that Copeland needed help with: silica dust.
Respirable crystalline silica, a material often produced during typical construction tasks like drilling, jackhammering, and the operation of some heavy machinery, is subject to strict limitations as a result of recently enacted OSHA regulations. Businesses in the construction and precast concrete industries now face stiff penalties if they aren’t able to keep the presence of this dust to an absolute minimum on their worksites.
Copeland had previously been watering the worksite’s two main thoroughfares — a strategy that was not only failing to control dust, but also degrading the overall strength of the roads. This reduction in road quality heightened the risk of potholing and rutting, which could have in turn damaged vehicles and put employees at risk.
Concerned for the health and safety of his employees, Bart reached out to Midwest for a more effective approach to silica dust suppression.
A Tailored Solution
Once our technicians had assessed Copeland’s unique set of challenges and environmental conditions, we got to work designing an application program that would be ideal for the concrete solution provider’s needs.
We recommended a Dust Control Program with Technical & Application Support by Midwest, an option that’s great for companies with smaller worksites who can save money by handling the application themselves. We also recommended that Copeland use our EnviroKleen® product because it creates pavement-like strength that is enhanced by traffic and performs well in extreme temperatures.
After we provided Bart and his team with the proper applicator, our recommended volume of EnviroKleen, and a site application plan, Copeland took over from there.
A few weeks into the program, it became clear to the entire staff that the results were far better than their previous approach had ever generated. Not only was the company able to keep silica dust levels down and maintain compliance with the new OSHA standards, but they greatly reduced their water usage and stopped the destructive cycle of ineffective dust control that was destabilizing their roads.
As a Premier Partner of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, we at Midwest are confident that our custom dust control strategies and turnkey application programs can help precast concrete manufacturers like Copeland feel confident in their approach to dust control.
We’re proud to have helped Copeland and other precast concrete industry players make their worksites safer, more environmentally friendly, and compliant with government regulations, and strive to help many other businesses do the same in the future.
