Making Silica Compliance Sampling in Mines Easy and Cost-effective

Making Silica Compliance Sampling in Mines Easy and Cost-effective
August 20, 2024
Making Silica Compliance Sampling in Mines Easy and Cost-effective

With compliance dates looming, many mine operators are busy putting into place silica exposure monitoring programs to meet MSHA Final Silica Rule requirements. One cost-effective measure that mine operators can take is to rent silica sampling equipment in the SKC MSHA Silica Rental Kit. Doing so eliminates cost of ownership, including annual pump service and flowmeter calibration/certification. Another is to order SKC PPI® Samplers! These convenient samplers offer the most precise match to the ISO 7708 critera required in the MSHA Final Silica Rule and overcome the tipping sample invalidation experienced with traditional cyclone samplers. The SKC MSHA Silica Rental Kit and PPI Samplers work together to bring you ease and defensible data. One source + high-quality well-designed pumps and samplers = equipment that is ready to use, intuitive, precise, and cost-effective.

What does the MSHA Silica Rental Kit include? These all-in-one equipment kits contain all the equipment and accessories needed to perform silica compliance sampling and are designed to work with PPI Samplers—the easiest-to-use silica sampler available.

Each R-2205000TCKM kit includes the following packed in a hard-sided carry case:

  • AirChek® TOUCH easy-to-use touch screen air sampling pump
  • Standard charging cradle
  • chek-mate Flowmeter
  • PPI Calibration Adapter
  • Tygon® tubing
  • Representative PPI Sampler for flow rate verification (calibration
  • Insert with QR code (and web address) linking to a How To Sample for Silica video

Ordering is as simple as:

  • Contacting your SKC representative
  • Ordering the needed number of MSHA Silica Rental Kits (Cat. No. R-2205000TCKM)
  • Selecting the desired rental period (daily*, weekly, or monthly)
  • Ordering separately the number of PPI Samplers (Cat. No. 225-3851-PW) you will need for sampling (your representative can help you determine that).
  • SKC will take it from there!

*Available for “will call” orders from the Eighty Four, PA location only. 3-day minimum required for daily rentals.

I thought I had to use a cyclone to sample for silica! Are PPI Samplers more expensive? PPI Samplers are size-selective impaction-based samplers that provide the most precise match to the ISO 7708/CEN respirable curve, the criteria that the MSHA Final Silica Rule requires that silica samplers meet. In fact, Parallel Particle Impactors (PPIs) are listed in the MSHA Final Silica Rule as an acceptable sampler. More information is available on the performance comparison of PPI Samplers to cyclones. While the price of PPI Samplers is higher at a casual glance, taking a deeper look at the true cost of silica sampling reveals that PPI Samplers are actually quite cost-effective when looking at the total sampling picture. Learn more in this blog post on the subject.

Whether you are a mine operator, seasoned OEHS professional, or a novice industrial hygiene technician, having easy-to-use, cost-effective silica sampling equipment and media as well as the support and expertise from SKC can make a big difference in the successful and seamless implementation of your silica compliance sampling program.