Answering Community Concerns
about Dust and Noise
A How-to Guide for the Aggregates Industry as proposed by Aspasa
Introduction
The public’s perception of the aggregates industry can be a help or a hindrance to obtaining zoning and other
permit approval for Greenfield sites and existing plant expansions. Public opinion of the industry often based on
an assessment, whether or not deserved, of a “lowest common denominator: type of plant that neighbours feel
is unattractive, dusty, noisy or may have a management team that is irresponsible to public concerns. By
pursuing a leadership role in the control of dust and noise and confirming results through monitoring and
documentation, a conscientious operator may be able to minimise community concerns about these issues.
Noise is one of the most commonly cited community concerns regarding aggregates operations. And, it is
associated with a great number of common activities at aggregates operations, including blasting, loading,
crushing, screening, washing, and hauling. As a first step towards dealing with community concerns, aggregates
producers should work not only to identify noise point sources, but also implement Best Management Practice
(BMPs) in order to minimise noise, and have a plan in place to work with neighbours who have concerns or
complaints.
In both urban and rural environments neighbours of aggregates operations commonly voice concerns about
dust. The disturbance of fine soils by extraction and processing activities at sand and gravel pits and rock
quarries can increase the potential for dust creation, and dust control should be part of the ongoing operations.
Again, producers should work to identify dust generating activities, situations where dust can be an issue, which
people and facilities are sensitive to dust, and what BMPs and other measures can be used to control dust. The
Aspasa About Face environmental program looks at the above impacts and ensures that Aspasa members
comply to the legislation.
Educate Yourself and Your Employees:
Understanding noise….
Noise sources at aggregates operations can include equipment, back-up alarms, drills, power generators
(“gensets”), crushers, screens ,material falling into empty metal box of haul truck, the “body slap” of tailgates,
squealing of vehicles on tracks, such as bulldozers, and even the rattle of loose hitches on trucks travelling
through the neighbourhood. Noise control can include rescheduling hours of operation, selecting appropriate
equipment (e.g. does it have a proper muffler?), constructing sound barriers and berms to contain noise,
relocating noisy operations to remote parts of the plant and other options. The effects of aggregate operational
noise on neighbours can vary, but may cause annoyance, disturbance and even a sense of interference with
quality of life. Impacts to the community will vary depending on the frequency of vehicle traffic on local roads
and, of course, the proximity of the operation to neighbouring houses.
Understanding dust….
Dust has a wide variety of manmade and natural origins, including vehicle exhaust, agriculture, tire wear, natural
and domestic fires and sea salt. Dust can become airborne when wind blows over exposed surfaces or by
mechanical disturbances such as rolling truck tires. Smaller sized dust particles travel farther and are perceived
as a greater health concern than larger particle. The most difficult type of dust to control is “fugitive dust” which
is generated by unstable non-point sources (like movement of equipment} and the effects of wind on stockpiles
and areas stripped of vegetation. Fugitive dust is the most common cause of dust complaints at aggregate
operations, as it commonly settles on cars and houses in adjacent areas.
Answering Community Concerns About Dust and Noise
At an aggregates operation, dust can be generated from numerous sources, including wind blowing over
exposed soil or stockpiled material (which includes materials travelling in trucks or on conveyors, where the
material is moving versus the air moving); falling material, such as in loading ground abrasion, where wheels
and tracked vehicles kick up dust; handling, as in extraction, crushing and sizing, drilling and blasting.
Who is most likely to complain…?
Defend yourself effectively. Get to know your neighbours. But also identify the likely opposing organisations,
citizens’ groups and special interest groups. Find out where they are “coming from” – and what the real issues
are, because those openly argued, may not be the ones actually espoused.
Educate the Community:
Make community education a priority…
A proactive approach to the concerns of your community establishes you as a good neighbour from the start –
and a little bit of education goes a long way. If possible, lay the groundwork early with your neighbours. It is
important for the public to sense you are committed to mitigation or avoidance of noise and dust impacts.
Opportunities should be taken to discuss the results of noise monitoring with local communities and take time to
explain why, when and for how long particularly noisy events are likely to occur.
Meet and develop a rapport with the community leaders, regulators, citizens’ groups, homeowners’ associations
and individuals. Establish yourself a good neighbour; support local organisations and causes; attend community
events and activities. Join your local Chamber of Commerce; it’s often a good way to meet key people in your
community. Invite ASPASA to assist you with your promotion.
Establish a community liaison committee…
It is a good idea to establish a dedicated committee, the members of which will be responsible for proactively
educating the community and dealing with neighbour complaints. Assign one or two people from this committee
to be community contacts for questions. And make sure your neighbours know who the contacts are that they
can call with their questions and concerns. This will speed up the response process and as a result, allay
concerns more quickly.
Ways to “Get the Word Out”…
Hold an open house. By inviting neighbours to come and see who you are and what you do, you may help to
change many unflattering opinions and perceptions. Make sure your presentation includes your efforts towards
noise and dust control. Use the ASPASA Health and Safety Audits and Environmental Audits done on your site.
Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Be a leader in the control of dust and noise…
Noise and dust control limits are set by a state, local or provincial regulatory agency and language about
compliance is generally included in local ordinances as well as your facility operating permits. If possible, hire
consultants to conduct noise level studies at your facility. Send your reports to the townships as part of a license
submission. Regularly conduct your own environmental and employee exposure monitoring. Confirm
compliance through government data.
Provide for good noise reduction practices through site planning…
A general site plan layout map is usually required for permitting purposes. Your plan for noise and dust can be
incorporated in such a facility plan. A site control plan could contain the following noise components; noisegenerating activities; offsite facilities (i.e. residences, schools, etc,) that are noise-sensitive; potential noise
reflectors (mine faces, hillsides, hard ground and water), topographic hollows and noise absorbing areas (wood
lots, shrub areas, grasses) placement of berms, stockpiles and tree buffers to create or enhance noise-damping
locations for the site or act as noise barriers; plans to locate noise-generating activities and hail roads in
suppressing locations and away from noise-sensitive facilities; procedures to avoid noise generation and
contain noise; and designation of existing trees and shrubs as perimeter barriers on noise sensitive sides of the
operation.
Provide for good noise reduction through equipment purchases…
When= buying equipment, do so with an ear to its noise reduction capabilities. Do not purchase noisy
equipment and establish that as company policy.
Answering Community Concerns About Dust and Noise
Provide for good noise reduction practices through operational procedures…
Table 1: Site layout, operations and interception noise control options
Management Options
SITE LAYOUT


Containment &
Damping










OPERATIONS


Source Prevention

Escape 



&









INTERCEPTION


Ambient Reduction 
Noise Management and Control Methods
Locate haul-roads away from ridge tops and in topographic lows

Place processing equipment within natural or excavated hollows,
such as the pit or quarry floor

Minimise the fall height of material
Construct stockpiles to intercept point of source and ambient noise 

Use crushing and screening plants within their design capacity
Plan orientation of working faces to reflect noise into damping areas 
Use first stage operations o act as screening for noise sensitive areas
and receptors
Group and position buildings to act as an acoustic barrier
Restrict noise generating activities to sheltered areas
Create ‘sensitive zones’ within which activities are limited.
Select low noise emission equipment

Ensure smooth road running surfaces

Start plant engines one at a time

Maintain, repair and lubricate equipment

Alert and train staff to reduce noise emissions

Limit drop heights during handling

Fit acoustic barriers to processing equipment
Minimise mobile equipment speeds
Use alternative non-audible back-up alarms
Vegetate exposed surfaces such as overburden mounds with quick
growing ground cover and plants
Use rubber linings in chutes, dumpers and transfer points to reduce
the noise of rock falling onto metal surfaces
Use simple baffles around washing drums and rubber mats around
screening, crushing and coating plants
Switch off equipment when not in use
Avoid unnecessary revving of engines
Direct noise away from sensitive areas whenever possible, if the noise
source is highly directional
Enclose sources of significant noise, such as conveyors and process
plants
Keep truck tailgates closed where possible
Retain and plant trees or shrubs around the site

Place treed berms near noise generation activities (source), receptors
or at the perimeter of the site

Install acoustic fencing
Ensure there are no gaps in acoustic barriers, as noise will leak out
BMPs and
Measures
Berm
Drop height
Fences
Vegetative Cover
Straw Bale Wall
Treed Windbreaks
Drop Height
Equipment
Selection
Fences
Vegetative Cover
Water Spray
Speed Limits
Berm
Fences
Planting Vegetative
Cover
Provide for good dust reduction practice through site planning…
A site layout map could also contain the following dust components, dust generating activities, offsite facilities
that are sensitive to dust (i.e. homes and schools, etc.), prevailing wind direction(s) and onsite wind patterns,
placement of berms, stockpiles and tree buffers to create or enhance wind shadows; possible location of dustgenerating activities and hail roads in calm locations and far from dust sensitive facilities; and location of
existing trees and shrubs to create a wind breaks.
Provide for good dust reduction practices through operational procedures…
One of the best ways to reduce dust in your operation is through the use of water. Provide spray systems for
feeds and discharges on crushers, screens, transfer points for conveyers, stockpiles and non-covered trucks
ready for departure. Wet down or clean roads onsite and fronting the site entrance/exit. Use wheel washer
systems between the scale and the property exit, and/or spray the truck wheels and /or the entire truck with
water to reduce the amount of dust that is deposited on public roadways. Where feasible, recycle and reuse
processing water and make sure any water discharged meets or surpasses government, provincial and local
water quality standards.
Answering Community Concerns About Dust and Noise
Provide for good dust reduction practices through equipment purchases…
When buying equipment do so with the idea of controlling dust. Covered conveyors, impact idlers at the belt
transfer points, conveyors that automatically adjust their height to the stockpile are all examples of equipment
designed to help control dust. Do not purchase equipment that lacks modern dust controls and establish as
company policy that this is the only kind of equipment you will purchase at your properties.
Additional operation procedures for dust control…
Table 2: Control options for dust at aggregate sites
Control Strategies
Dust Control Options

SITE LAYOUT
Minimise Creation



OPERATIONS






Control Escapes
















AIR QUALITY
Dust Removal
CESSATION





Locate haul-roads, dumpsites and stockpiles away and down-wind
from neighbours
Minimise the height from which materials falls
Surface roads with dust-free material
Lay out and construct stockpiles to minimise dust creation, use
gentle slopes and avoid sharp changes of shape
Use crushing and screening plants within design capacity
Use conveyors rather than haul-roads
Restrict dust generating activities to sheltered areas
Create ‘sensitive zones’ within which dust activities are limited
Limit spillage by not overloading trucks
Enclose or provide wind protection for conveyors, chutes, process
plant, stockpiles
Install a dust removal system (bag system) for the plant
Use sprays and mist at dust sources
Fit outlets with cyclones, wet-scrubbers and filters
Insist on good maintenance and housekeeping
Compact and grade, surfaces and maintain haul-roads
Fit dust extractors, filters and collectors on drilling rigs
Use mats when blasting
Use wind-breaks/netting screens/semi-permeable fences
Limit drop heights
Fit wind-boards/hoods at conveyor/transfer points
Reduce sped and limit movement of vehicles, use upswept
exhausts
Spray exposed surfaces (haul-roads, dormant faces and
stockpiles)with binders
Vegetate exposed surfaces, such as overburden stockpiles, with
quick growing plants
Pave and sweep haul-roads and other high use semi-permanent
dusty surfaces
Shake dirt off trucks with rumble bars and provide vehicle washing
facilities
Provide a surfaced road between vehicle washing facilities and
site exit
Use closed or sheeted vehicles to carry dry material
Use trees or shrubs around the site as coarse air filters
Place treed berms near dust generators, receptors or at the
perimeter of the site
Use sprinklers, sprayer or mist with or without additives
Shut down the operation if, due to unique weather conditions, the
extended dispersion of dust cannot be avoided
BMPs &
Measures





Berm
Drop Height
Tarps
Vegetation Cover
Wind Protection









Drop height
Tarps
Vegetation Cover
Water Spray
Wind Protection
Wheel Washers
Hydro seeding
Speed Limit
Telescopic chutes



Berm
Vegetation Cover
Water Spray
Document all noise and dust reduction measures…
Have this documentation prepared in advance so that when community concerns arise, you can produce it
quickly as proof of your noise and dust reduction efforts, and your proactive attention to your neighbours’
concerns.
Respond quickly to complaints…
A community response system can address noise-related complaints in a fair and expedient manner. A record
of complaints, the action taken, outstanding follow-up actions and subsequent dialogue with complaints are
some measures that have been practiced with success. Whether you receive your complaint directly from a
resident or through a local government office, respond promptly. Listen and be concerned. Make sure
neighbours know you understand and empathize; repeat their concern to let them know you heard and
understood. Meet them on an emotional level with your response. Be open and honest, emphasizing positives
Answering Community Concerns About Dust and Noise
in your language, not negatives, Say things such as, “We are committed to being a good neighbour because…”
and repeat the phrase with your reasons. Follow up after your initial response. Continue to follow up if the
neighbours feel their concerns have not been resolved.
www.aspasa.co.za
P O Box 1983
Ruimsig
email: office@aspasa.co.za
Tel: 011 791 3327
August 2012