Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

I am intending for this post to be both informative and potentially open the floor to discussion on the subject. It was something we learned about briefly on Phase 1 but it was not something I expected to see on site in the way I have so keen to know others experiences.

I am currently working on a John Holland site in the Brisbane city centre, called Waterfront Brisbane. The project involves demolition of what used to be called Eagle Street Pier and the construction of a retail precinct alongside commercial-residential towers. By the nature of the site location, it is in close proximity to both the workforce and the public, so there has been significant emphasis on Noise, Dust and Vibration (NDV) management, for which I have had responsibility. I have been doing so in accordance with the NDV management Plan for the project. This has highlighted the importance of stakeholder engagement and NDV management to me in such a congested environment or where there are risks to workforce. Below is a link to the overview of the project:

Waterfront Brisbane

Twitter/X Report on The Project – Photo from a neighbouring property.

Footage of a report from YouTube

The main concern thus far has been on silica dust management for the workforce and dust management and the respective stakeholder engagement around this. Silica is often referred to as the “new asbestos”, and it’s important to take steps to protect workers and the public from exposure. On this site, we’re using a combination of NDV monitors that key into a live online interface that allows live and historical reporting. This has also been a significant point of concern due to the close proximity of restaurants and cafes on the Brisbane river.

One of the things I’ve been looking into is the impact of moisture on dust monitors that don’t control moisture. This arose from the fact that our dust monitors, and the live reporting interface, were sending alerts for significant dust level exceedances which meant that on the face of things, we were exceeding the Workplace Health and Safety thresholds for dust. In researching the technology used for the monitors, I worked out that they use a laser that registers particles and their size based on scattering of the sample air. This meant that the use of dust suppression on the demolition site, predominantly through water misting cannons, was leading to false readings. This can also be an issue in very high humidity conditions that can occur naturally. If moisture gets into the dust monitor, it can cause false readings or damage the equipment.

I’m interested to hear from other experiences in the UK and Australia about their exposure to this:

Is this something other placements have had to deal with?

Has anyone had any Australian or UK based NDV management experience?

Do any past PET students see any of this NDV management being implemented on RE construction projects (Dust must be an issue on some of the projects/past projects)?

Has anyone else had to manage stakeholder concerns about NDV?

I suspect there is less of an issue with this in the UK during most of the year due to frequent rainfall acting to supress the dust but I imagine noise and vibration would still be a big concern. It seems like the standards set here in Australia are very similar to those in the UK and Europe e.g. daily dust limits, noise exposure limits, vibration exposure for buildings, the tolerances for heritage buildings etc

Another thing I’ve learned on this project is the importance of having the live data available. This allows us to quickly identify any areas where levels are too high, or are approaching an exceedance, and take steps to address the problem.

I also believe that it’s important to use a heated inlet for a laser-based dust monitor. This helps to prevent condensation from forming on the lens, which can interfere with the readings. I have included some links to images of monitors with and without heated inlets to give some context of the equipment I am referring to.
Airmet Heated Inlet

SiteHive Combined Noise and Dust

As the project progresses from the demolition of the superstructure onto the piling stage (commenced last week), vibration and noise will become serious stakeholder concerns for us to manage. Managing an exceedance in the vibration would look like works stopping and a structural assessment being conducted, something that is undesirable for several reasons.

I will attempt to get some photos uploaded to give more context on the project interface with stakeholders but I think this is a start in getting the conversation rolling.