Olds' Richardson Pioneer Farm Service Centre is currently having the dust collection system at its grain elevator replaced with one that meets current standards, say officials.
According to Mike Dezall, director of operations for the centre, the original system is from 1992 and out of date.
The installation of new parts, which is expected to be finished in mid-August, will not impact farmers delivering grain, Dezall said.
“It won't affect farmers other than the dust accumulation they could be exposed to as they're unloading their grain within the terminal,” Dezall said.
The system controls the amount of dust within the plant and the air quality, he said.
When the dust accumulates, he said it presents a health and safety hazard.
“Because there is dust accumulation within the grain. It's primarily for health and safety reasons as well because grain dust can be quite combustible in high concentrations,” he said.
“So obviously we want to be able to contain that and have a clean and safe operating plant.”
The collection system rids the plant of that accumulation, he said.
“There's a cyclone ventilation system that has ducting in different collection areas within the plant and different pieces of operating equipment where dust could be created or accumulate and it will collect it at those points,” he said.
The grain elevator is mainly a storage facility for about 150 customers, Dezall explained, adding that the company purchases grain from farmers and ships it, via rail or truck, to export destinations.
It's during this movement that the dust builds up.
“When we're operating the plant, the grain product is being moved, dust is being accumulated,” he said. “Essentially it's a ventilation system any time the plant is operational.”
