| Impact | Action |
|---|---|
| Trucks and other vehicles moving around the site could raise dust that could be blown onto land and rivers near the mine. | Water trucks suppress dust by spraying mine-site roads and other areas with water. |
| Lead-bearing dust could blow off stockpiles and conveyers used to transport ore and concentrate. This dust could contaminate the environment around the mine site. |
Ore is kept moist, and concentrate stockpiles are stored and handled in a concentrate shed. |
|
The concentrate shed is in the background. |
|
| Lead could be transferred from the mine site to the environment on employees' clothes or on the tyres or chassis of vehicles leaving the mine. |
Employees work clothes are washed at the mine site. All vehicles leaving lead areas at the mine or transport facilities are washed down first so that lead-bearing dust is not transferred into the environment. |
| Lead-bearing dust could blow from trucks or trains during loading and transport of concentrate to Townsville. |
All trucks and trains used to transport ore from Cannington are loaded inside sheds to prevent dust from entering the environment. Truck trailers and train wagons are covered during transport to prevent loss of concentrate. |
|
An ICON road train. If you look lcarefully you can see the covers on the wagons. |
Wagons attached to the ore train being prepared for unloading in Townsville. Note the covers on the wagons. |
| Lead-bearing dust could enter the coastal or marine environments during transfer of lead concentrate from train to ship. One way this could happen would be if the wind blew lead concentrate from stockpiles or conveyers. |
At the port in Townsville the entire operation from unloading the concentrate from the train to loading it into the holds of ships occurs in fully enclosed sheds and conveyers. This prevents the spread of lead-bearing dust to the coastal environment or sea. Scientific studies of the marine environment near the loading facilities are continuously undertaken to monitor that lead contamination is not occurring. |
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From storage in the concentrate shed at the mine site to final loading onto ships at Townsville, the mineral concentrate is always enclosed to prevent transfer of lead-bearing dust into the environment. |
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| Employees working in areas such as the concentrate storage shed at the mine, or the loading facility at the port, could be exposed to lead concentrate. |
Any employee working in an area containing lead concentrate wears breathing apparatus to ensure they are not exposed to lead. |
