Diesel Emissions Management

Managing DPM exposure in underground and surface operations.

Diesel engines power the mining industry. They also produce diesel engine exhaust – a complex mixture of gases and particulate matter classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 1 human carcinogen.

Diesel particulate matter (DPM), the fine carbonaceous particles at the core of this exhaust, is a known cause of lung cancer with evidence of links to bladder cancer and other systemic health effects.

In Western Australia, the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) introduced a mandatory workplace exposure standard (WES) for DPM of 0.1 mg/m³ (elemental carbon) in December 2020 – a standard already in force and enforceable. A significantly more stringent WES is anticipated to take effect in late 2026, reflecting the continued evolution of the evidence base on DPM health effects. The mining sector – particularly underground gold, nickel and lithium operations – faces significant challenges in achieving compliance with current and future standards without proactive management.

RED OHMS Group provides targeted diesel emissions management services to help operators understand their current DPM exposure profile, identify the highest-risk sources and tasks and develop practical, cost-effective control strategies.

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Capabilities

Measurement of diesel engine exhaust emissions at source, including opacity testing and smoke assessment, to identify engines that are generating excessive DPM and are candidates for maintenance, retrofitting, or replacement.

Personal air sampling for elemental carbon (EC) using NIOSH 5040 analytical method, the accepted method for DPM compliance monitoring in Australian mining. Samples collected during representative work tasks across all diesel-exposed worker groups, with results reported against the WES and ranked by occupational group.

Development of site-specific diesel emission management plans that document the hazard profile, current controls, monitoring programme, maintenance protocols and improvement pathway for your operation. Structured to satisfy DEMIRS requirements and serve as a practical operational document.

The Path to Compliance

Effective DPM management is a hierarchy of controls.

Engineering controls – engine maintenance, diesel particulate filters (DPFs), alternative fuel technologies and ventilation – form the foundation. Administrative controls – task scheduling, exposure rotation and traffic management – support them. Respiratory protection is the last line of defence. RED OHMS Group helps operators understand which controls are most effective for their specific fleet, ventilation geometry and operational constraints and build an improvement pathway that is credible, measurable and sustainable.

For underground operations, diesel emissions management is inextricably linked to ventilation performance. RED OHMS works alongside ventilation engineers and site management teams to ensure that ventilation strategies and DPM control measures are complementary and that monitoring data is used to validate their effectiveness.

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FAQs

Underground mining operations are most significantly affected due to confined spaces and limited ventilation. Gold mining in Western Australia, which relies heavily on diesel equipment in narrow-vein underground environments, has historically recorded the highest DPM exposures. However, surface operations with significant diesel plant activity in enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces – such as covered crushing facilities or workshops – can also have exposures requiring assessment.

Elemental carbon (EC) is the primary component of the carbonaceous particles in diesel exhaust and is measured as a surrogate for total DPM exposure. It is quantified using the NIOSH 5040 thermo-optical method, which separates EC from organic carbon in the collected sample. EC measurement is preferred over total carbon or gravimetric methods because it is more specific to diesel combustion products and less susceptible to interference from other dust sources.

Start now. Commission a baseline DPM exposure monitoring campaign to establish your current exposure profile. Identify which occupational groups and tasks carry the highest exposures. Review your diesel fleet for engine condition and maintenance compliance. Assess the feasibility of diesel particulate filter retrofitting. Engage RED OHMS to develop a diesel emissions management plan with a staged improvement pathway – one that demonstrates to DEMIRS that you are proactively managing the transition.