ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL NOISE MANAGEMENT PROCESS IN CEMENT INDUSTRY

Abstract

The main environmental issues associated with cement production are the consumption of raw materials, energy use and emissions in the air. Noise emissions occur throughout the whole cement manufacturing process - from preparing and processing raw materials, from the clinker burning and cement production process, from material storage as well as from the dispatch and shipping of the final products. The heavy machinery and large fans used in the cement manufacturing process can give rise to noise emissions. Cement Plants are required to comply with standards for reduction in line with national legislation, and to conduct measurements and perform noise surveys. Having this in mind, A TITAN Group Usje Cement Plant in Skopje, following their strong commitment to high environmental performance and Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Policy in 2013-2014 have engaged an AMBICON Lab (Faculty of Natural and Technical Sciences) from Stip, to conduct a Noise Control Study in order to identify noise sources within cement plant and marl quarry, determine their impacts on nearby residents and develop noise control/protection strategies. During the past three years, the Usje Cement plant has implemented most of the noise control measures proposed in this Study. Also, a follow-up study during 2016-2017 was conducted in order to assess the effectiveness of measures taken. This paper presents the outcomes of noise reduction measures taken. Keywords: noise, cement industry, process management, measures, environment