MINING AIR QUALITY ISO23875
Introduction to mining operator cab air quality standard and performance requirements
ISO 23875 standardises mining cab air quality control system requirements. 
What is ISO 23875?
ISO 23875 is currently a draft international standard, with the final standard expected to be published by Q1 2021.
The standard creates a consistent approach to designing, testing, operating, and maintaining operator enclosures with respect to air quality in the mining industry.
Adoption of the practices outlined in the standard protect personnel inside operator enclosures from harmful respirable particulates, through:
1. Maintaining safe levels of CO2
2. Conducting routine performance testing of air quality control systems to maintain compliance, including testing cab pressure, operating CO2 concentration, and fresh and recirculation filtration effectiveness
3. Performing preventative maintenance throughout the lifecycle of the cab
Life-cycle standard creates consistency across the life of a machine
A life-cycle standard follows a machine from the date that it is certified compliant – either at the factory or upon successful retro-fitting – ensuring compliant design, testing, and maintenance over time.
The standard promotes operational integration, bringing stakeholders together from different functional areas and seniority levels to focus on operator air quality and maintaining compliance
The benefits of ISO 23875
Health, Safety, and Trade Benefits
• Reduces the incidences of lower-lung chronic health conditions of machine operators in the work force
• Establishes requirements that can be consistently monitored, tested, and
managed by industrial hygienists
• Improves employee retention and recruiting by addressing a key environmental hazard, creating a safer workplace
• Lowers equipment maintenance costs; A/C system will run longer and more effectively with the reduction of dust and particulate building up on the evaporator core
• Defines maintenance practices and service intervals to maintain required cab performance
• Creates consistent global standard and approach to cab air control systems, reducing impacts of regional regulations and multiple iterations of machines, platforms, and parts
Standardising cab air quality through performance requirement
ISO 23875 Performance Requirements
The goal of an air quality control system is to protect a machine operator from harmful particulates outside of the cab through filtration and cab pressurisation.
The expertise and products to help you meet the standard
Meet the Requirements with the Sy-Klone RESPA® Cab Air Quality System
The Sy-Klone RESPA®-CF2 fresh air system, FFX2/CFX2 recirculated air system, 
RadialSHIELD ISO 35 H filters (EN 1822 H13), and RESPA Advisor monitoring
system help you meet the performance requirements outlined in ISO 23875.
• Provides sufficient fresh air intake and exchange to maintain CO2 levels with
properly sealed cab
• Continuously monitors pressurization and CO2
levels, built-in alarm alerts the
operator when pressurization or CO2
levels go outside of the allowable threshold
ensuring sustained pressurization while maintain uninterrupted HVAC
performance*
• Recirculation system supports recirculation efficiency and decay rate time
• Sy-Klone team is well versed in the standard’s requirements, leading working
group currently piloting ISO 23875 installations in Canada
Support of ISO 23875 recommendations gaining traction around the world
• One of the top five global mining companies with sites across Australia, Africa, and North America already includes ISO 23875 as global requirement for new machines
• Multiple OEMs actively working to understand and address requirements
• ISO TC-82 Mining, Working Group 9 currently piloting elements of ISO 23875 installations in Canada, with exception of Respa ADVISOR™ scheduled for release in Q1 2021
• Bringing OEMs, industrial health, mining companies, regulators, service and maintenance functions together to generate support and adoption
• Additional industries revising standards to gain alignment with ISO 23875 (SAE, ANSI, EN) Gaining Acceptance from Stakeholders
“The US Occupational Health and Safety Administration has expressed significant interest in making ISO 23875 a normative standard in the OSHA silica rule, Table One”
Timeline and next steps
• ISO 23875 is in the final stages of balloting and approval
• International standard set to be finalized and published in Q4 2020 – Q1 2021
• Leading working group currently piloting ISO 23875 installations for mining companies in North America, with
installations set to begin soon in Australia, Africa, and Central America
