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Ibstock Brick Team Up with Tennant for a Cleaner, Safer Site Against Silica Dust
Ibstock Brick are the UK’s leading manufacturers of clay products and employ nearly 1400 people in the UK spread over 19 sites.
The sites are located throughout the UK and most have associated quarrying operations at or near to them.
In order to meet the increasing demand for the supply of bricks, Ibstock Brick have extended their manufacturing capability at the new Ibstock site in Coalville, Leicestershire.
The new factory can produce 100 million bricks per annum, coupled with the existing manufacturing on site; it will mean 190 million bricks per annum total output from the Ibstock site, or an amount equivalent to around 28,000 new homes per year.
Challenge
Silica is a natural substance found in materials common on construction sites, like concrete, rocks and sand. The dust created by cutting, grinding or drilling concrete products can contain respirable crystalline silica. Over time, exposure to these silica particles causes scarring in the Lungs.
The control of airborne silica dust is a constant challenge for industries that create the dust. The key to preventing silica exposure is to keep silica dust out of the air. That’s a tall order for giant manufacturing sites like Ibstock Brick.Former methods like broom sweeping are neither efficient nor effective, which is why Ibstock Brick contacted Tennant to help find a solution.
Solution
Tennant offers three types of dust control methods that can be used to support silica control housekeeping requirements. As Tennant developed it’s offering, they worked closely with Ibstock Brick to test their HEPA enabled S20 sweeper.
The Tennant S20 is a versatile and durable mid-sized industrial sweeper with a three-stage primary filter system, plus the option was made available for a 4th stage HEPA dust filter.
"Without the Tennant machines, we would not be able to keep the site clean and safe..."
Mike Wardle
Hygiene and Cleaning Supervisor
Ibstock Eclipse.
Designed for tough, dust-intensive settings, the S20 offers advanced technology that ensures cleaner air, longer uptime, and greater operator comfort.
Based on the Ibstock Bricks testing, the HEPA filter could last between six months to one year depending on application—offering a sustainable and highperformance solution to dust control.
Of course, proper usage and maintenance practices will help increase the effectiveness of the machine’s filtration stages and the life of the HEPA filter.
This combination of durability, filtration precision, and ease of use made the S20 a natural fit for Ibstock’s evolving housekeeping strategy.
Results
Ibstock Brick achieved outstanding improvements in site cleanliness and air quality after the deployment of the S20, and these efforts culminated in the Industry Pledge Award for best practices in dust control assigned to Ibstock Brick’s new Eclipse site.
Ibstock Brick’s collaboration with Tennant showcases how investing in the right cleaning technology is not just about compliance—it’s about creating a safer, more productive workplace. Through innovation, cooperation, and commitment to best practice, Ibstock has set a new benchmark for health and safety in heavy manufacturing.
“Tennant equipment helped us gain the Industry Pledge Award for measures to control dust within a factory in December 2018, which is something that we are very proud of and would not have achieved without the Tennant machines that we have on site.” Michael Caughey – Senior Production Manager, Ibstock Eclipse
“Without the Tennant machines, we would not be able to keep the site clean and safe. The S20 and T20 [...] are easy to use and do a great job helping us keep the dust levels low on site [...].” Mike Wardle – Hygiene and Cleaning Supervisor, Ibstock Eclipse
"A HEPA filter has a special filter media that can clean to a very high standard by removing microscopic particulate from the air" - Jamie Harris Tennant National Account Manager.
Based on Ibstock Bricks testing, the HEPA filter should last at least six months, possibly up to a year depending on the customer’s application. Proper usage and maintenance practices will help increase the effectiveness of the machine’s filtration stages and the life of the HEPA filter.
Filtration stages
Stage 1 – Perma-Filter™ Tennant engineered design helps keep bulky debris, moisture and dirt in the hopper removing 90% of particulates from the air stream.
Stage 2 – SweepMax® Plus Cyclonics Longer filter life with exclusive cyclonics dust control that removes an additional 90% of dust particles from the air stream before reaching the filter.
Stage 3 – Canister Nanofiber Filter MERV 15-rated, flame retardant Donaldson Ultra-Web® filter loads and shakes-back 70%more effectively, and provides cleaner air from filtering sub-micron dust particulates down to .5 microns at 99% efficiency.
Stage 4 – HEPA Dust Filter Dry system providing a filtration efficiency of 99.97% to .3 microns.
Result
Ibstock Brick’s new Eclipse site was awarded the Industry Pledge Award for measures to control dust within a factory.
"Without the Tennant machines, we would not be able to keep the site clean and safe. The S20 and T20, in particular, helps us maintain a clean site and are easy to use and do a great job helping us keep the dust levels low on site and help us keep the floors clean and safe." Mike Wardle – Hygiene and Cleaning Supervisor Ibstock Eclipse.
"Tennant have provide us support and helped us identify machines that have helped us in keeping the new factory clean. The Tennant equipment helped us gain the Industry Pledge Award for measures to control dust within a factory in December 2018 which is something that we are very proud of and would have not achieved this without the Tennant machines that we have on site." Michael Caughey - Senior Production Manager Ibstock Eclipse
